by Emmerson Clark | staff writer

Students can now rent a Chromebook from the school for educational purposes. 

“The Connected Classroom initiative is really designed for the opportunity for any student who wants to have a, their own Chromebook Samsung Chromebook four to be able to be checked to check it out to themselves for the school year,” assistant principal Sandi Veliz said. 

The program will help integrate technology into traditional teaching.

“I anticipate that over the next few years we will see far more students checking them out almost going like a one to one situation where students use the device as their learning management system,” Veliz said. 

According to Veliz, the program is only to make teaching more effective, not to replace any form of learning

“It’s important to note that it is not the expectation from anybody no one believes or wants this would ever replace the teacher,” Veliz said, “ I think that there’s enough research certainly that tells us that there’s nothing more important to the learning than a good teacher.”

In order for students to rent a Chromebook there is a required $25 insurance fee.

“You have to have a signed lending agreement,” Veliz said, “If it does get some damage by accident, you turn it in immediately so that we can get it repaired and things like that, but it will be $25 each year.”

For students who cannot afford the insurance fee, there is a scholarship opportunity that can be applied to that will waiver the fees.

“I think that some of the professional learning that our teachers have been participating in really talks about integrating technology into some portion of the lesson cycle,” Veliz said.

Students can visit Skyward Family Access at https://www.neisd.net/skyward and select the Technology Lending Agreement to start utilizing the Connected Classroom.

“I think that with the generation of students in the way that technology is so ingrained in, it’s in the fabric of who they are,” Veliz said, “Especially hybrid and marry the technology with the really good quality teaching we have here at Johnson.”