By Anna Skinner
Carmel Clay Schools is increasing its efforts to integrate technology in the classroom this school year.
The district will give teachers the opportunity to choose between three different devices – an iPad, a tablet or a Chromebook – for use in the classroom. A total of 4,500 devices will be purchased, and the remaining devices will be available on carts for student use.
“We are wanting to move to increase the use of technology as it relates to driving and changing the delivery of the education,” said Roger McMichael, associate superintendent for business affairs. “It’s not that we don’t have any technology now, but we are expanding the amount of technology, which also requires expanding the infrastructure and network.”
The devices will be distributed based on school size, and the technology carts are mobile and can move from classroom to classroom. McMichael said the initiative is not providing technology on a one-to-one ratio to students. The focus will be on instruction and not the device.
“The timeline will be over the course of this current school year. It is not all at once. We will provide devices for our teachers first, and then move from there to providing additional devices to students,” McMichael said. “It will take some time. None of (the devices) are here now.”
The project is estimated to cost approximately $6 million.
“Teachers get to choose the device, and there will be a discussion with other educators and teachers of the same grade level to know which device is better for a certain curriculum, so giving them that option of device is really beneficial,” CCS Community Relations Liaison Courtney Taylor said.
