Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: I think it's great to distribute computers or tablets to students that need them. But I'm guessing (?) that most students who don't have access to computers also won't have access to WiFi. Am I wrong about this? Are there solutions that I'm missing? Can most cell phones be used to tether to computers?

Comcast is offering free WiFi to low income families

Anonymous wrote:"MCPS is providing laptops to students with a need to ensure they can access instruction from home. Devices are in limited supply and are reserved for students who do not have access to a computer or laptop at home."

We have a chromebook which one kid uses and another one is using Dad's work computer whenever needed (we have just one home computer which everyone uses and no ipads). If they are going to do formal distance learning, we will definitely need a computer that the other child has access to at any given time.

Would it be wrong if we picked one for one of our kids? Does the partial access to the home computer or work computer count? I'm on the fence about picking one up but DH says it should be fine.

Anonymous wrote:I hope MCPS will also give laptops and webcams to teachers. A lot of staff are not really set up to work remotely. Chrome books won’t give them access to their private PC accounts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once the Chromebooks are returned to schools when this is all over, how will they be disinfected? I don't want my kid using a Chromebook that hasn't been disinfected after being in someone's house for months and who knows who has used it.

There’s no pleasing some people. MCPS provides chrome books so all students can participate in virtual learning and all you do is think of another problem that is so easy to solve. You need to get a life and worry about more important things.

Maybe offer your services to wipe down the chrome books when returned

Anonymous wrote:Once the Chromebooks are returned to schools when this is all over, how will they be disinfected? I don't want my kid using a Chromebook that hasn't been disinfected after being in someone's house for months and who knows who has used it.

Anonymous wrote:Once the Chromebooks are returned to schools when this is all over, how will they be disinfected? I don't want my kid using a Chromebook that hasn't been disinfected after being in someone's house for months and who knows who has used it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guess only the wealthy school kids get them who probably already have chrome books...nice

Nah.

My nephew is at Neelsville in Germantown. Fairly low-income.

Kids are already given tablets to take home, so they already have them. Tablets are meant to be kept with the kids at all times.

This is a completely different situation. Neelsville is a school partnered with Verizon to provide iPads to every student. That is not at all the case with all schools in MCPS.

From the Neelsville website regarding Verizon Innovative Learning:

Update from Verizon regarding the school-issued iPADS: For the next two months, starting yesterday, Monday, March 16, Verizon is upgrading the data plans on all Verizon Innovative Learning devices from 10 GB/month to 30 GB/month. We hope that this increased high-speed access will allow teachers and students to maintain open lines of communication, provide students with increased access to remote instruction, and keep families connected to important health and safety information.

This is a rare situation and very few schools in the county have this partnership.

Baloney. This is not rare. I teach in another state, and my two siblings teach as well. One in Texas and one in Illinois. All three of our districts are located in places where free internet is being offered to families for the duration of the closures. I have friends in other places as well and they have the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guess only the wealthy school kids get them who probably already have chrome books...nice

Nah.

My nephew is at Neelsville in Germantown. Fairly low-income.

Kids are already given tablets to take home, so they already have them. Tablets are meant to be kept with the kids at all times.

This is a completely different situation. Neelsville is a school partnered with Verizon to provide iPads to every student. That is not at all the case with all schools in MCPS.

From the Neelsville website regarding Verizon Innovative Learning:

Update from Verizon regarding the school-issued iPADS: For the next two months, starting yesterday, Monday, March 16, Verizon is upgrading the data plans on all Verizon Innovative Learning devices from 10 GB/month to 30 GB/month. We hope that this increased high-speed access will allow teachers and students to maintain open lines of communication, provide students with increased access to remote instruction, and keep families connected to important health and safety information.

This is a rare situation and very few schools in the county have this partnership.

Baloney. This is not rare. I teach in another state, and my two siblings teach as well. One in Texas and one in Illinois. All three of our districts are located in places where free internet is being offered to families for the duration of the closures. I have friends in other places as well and they have the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is the accountability if they do not get returned? How much would it cost to the family? When do they get returned? What if families do not have internet?

Who cares! If MCPS didnt think about this before announcing distribution they will have to deal with the consequences.

Yes, every district who did this thought about the fact that some will not get returned. What were we supposed to do? Leave kids with nothing?

Apparently they are tracking per the student ID - presumably if you don't return you will be billed. Just like a missing book.

The curbside pickup process will work as follows. Cars will enter and proceed to the bus loop. Cars will be directed to drive up to the pickup point and remain in their car with a window rolled down. Cars need to have a placard displaying their student’s id number on their dashboard. Please make sure the student ID number is clearly printed and large enough to be visible from a distance of six feet. The staff member distributing the Chromebook will record the student ID on the Chromebook barcode inventory sheet, and provide the family with the corresponding Chromebook and a charger.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is the accountability if they do not get returned? How much would it cost to the family? When do they get returned? What if families do not have internet?

Who cares! If MCPS didnt think about this before announcing distribution they will have to deal with the consequences.

Yes, every district who did this thought about the fact that some will not get returned. What were we supposed to do? Leave kids with nothing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guess only the wealthy school kids get them who probably already have chrome books...nice

Nah.

My nephew is at Neelsville in Germantown. Fairly low-income.

Kids are already given tablets to take home, so they already have them. Tablets are meant to be kept with the kids at all times.

This is a completely different situation. Neelsville is a school partnered with Verizon to provide iPads to every student. That is not at all the case with all schools in MCPS.

From the Neelsville website regarding Verizon Innovative Learning:

Update from Verizon regarding the school-issued iPADS: For the next two months, starting yesterday, Monday, March 16, Verizon is upgrading the data plans on all Verizon Innovative Learning devices from 10 GB/month to 30 GB/month. We hope that this increased high-speed access will allow teachers and students to maintain open lines of communication, provide students with increased access to remote instruction, and keep families connected to important health and safety information.

This is a rare situation and very few schools in the county have this partnership.