We have been rolling out a one to one technology initiative over the past several years. At the end of the 2017-2018 school year, kindergarten through sixth grade students were using one to one technology. The District staggered the roll out and this year we will finally be one to one district wide for students and teachers. Providing this technology will increase access to digital curriculum, in place of traditional print textbooks and classroom equipment, such as graphing calculators. As we have provided more technology, we have focused on the importance of teaching students to become good digital citizens by guiding them to the appropriate use of technology.
For students that do not have Wi-Fi at home, the District has a limited number of Home Hotspot devices (Kajeet). These devices enable students to “check out” Internet service—free. These devices can be checked out at the high school. These hotspots are intended to help students access online resources at home to help bridge the digital divide and ensure educational equity. These devices are filtered through our off-site content filtering service. The borrowing limit is one device per household, when needed, to complete homework and/or projects.
In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), Greenville City Schools filters Internet content accessed from within the school network. Internet content filtering on the iPads will work when it is used at home. The standard district filtering policy is in effect. Parental supervision is always encouraged. Most important, we want to teach our students to safely use technology, while also giving them the best opportunity to learn in a dynamic, engaging environment.