Technical innovation continues at St. Vincent with Chromebooks

Friday, May. 08, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — As part of Saint Vincent de Paul School’s continuing effort to be a leader in innovation and technology, Chromebooks became a reality this school year. In the fall, the school received a grant from The ALSAM Foundation to purchase 105 Chromebooks for its 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders.   

The technology gives students, teachers and administrators an easy way to manage schoolwork. Chromebooks boot in 8 seconds, have a long battery life, a built-in Wi-Fi and optional 3G memory. Information can be stored in a cloud, allowing multiple students to use the same device but have a personalized experience. The 21st-century workplace will require digital literacy skills and Chromebooks provides students better avenues to practice these skills.

Seventh-grade teacher Alexandra Hustiu uses Chromebooks to access e-books and other Google applications. “E-books allow students to read books, take notes, answer questions and take quizzes,” Mrs. Hustiu said. “My students use Google Classroom to manage their assignments. In addition, we use Google docs application to collaborate documents/projects and Google-Keep, a digital planner, to help with organization and time management.”

Sixth-grade teacher Monica Howa-Johnson believes Chromebooks offers several benefits, the greatest being easy access and eliminating lost assignments. Also, “I can give the students almost instantaneous feedback on their work, and can see in real time who has turned their work in or not,” she said.

This technology is the first step in Saint Vincent School’s goal of becoming a BYOD (bring your own device) school which has several benefits: Organization improves as all notes and assignments are all in one place. It is also cost-effective. There is unlimited access to information and resources. Furthermore, teachers can use apps to be more connected to their students and parents. Finally, students love technology, so it creates enthusiasm and excitement about learning.

An enthusiastic Saint Vincent de Paul middle school student said, “I am stoked that we have Chromebooks! I think it is so cool that we can do all of our assignments on it.  The Chromebooks are very light and easy to carry. Now we have less books to carry and I feel professional with a Chromebook, especially with the bag.”