CHROMEBOOK BREAKAGE
By Siddharth Tangri, Vivek Rallabandi, Anish Rane, and Shiril Reddy
John Adams Middle School, Edison, New Jersey
Teacher: Mrs. Miele
1.
All About Chromebooks
About chromebooks and their features
What is a Chromebook?
A chromebook is a lightweight laptop that runs on Chrome OS.
2.
The Problem
The problem with having chromebook breakages
The Problem With Chromebooks
Existing Policy: The Loaner System
1.
Students line up at a designated location to receive a loaner Chromebook
2.
Students receive and “sign out” a loaner Chromebook if there are enough for all students
3.
Students use the loaner Chromebook, which often has many issues, throughout the day.
4.
Students return their Chromebooks to their designated location at the end of the day
The Debate
3.
The Research/Evidence
What are the problems with the loaner system? The data shows it all
Synopsis of our Survey
40 Eighth-grade students were asked questions about Chromebooks, breakage, and the loaner system. Their responses were collected through a Google Form and are shown on the forthcoming slides.
Question 1:
The high percentage of chromebook breakages would be enough of a problem as it is. However, it becomes an even bigger problem when combined with the fact that there is a faulty loaner system. This means that nearly ¾ of the student body are trying to get through the day with a barely-working device that disrupts their learning with its never-ending stream of problems.
Question 2:
Chromebooks, being lightweight and thereby fragile devices, tend to break multiple times. Students may have broken their chromebooks once, and even though they try to protect the device from future damage; it may still break, as displayed above. One-fourth of the students have broken it twice, and a considerable amount of students have broken it even more. This emphasizes the need for a better loaner system, as students may not only break their chromebooks once, but two or three times.
Question 3:
The lengthy amount of waiting time is further proof that the loaner system is dysfunctional. The chromebooks are to be returned within a few days, perhaps a week. However, 75% of students all reported waiting at least a MONTH for their chromebooks. The problem with this is that if one student’s repair time takes one month or longer, there is a large buildup of students waiting, which will start inconveniencing the entire school. Piles of students come in the morning, it leads to hallways being blocked, students not having chromebooks because the loaners ran out, and many more issues.
Question 4:
When student’s chromebooks are broken, they usually get a loaner that is supposed to be a temporary replacement which is not allowed to be taken home. Students who clicked N/A are mostly those who didn’t break their chromebook. The numbers may not appear to make sense at this point. However, there is also a percentage in that group who broke their device but weren’t able to get a loaner, further supporting the fact that the system is inefficient. Moreover, nearly half of the students who DID get a loaner found a plethora of problems with it, which is why the system needs to be changed.
Question 5:
This question helped students underline the problems that they faced everyday with their loaner. Apart from the “other” option, all of the above issues would severely impact a student's day. If the loaners that the students need to replace their chromebooks aren’t working, it defies the purpose of trying to give students a way to continue working, especially if these defective devices do the exact opposite. In fact, many students feel that “A lot of the time, the loaners have more issues than the chromebooks we sent in.” This is again yet another example of how terrible devices make terrible days.
~ John Adams Students on Loaner Chromebooks
“
It took forever to get my loaner because there was a huge line, and there wasn’t really that great management. When I finally did get the loaner, it had even more problems than the chromebook I sent in for repairs.
~ John Adams Student
“
Research
Cracked screens are becoming a major problem in schools all over the United States. As said in the article Protect the Most Common Breakage Points on Chromebooks,“Cracked screens are undisputably the most common type of breakage in schools, and districts without in-house repair teams have shelled out thousands of dollars to fix broken displays”. This article concurred with our point about the breakage of chromebooks, and provided examples of how thousands of dollars were coughed up to fix these chromebooks. Not only did fixing the chromebooks take time and money, but the schools also had to give the student a loaner, which they needed more money to purchase, so the student can continue to learn and develop.
Quote: “Cracked screens are undisputably the most common type of breakage in schools, and districts without in-house repair teams have shelled out thousands of dollars to fix broken displays.”
Research (continued)
On top of the fact that Chromebooks are being handled by careless students still in the process of learning, the Chromebook isn’t very resistant to damage. This causes more breakage, more money, and more people waiting for a loaner they might not even receive. The chromebook has evolved into an crucial part of education for Edison. From firsthand experience, without it you are almost idle in class and can do practically nothing. Once again, a revised system would be more organized so that every single person would receive a loaner. It would also reduce the amount of chromebooks broken, due to the fact that there would be less of a hassle.
