Mobile Computing | News

Miami-Dade Schools Jumpstart 1-to-1 — Again

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 01/27/14

According to reporting in the Miami Herald, the sizable Miami-Dade County Public Schools will begin rolling out computing devices as part of a 1-to-1 program, beginning in February. Elementary school students are in line to receive 13,000 laptops, and seventh grade civics students and freshman taking world history will receive 15,000 tablets.

The paper stated that the initiative was expected to hand out 100,000 devices by August 2015. The Florida district has about 348,000 students.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho had set the program on pause a few months ago following a spate of bad press regarding 1-to-1 school initiatives in other parts of the country.

In an attempt to maintain greater control over security, most of the devices won't be going home with students. Carvalho said he expects to deploy about 1,000 devices for school and home use in the spring and another 1,500 in the fall. Following each phase of the overall deployment, the district will assess the impact the technology is making on learning and instruction.

The entire endeavor is being funded through a nine-year, $1.2 billion general obligation bond initiative passed in 2012 that encompassed renovation of aging school buildings and providing educational technology upgrades for all schools.