The last day of school was barely two weeks ago, but NISD technicians are repairing and prepping mobile devices for the next school year.
The devices – tablets for the younger grades and Chromebooks for older students – are checked out for any problems then set up for the start of classes on Aug. 14.
The iPads are used in kindergarten and first grade. By the second grade, NISD students begin using Chromebooks. It’s in third grade that Texas public school students begin taking the STAAR exam (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness); those standardized tests are administered digitally on laptops.
Any damaged or broken devices – a predictable outcome when used by students – are evaluated, said Jayce Park, the district’s mobile device specialist. Any that can be repaired in-house are taken care of by NISD staff; others are sent to a third-party vendor for repair.
NISD’s Director of Technology Keirsten Morris credited the district’s technology committee for ensuring kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms will have carts to store devices for both protection and charging.
Morris said teachers expressed concerns about students not having a device in the classroom, and these carts will help address those concerns. At Nacogdoches High School, students will still carry devices home to use on assignments.
“Tablets and Chromebooks are tools used by students and teachers and are an important part of the school day,” said Keirsten Morris, NISD’s Director of Technology. “Our goal is to keep them running and in great shape, and our technology staff puts a lot of effort into that.”
On Thursday, NISD techs Park, Jordan Uribe, Keith Mims and Victor Lee were finishing up with devices at Emeline Carpenter Elementary. They’ve already worked through McMichael Middle School, Brooks-Quinn-Jones and Thomas J. Rusk.
