The Herricks public schools announced that every third-grader will  have a Google Chromebook, joining grades four to 12, at last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting. 

During the Oct. 7 board meeting, School Superintendent Fino Celano said  the district plans to   continue the rollout of computers in as many grades as possible. 

In the near future, Chris Connors, the district’s director of instructional technology, said Thursday that second-graders will also receive their Chromebooks and there is a possibility kindergarteners and first-graders will too, albeit on a 2:1 basis. Currently, grades K-1 have four students per iPad. Grades 11 and 12 are allowed a bring your own device policy, but are offered Chromebooks as well.

Also included in the current phase of the instructional technology Initiative are creating resources for both staff and students to implement the technology in classrooms. 

District officials said they were providing professional development for new tools. Specifically, the presentation referred to instructional devices such as Google classroom, a learning platform that streamlines assignments between teachers and students, and Smartboards for in-person, remote and hybrid teaching. 

The current phase of technology implementation includes “developing digital citizen curriculum” such as research programs to increase digital fluency and heightening the importance to students of a “digital footprint.” 

Connors said the teachers have been very receptive to getting up to speed on the new technology, which will benefit both them and the students.

“We’re thinking about these key elements in software and technology, and the Chromebook allows you so much immediacy of information and data when assessing your students,” Connors said. “These are the things we’re really trying to capitalize on regarding the access to and synthesis of information.”

Also joining the meeting was Nassau County Legislator Ellen Birnbaum, who commemorated the trustees in honor of New York’s Board Appreciation Week. 

“We have a terrific school board here, volunteering their time and effort to do what they can to make Herricks as great as it is, and it’s one of the best,” Birnbaum said. 

The next Herricks Board of Education meeting will take place Wednesday, Nov. 3.