MARLBORO — Marlboro K-8 School District officials expect to place Apple iPads and Google Chromebooks in the hands of students before the school year comes to a close.
Although the Board of Education has not yet taken action to spend the money, nearly $1.6 million in the 2012-13 budget has been set aside for electronic devices, staff development and infrastructure upgrades, according to the district’s website.
At the Sept. 11 board meeting, administrators advised the board to introduce products from Google and Apple to district classrooms in the second half of the school year. The initiative would be the backbone of a three-year technology plan to bring the district up to par with new academic and testing requirements that lie ahead in the near future.
“It gives a district like ours, where we are forward-thinking and where we are looking to meet the needs of all of our students, the opportunity to use both of those platforms,” Director of Curriculum and Instruction Karen Kondek said.
She recommended two wireless carts — each stacked with about 30 devices — of iPads be placed at the Marlboro Early Learning Center; one cart of iPads and one cart of Chromebooks be placed for each grade level at every elementary school; and nine Chromebook carts and three iPad carts be placed in both middle schools.
Her suggestion came after several companies pitched options to a committee of administrators that had been charged with leading the initiative, Kondek said.
Board President Michael Lilonsky praised the Chromebook (a computer with thousands of applications) for its simple operating system, battery life, aversion to viruses and the small amount of time it takes to boot up.
Kondek touted the iPad (tablet computer) as a tool to hold textbooks and applications that would be beneficial to pupils in specific classes, including English, science and music.
Google software, which has been eyed by school officials, could be accessed on both devices, Lilonsky noted.
Board member BonnieSue Rosenwald noted that the implementation of both systems might steer teachers and students away from developing a restrictive preference from one computer.
“When you start with one platform, it becomes harder to introduce the second platform because there is a resistance to it,” Rosenwald said.
Some board members said it would be better from both an operational and fiscal standpoint to pioneer the program with one type of device.
“I’m just concerned about the overall costs,” board member Joseph Waldman said. “I don’t want us to go overboard, only to scrap it a couple years later.”
Waldman said he would like to see a definitive curriculum designed for use with the technological upgrades.
While the district has a number of ideas as to what may be included in that curriculum, Kondek said, the first step is to buy the products and learn how to turn them on.
Board member Cynthia Green said the Chromebook could fail in the marketplace, leaving Marlboro’s teachers and students with experience using an obsolete computer.
If Marlboro were to commit to the iPad it would cost more money to obtain the same number of devices, Superintendent of Schools David Abbott said. He added that professional Apple training, however thorough, is more expensive as well.
Staff development will be one of the primary goals should officials meet their plan to bring devices to the district this year, according to administrators and board members.
Infrastructure related to bandwidth, which is necessary for Internet access, and possibly electrical systems in buildings would also require upgrades due to the increase in the number of computers.
“That’s a one-time deal, but you do it for the long run,” Lilonsky said.
Abbott said the district would likely not be able to go out to bid for the tech overhaul until November. At that time, the district’s financial options will become clearer.