Revised 03/2015 Lake Catholic Chromebook FAQs As Lake Catholic High School prepares to rollout the Cougar Chrome Initiative for the 2014­2015 school year, see below for some common FAQs related to this new program. What is a Chromebook? Chromebooks are personal laptop computers that run on the Chrome Operating System. Chromebooks are designed to be used while connected to the Internet and support applications that reside on the Web, rather than traditional applications that reside on the machine itself. Without a physical hard drive, Chromebooks are less susceptible to viruses and slowdowns due to spam and malware. What are Google Apps? Google Apps are a set of documentation creation and editing tools offered by Google at no cost to educational institutions. These tools are similar to Microsoft Office but offer the added flexibility of cloud based access and storage. Any time a student logs into their Lake Catholic Google account from any device, they will find all of their stored documents. Learn more about Google apps here: ​
http://learn.googleapps.com/ Why did Lake Catholic choose Chromebooks? There are a variety of devices suitable for usage in the classroom including iPads, Netbooks, laptops, and other tablet devices. Lake Catholic decided on Chromebooks for a variety of reasons. We believe that due to their ease of use, extended battery life, availability of application, presence of a physical keyboard, and cost that Chromebooks are the best choice of educational peripheral devices available on the market. We also believe that all students having the same device will maximize instructional time using the Chromebooks while keeping software usage procedures seamless. Why does each student need a Chromebook? There are several reasons to give each student at Lake Catholic High School a Chromebook. The first of those is that technology is becoming a growing part of our daily lives. At Lake Catholic, we believe that by placing a device in the hand of each student, they will become better equipped to handle the variety of technologies and changing dynamics that the workplace will offer. Another reason is that access is power. Students will be able to access a variety of resources and information in seconds with their Chromebooks. Chromebooks also increase student engagement. Placing a device in the hand of each student will afford them new and continuing educational opportunities that were not available without such technology. Revised 03/2015 So I always need the internet to use the Chromebook? No. Google Apps for Education on the Chromebooks offers a variety of applications that will work offline and reconnect with Google Drive when an internet connection is found. Will every teacher use the Chromebook? Every teacher is required to use the Chromebook in his/her class. Each student is expected to arrive at school each day with his or her Chromebook fully charged and available. Failure to bring the Chromebook to school will result in similar consequences as if the student would continually leave a book or other required materials at home. Do I own the Chromebook? As part of the new curriculum of Lake Catholic High School, students will be issued a school owned Chromebook at the start of their freshman year beginning with the class of 2019. After four years of usage, students will be given the option to buy their Chromebook for a dollar at graduation. Classes of ​
2016, 2017, and 2018 will be given different optional buy­out choices at graduation. What happens if I damage or lose the Chromebook? Though leased to the student, all Chromebooks are property of Lake Catholic High School. The expectation is that students will treat the device like it is their possession for the 4 years they attend Lake Catholic similar to a textbook or any other piece of school property. Because Chromebooks are a necessary part of daily instruction they must be in functional working order. Repairs of a device due to damage or misuse will be the financial responsibility of the student. Possible repair costs include but are not limited to: ●
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Entire Chromebook replacement Screen Replacement Keyboard Replacement Power charger replacement Lake Catholic will offer the option of insurance for the Chromebooks to offset the cost of possible repairs. Insurance will be available through the an outside company and will be available to all students at an additional cost. How should I carry my Chromebook? Chromebooks should ALWAYS be in the mandatory approved Lake Catholic case/carrying bag. Failure to keep the device in the proper case could result in damage to the device which will lead to the device requiring repair at the cost of the student and his/her parents. Revised 03/2015 Can I use an external drive with my Chromebook? Yes, the Chromebook will read and function with the following devices: ●
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USB mice, keyboards and storage devices SIM cards SD cards External displays via HDMI Headphones or earbuds Can I download an app? Students may use approved applications from the Chrome webstore. Any other application students wish to use will need to be evaluated and approved by the administration of Lake Catholic High School. What happens if my Chromebook freezes/fails? Damaged or non­functioning devices should be turned in to the technology department so the unit can be inspected and repaired. Lake Catholic technology staff members can repair many problems in­house, which may take a day or two. Other problems may require the devices being sent out for repair, which can take several days or perhaps longer. What if my Chromebook is stolen? In order to receive another Chromebook due to theft, a Request for Loaner form must be completed, and the student’s parents must provide a copy of a filed police report. What happens if somebody else breaks my Chromebook? Circumstances will be investigated on a case­by­case basis. School administration and local law enforcement may be involved if it is suspected to be an act of vandalism. Do I keep the Chromebook over school breaks? Yes; this is in keeping with the same policy as textbooks. Do I keep it over the summer? Yes. We believe that education should occur year round and thus will allow students to keep their Chromebooks over the summer to continue to have access to resources as well as work on summer reading assignments. Revised 03/2015 Will Lake Catholic’s network be able to handle 800+ devices? Yes. The newly updated infrastructure will be able to handle the load created by these new devices. Each classroom has been outfitted with a new wireless access point that will handle over 60 devices. With each classroom typically having less than 30 devices, the access points and new switching equipment will be able to handle the load without issue. Will Internet access be blocked and/or restricted? Yes. The 1­to­1 initiative is being provided by Lake Catholic to enhance the academic environment of the school. Any use of the Chromebook that would be considered inappropriate based on school mission, school policy or Diocesan and legal requirements will be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the acceptable use policy. Students are responsible for keeping their device free from all inappropriate material or files that may compromise the integrity of Lake Catholic’s network, equipment, or software as consistent with the acceptable use policy. All uses of the Chromebook should align with the mission and vision of Lake Catholic High School at all times including times off school hours. Browsing histories cannot be deleted by the students. The school will also conduct random checks of student browsing histories if there is a suspected issue. The device is property of the school until the student purchases it at graduation and thus may be seized anytime there is probably cause. Inappropriate web browsing is a violation of Lake Catholic’s Acceptable Use Policy and may result in disciplinary action including detention, suspension, or expulsion. Can a legitimate website be unblocked? Can I suggest or request an app be added the Chromebook? Any requests to unblock legitimate sites or add apps will be processed by the Administration as presented by the Technical staff. The process for unblocking legitimate sites or requesting an app will include filling out an online form with the web address of the site or app name and reason for the request.