1:1 Technology FAQ

1:1 Technology Presentation 
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What does 1:1 Technology Integration mean? 
1:1 means every student will have a personal computer (iPad) to improve opportunities for learning through increased access to information and increased personal engagement.

Why is Marist providing an iPad to each student?
We are committed to preparing students for college and life beyond high school in an increasingly technological world. 

• This program ensures that every student has the necessary digital tools to advance his or her own educational growth. 
• A personal device meets several specific curricular criteria that Marist has identified as necessary for student learning in the 21st century. 

Our research revealed that a tablet, the iPad in particular, offers students:

• Engagement with curriculum that captures their attention, compels greater interaction, and involves their bodies as well as their minds (kinesthetic learning).  
• A dynamic platform to develop and nurture creative problem solving.
• A tool that efficiently allows for learning and re-learning of material (e.g., absences, long-term illness, special needs, etc.).
• Internet access via a monitored wireless network — truly the largest library in history. 
• Access to local storage for online books, textbooks, databases, and audio & video files, allowing students to carry their studies, in a variety of engaging and useful formats, with them.
• Opportunities to engage in collaborative learning with students and teachers locally and abroad. 
• Access, virtually anywhere or anytime, to ample computing power to allow students to engage in the high-quality, data-intensive work and study our society demands.   
• A computing device that ensures equitable access as well as options for personal customization, integration into learning across subjects, and greater personal responsibility for students and their individual learning.                                   

Why has Marist chosen the iPad?

• The iPad provides a mobile computing device best-suited to our mission, curriculum and current educational environment and goals. 
• The iPad is a powerful, mobile, reliable, and all-day battery-powered computer.
• iPads provide access to an extensive library of high-quality, low-cost, educationally relevant software.
• iPads offer an immersive, touch-based, operating system that is easy to learn and intuitive to the user.
• The iPad’s size fits conveniently in student lockers and backpacks and will lighten the weight in a backpack as more eBooks become available.
• The iPad’s “single-app” screen design encourages students to focus on the learning task at hand rather than emphasizing multi-tasking.
• The iPad allows for easy face-to-face interaction, avoiding the barrier between students and teachers that occurs with a traditional laptop design.
• Instant on/off capabilities preserve class-time for meaningful learning activities, eliminating the wait time that traditional laptops present during boot up or shut down periods. 
• Apple, Inc. includes support for educational use (training, deployment, financing etc.).
• A rich depth and wide breadth of affordable apps are available. 
• Numerous textbook publishers work closely with Apple to create affordable and feature-rich “iBooks”: Pearson and McGraw Hill are two examples. 
• While initially more expensive than other options, our research among current 1:1 users highlights the long-term value of iPads as more durable, fewer incidents of repair, and easier to maintain and update, when compared to other options.

Who will own the iPad? 
Marist will own the iPad. Each student will be issued a 64GB, Wi-Fi only, full-sized iPad with Retina Display.
​(Also known as the iPad Air 2.)  

How will the cost of the 1:1 program be paid for and what costs are covered? 
We believe a modest tuition increase is the most transparent, efficient, and responsible way of covering the costs of the entire program. 

The 1:1 program costs include:

• Expansion of reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi coverage over the entire campus.
• Improvements to technology infrastructure required to accommodate the increased number of devices on campus.
• Ongoing training and professional development for teachers to effectively use the technology in teaching and learning.
• Increase in IT support personnel.
• Adoption of a learner management system (Schoology) to maximize the potential of the iPad to improve student learning, communication, accountability, and organization.  
• Upgrade capacity and speed of our incoming and outgoing internet connections.
• Software to manage the expanded network and devices.

What if we already own an iPad or prefer another device?

• Students will be required to use a Marist-issued iPad in the classroom.
• In our judgment, the iPad is the best device currently available to meet the teaching and learning activities in which our students will be engaged.  
• Students will continue to be allowed to bring personal devices (cell phone, laptop, etc.) to campus but not as a replacement for the Marist-issued iPad and not for general use during class time.

This decision also allows us to address important issues such as:

• Simplicity and centralization of device and content management by the IT department.
• Equity among all students.
• Convenience for teachers in classroom management and monitoring.
• Less time spent by teachers problem-solving variables when troubleshooting technology problems over multiple devices.
• More time spent by teachers focusing on teaching and learning.
• Flexibility for Marist to stay current with constant changes in technology. 

What about textbooks and applications (apps)?
Marist is committed to using the best resources at the most reasonable cost possible.  When available, less expensive electronic textbooks and resources will be options for families to purchase.  