Quote: “Traditional laptops are often hardy enough to keep working for a while despite common abuses, such as sitting books on the lid, but Chromebook users quickly discover that these slimmer, lighter devices are less resistant to damage.
VolumeCases article
Research (continued)
Quote: “When “kids shove [a device] in their backpack, then books start slamming against it and break the screen,” Sheth [a Google executive] says.”
Edsurge, May 2015
As stated in the article, elementary and middle students are prone to breaking their chromebooks, even accidentally. Students of all ages tend to carelessly handle Chromebooks. Whether it be due to laziness or naivety, many students don’t treat their electronic device properly. There are too many ways for the device to be broken. This causes priceless money and time to go down the drain. A more effective system would reduce the damage and provide the student with “lifeline” in case a problem arises.
4.
The Policies
Info about the alternative policies that can be implemented as a replacement and each one’s pros and cons
Alternative Policies
Chromebook Carts
Each classroom will have a cart of Chromebooks to be used in class. Students cannot remove the Chromebooks from the classroom, reducing Chromebooks’ exposure to damage.
Homeroom System
Each homeroom is allocated a certain number of Chromebooks. Students will take Chromebooks during homeroom and return them at the end of the day; ensuring that every student receives a Chromebook.
Revised Loaner System
When a student turns a Chromebook in for repair, they will receive a loaner Chromebook. They will keep the Chromebook until their old Chromebook returns from repair.
Chromebook Carts
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
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The Homeroom System
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
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The Revised Loaner System
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
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5.
Implementation
How we plan to put our plan to action and improve our school environment
Public Policy
A Potential Problem
The Solution
4 Step Action Plan
1.
Lobby Supporters and Opponents
2.
Write a letter/email and set up a meeting with the EBOE
3.
Speak at the Board of Education Meeting
4.
Get the new system approved
Influencing Individuals and Groups
In order for our idea to even be considered, we will have to gain support from our peers, teachers, and building administrators
Swaying Government Officials
In order for our revised system to be implemented in schools of the Edison District, the key is for the EBOE (Edison Board of Education) to be on our side.
6.
Reflection
Our thoughts on Project Citizen and our journey to the finish
Student Reflection: Siddharth Tangri
After completing the project, my experience has definitely been an exceptional journey. The project has augmented my knowledge on public policies and completely changed my perspective on government. This project was not as easy as it sounded, and such a “minor” issue took an immense amount of effort and planning . This made me realize how arduous task creating/revising a policy is. They took so much time and a majority of the policies don’t even get approved! It was a pleasure and gift to work on such a great learning experience like Project Citizen, and I would definitely do it again if given the chance.
Reflection: Vivek Rallabandi
My experience with this project has enriched my knowledge of public policy and has given me a broader understanding about the workings of government. It displayed that changing existing policies is not as easy as it sounds; and that it requires a tremendous amount of insight and thinking. If a relatively minor, district-wide policy takes so much planning, then I wonder how much thought goes into crafting the policies at the state and national levels! It was my pleasure to work on Project Citizen, and it was an interesting and engaging activity that I was able to partake in. It’ll certainly alter the way I think about policies, laws, and government.
Reflection: Anish Rane
I learned a plethora of things from this project. Firstly, we learned how to collaborate with a team to finish a long and arduous task. Also, I learned the difficulty of making a change in our world. Even at the smallest level, it is extremely hard to get attention, implement the task and receive feedback. Furthermore, this task has helped me realize the way our objective is interwoven with many other tasks and policies. This helps me to understand the policies and rules that are implemented in our daily life. All in all, this project was a creative and unique, that helped open my mind up about the school and our local government.
Student Reflection: Shiril Reddy
My experience with this project has enhanced a multitude of my skills pertaining to collaboration, public policy, and problem solving. We had to collaborate in order to complete a long and daunting task. We learned that conflicting interests consume time, and sometimes in order to solve these conflicting interests, we need to take a step back in order to take a step forward. I also learned that making a change tends to take a lot of effort, and a lot of changes to your own ideas. I also saw how much planning and preparation it takes to change policy on a local level, and it made me think about how much more planning it would take to implement changes on a national level, making me consider how much work our Representatives need to do.
Bibliography
THANKS!
Any questions?
Teacher: annalyn.miele@edison.k12.nj.us
You can find me at 2056283@edison.k12.nj.us or siddharth.tangri@gmail.com
CREDITS