Rockwood May Soon Allow Personal Laptops, Tablets in the Classroom

This fall, students in the Rockwood School District may be able to bring their laptops and tablets to class as well as the usual stock of pens and notebooks.

The district is considering a revising its technology policies to allow students to use their own electronic devices. The move follows a broader trend in the region, with districts such as Parkway having already implemented similar policies.

“For a modern day learner, technology is not an add-on,” Will Blaylock said, the district's director of technology. “It is part of what they do.”

The official policy notes that “the district also realizes that it is often more convenient for personal technology to be used to assist students in their studies.” However, Blaylock said it’s not meant to cause a disadvantage for those who don’t have their own iPad.

“We are still purchasing technology and there is still technology there in the class room,” he said. “It just puts in the mechanism so that if a student has a tablet, they can bring it in.”

The school board discussed the policy at a June 6 meeting, where they approved a first reading. A second reading will take place by the end of the month, meaning the new policy could be in place by July 1.

Concerns expressed by the board included questions about how well prepared the district’s network infrastructure is for a sudden influx of users. Already, on any given day, around 5,000 devices are connected to its network.

Blaylock said his conversations with other districts that have implemented a similar policy, such as Parkway and Lindbergh, led him to expect a small push at first, maybe about 10 percent more users.

He also pointed out that the board approved earlier this year funding for a network access control system that will help moderate Internet traffic. This includes the creation of a “splash page” for individuals once they connect.

The new policy should not compromise the district’s security either, Blaylock said, with the district’s equipment “segmented off” from the users on the network. This should help minimize the chance of a computer virus located on a student’s device from spreading.