R-8 proposal would replace Joplin High School MAC laptops with Google Chromebooks

The switchover from MAC laptops to Google Chromebooks, already completed at Joplin middle schools, will take place at the high school, if approved by the R-8 Board of Education when it meets 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Memorial Education Building.

This will be the third time the laptops, which were first purchased for all Joplin High School students with a $500,000 donation from United Arab Emirates following the May 22, 2011 tornado, have been replaced.

The previous purchases were all of Apple products, with the most recent purchases being the expensive MacAir laptops.

Documentation provided to the board indicates the replacement of MACs at the middle school level has been successful.








The following reasons were given for the switchover:

-Chromebooks are an appropriate and effective device to address the curriculum needs for our students for our 1:1 student to device program.

-Chromebooks are more cost effective than MacBook Airs.

-Google makes managing Chromebooks quite easy from an instructional technology department perspective.

-Chromebooks have proven to be a great tool for testing. (NWEA, MAP, etc.)

-Chromebooks are less likely to get viruses. MAC viruses are starting to outpace Windows viruses 2-1.

-Students will be able to keep their Chromebooks through the summer because of automatic upgrade capability. (The current computers required IT personnel to upgrade them during the summer months.)

-The cost of accident forgiveness for the devices will be reduced from $50 per device to $10 per device, thus easing the burden on families.

The board documentation notes that the Springfield, Webb City and Carl Junction school districts are using Google Chromebooks.

The cost to resign with Apple for a five-year cycle would be $2,028,600 while the Chromebooks, which would be a four-year replacement cycle, would cost $763,600.