Teachers, some of whom admitted to being out of their comfort zone, received hands-on training on how to make full use of Chromebook and Google For Education applications to engage in learning “as it happens”.

Beverly Wood, principal at Galt Collegiate Institute, said the high school is looking forward to the possibilities of making good teaching even greater thanks to the introduction of the laptops in Grade 9 classes.

She is quick to brush off suggestions the Chromebooks are simply a tool for typing essays or, while admirable, another means to go paperless.

“We don’t have the Chromebook to be a $330 pencil,” she laughed.

The opportunities for teachable moments are endless thanks to the flexibility of Chromebooks, said Wood. Teachers and fellow students can guide the learning as it happens, instead of after the fact.

“This all happens as the work is being done and the learning is taking place,” she said. “It makes it more dynamic.”

Every high school will be exploring ways to integrate the Chromebook into lessons by getting all teachers up to speed.

“Our job as teachers is to unlock the potential that is there,” said the principal.

Making the laptops available to everyone means students won’t have to compete for computer lab time in high schools. It also levels the playing field for those who can’t afford their own.

“It has improved access,” said Wood. “And when you improve access you improve equity and inclusion.”

One of the next steps for the public school board is to research options for students who don’t have Wi-Fi at home, noted Carbone, although free Wi-Fi is available at public libraries and many coffee shops. Most of the Chromebook’s applications require Internet access.

Each student’s family must sign a responsibility contract to replace the Chromebook if broken beyond repair – at a cost of $330 for the laptop and a $50 for the charger. However, Wood noted a school can review each situation independently to judge whether a student’s care of the Chromebook is at fault.

“We’re not looking to hang families out to dry if a Chromebook gets broken,” she said.

If a student purposely mistreats the computer, it’s another thing.

“Then we’re going to have a conversation about replacement.”

The Catholic board isn’t far behind its public counterpart, said Catholic board chief managing officer John Shewchuk.

He said the board’s strategy for 2016-2017 calls for implementing Wi-Fi in every school by the end of the year to support the deployment of technology as the board moves away “from desktop technology since learning can happen anywhere, not just at a desk”.

The deployment aims to have a Chromebook for one in four elementary students and one in three for secondary students.