Ridgewood to Distribute Chromebooks to Students in 2014-15 School Year

Starting next school year, students at Ridgewood High School will be issued a Chromebook laptop as part of an initiative that district officials say will help students be more prepared to live and work in the 21st Century.

Ridgewood Superintendent Daniel Fishbein recently released some preliminary details of the Chromebook distribution in a letter home to parents. The laptops will be given out first to high schoolers, then to middle schoolers, as part of the district's implementation if its "1:1 Computer Device Initiative," Fishbein said. The district will also be increasing the use of Chromebooks at the elementary level. 

The netbook distribution is supported financially by a technology grant from the Ridgewood Education Foundation.

"I am very honored that the Foundation is partnering with the Board of Education in this endeavor," Fishbein said in the note. He called the 1:1 initiative "an important step toward developing a 21st Century approach toward curriculum, teaching, and learning."

Students will be using the Google Apps for Education (GAFE) suite and Google Drive, all of which will be managed by the district. Teachers have already started to receive  training on how to use the apps, and some have implemented them in the classroom this year. 

The district has also purchased carts and grade-level training on the apps to help students get used to using them in an academic setting next fall.

Fishbein said he will continue to distribute information about the Chromebooks to the community over the next several months.