• Teachers are currently researching textbook and application options for the 2015-16 academic year. A priority will be placed on quality and cost savings. The list of textbooks required for next year will be posted soon and will indicate which books will be available via eBook. 
• We will communicate to all families, as details emerge, regarding eBooks. 
• We anticipate that a substantial number of texts will be available in digital format, saving family’s dollars, decreasing the weight in student backpacks, and off-setting some of the increased tuition costs for the 1:1 technology upgrade.

How will teachers use the iPad in their classes? 
The iPad enhances and allows for more effective ways of conducting traditional academics (reading, writing, note taking). Teachers will also be able to engage students in new and exciting ways to create a 21st century learning environment.

• Central to the use of iPads is the commitment that our outstanding Marist teachers remain the essential facilitators of learning in every classroom. 

The iPad will be used to access information beyond the walls of the classroom, enabling students and teachers to:

• Analyze material from a variety of sources.
• Quickly and efficiently share findings and conclusions. 
• Communicate and collaborate easily. 
• Demonstrate knowledge by creating artifacts and documents that require and reflect a deeper understanding of terms and concepts and how they fit together. 
• Access lessons, content and feedback outside of the regular school day and classroom. 
• Continuously strive to meet the academic needs of our students knowing that computing devices are simply tools that allow for new possibilities.  
• Leverage the potential of technology by building lessons and activities that are connected to a deeper understanding and mastery of content and skills. 

How will students receive and be trained to use their iPads? 
iPad deployment and student training will be provided in late August 2015,  before the school year begins. Multiple training dates will be available to accommodate schedules and allow for some flexibility.  

• Orientation will be required of every student before receiving a school-issued iPad.
• Use of specialty apps and textbook features will be done by teachers in individual classes.
• Digital citizenship and the responsible use of technology will be included as a curricular focus in the orientation sessions and reinforced in the classroom.
• Online tutorial links will be provided for help with various aspects of iPad use.

What about iPad accessories and cases?
Students will be required to provide a case for their Generation 6 iPad. 

• Aside from an approved case, there will be no other required accessories. 
• Many students in other schools using iPads have found a keyboard and/or stylus to be helpful. These are optional and will not be required items.
• We will prepare an “iPad Apps & Accessories” web page that will identify acceptable cases as well as recommendations for other optional apps and some accessories that our faculty have found helpful. 

What happens if the iPad is broken, lost, or stolen?
The iPads are insured under the school’s policy, and we will make every effort to repair a damaged iPad under that insurance with a small deductible charged to the family. 

• If an iPad is a total loss or a student iPad has required repeated repairs due to misuse, then the family will need to cover the costs associated with replacing the iPad. 
• The specific details of this are laid out in a contract that each family signs at distribution of the iPads in August.  
• Families may have the option of purchasing private insurance to guard against loss, theft, and major damage.  Families are also encouraged to check their homeowners insurance policies.

How will Marist address student safety and distractions?
A combination of well-developed policies, clear and consistent communication, and ongoing partnership with families grounded in a respect for the power and potential for technology are how we plan to address the real and valid concerns associated with technology.

•  All apps in the Apple App Store have been vetted by Apple quality control, assuring us of their safety and propriety. iPads will be set to block the installation of “17+” (adult) apps.  
• One of the 21st century skills that we want to instill in students is to learn to care for and maintain their own mobile computing device. Access to the internet will be filtered at school. However, at home they will not, so we recommend that parents utilize "parental controls" that are likely included with home Wi-Fi routers and available on the iPad itself. 
• We are aware of the hazards associated with overexposure to technology and social media. Our job as educators and parents is to make sure that students know these dangers too, and become smart users of their computing devices. Marist welcomes this opportunity to provide guidance and direction to parents about healthy technology practices as well as ways to monitor and guide adolescents to use technology in a safe, productive and ethical way. 
• The general rule is that if there is something that the teacher believes a student should be doing in class, then that’s what the student should be doing. Just as a students can get detention for being disruptive in class or listening to music instead of their teachers, they can also get detention for doing similarly on their iPad. In general, if a student is using the iPad for anything other than what they should be, they will get detention.  
• The web-filtering software onour wireless network restricts access to illicit and inappropriate content on campus and off.  

How will the quality of a Marist education be enhanced?
As professional educators, Marist teachers know that sometimes it makes sense to put pen to paper or turn the pages of a book, whether those are paper pages or electronic pages. At times it is important to lead discussion and other times it is equally valuable to just listen. And sometimes it's essential to use an iPad to find the best answers, synthesize a volume of information and create something vibrant and dynamic. ​
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