The transition from paper and pen to shared online technologies is gaining momentum at Aragon after the implementation of new Google products. This includes personal MyAHS Google accounts for every student and access to Chromebook laptops in many classes. In addition to MyAHS emails, there are a host of other tools, including Google Drive and Calendar, that intend to help students in their studies.
According to Aragon technology coordinator and teacher Jim Smith, these accounts are part of the ‘Google for Education’ program, which aims to improve student communication and access to online tools.
Smith says, “By having a domain for students, they can create documents, they can share documents, and collaborate online.”
Smith explained that using Google for Education is part of the school’s “one-to-one” initiative. He says, “All freshman English CP, all freshman Social Studies CP, and all Algebra 1-2 have [everyday access] to an electronic device … You add that up, and that’s X amount of classes. The intention is to expand that.”
Many Google applications are widely used by students and teachers to create and share documents and complete homework assignments. Freshman Miles Olson finds MyAHS accounts helpful for students. “I definitely think it is beneficial to have a separate account for schoolwork. It helps you keep organized,” Olson says.
In teacher Patricia Riek’s freshman English class, her students regularly use the Chromebooks. She says, “The ninth grade [English] students are using the computers to do online research and create Google Docs for papers … They are creating slideshows on Google Presentations for presentations they give in class.”
The MyAHS accounts connect all students through the same system, making it easy for teachers. “They have English folders that Ms. Johnson and I set up through Google Drive that are linked to their MyAHS accounts,” says Riek.
Organization is an important benefit of the MyAHS accounts. Some students have had trouble remembering their usernames and passwords. The formula for a student’s username is his or her year of graduation, followed by last name and first initial, and the last two digits of the student ID number. The password consists of the last six digits of the student ID number, followed by the day the student was born.
Freshman Shayan Vahabi uses his MyAHS account in Spanish, History, and English. He says, “In History, we use it to research topics and sometimes to submit homework. It’s a very nice change working with the computers, because people tend to get bored with the textbook. The computers make things more interesting and fun.”
Although the program is beneficial as a tool for separating school from personal life, many students already have a method of organization.
Students who choose not to use MyAHS accounts still have access to Google apps with their personal account, but are not automatically connected to all other students at Aragon.
Besides the more well-known applications, there are many other tools that can help with school, including Google Translate and Google Forms.
Looking ahead, Smith says, “It will be more like one student has multiple, a variety of devices.”
He continues, “I envision in the next year or two that it’s really not necessary to even have Microsoft Office.”
Microsoft programs currently have more functionality than Google tools, but the benefits of online programs are starting to ever more outweigh the setbacks.
The full extent of the Google for Education program has not been explored yet. Smith says, “We’re really starting it with the freshmen now, and a little bit with the sophomores last year.”
Riek concludes, ”I think as a society, step by step, we are going towards a digital, paperless society. I feel like it’s our obligation to help kids prepare for that.”
