More than 800 students in the district received Chromebooks for the first time, expanding the 1:1 initiative to ensure that everyone at Edmund W. Miles Middle School and Amityville Memorial High School have their own take-home devices.

Seventh graders at the middle school received their Chromebooks on Sept. 23, followed by the high school’s 11th and 12th graders the following evening. Eighth, ninth and 10th graders new to the district also were able to pick up their devices, which are available for use both in school and at home. Students and parents sat through a short presentation about the benefits of the 1:1 technology program, as well as computer care, student responsibility and digital citizenship. Each student then left with a Chromebook, a charger and a set of earbuds.

Amityville Memorial High School Principal Edward Plaia said that gone are the days of teachers writing notes on a chalkboard, and students copying them down in their notebooks. Schools must evolve to reflect the ever-changing world, he explained, to ensure that students are active participants in the educational process. 

“The research is very clear,” Mr. Plaia said. “Students are engaged when they’re using technology. That’s the world we live, so we have to adapt to it, and that’s why we are rolling out the Chromebooks.”

Dr. Thomas DeNicola, the assistant superintendent for technology and administrative services, said that Acer Chromebooks use the Google platform. With Google Classroom, teachers can post assignments and students can submit their completed work digitally. There are many useful applications such as Google Docs for text documents, Google Sheets for spreadsheets and Google Slides for interactive presentations.

Teachers have received training on how to incorporate this technology into their lessons, and will continue to receive professional development throughout the year. Dr. DeNicola said he is particularly excited about the increased collaboration among students, or between students and their teachers, provided by the Chromebooks.