December 14, 2012

Dear Parents and Guardians:

This year Centerville Elementary School is participating in a pilot for eCLASS, the district’s digital content, learning, assessment, and support system initiative. Pilot schools may elect to allow students and teachers to use their personal devices to access the Internet through the GCPS network (BYOD – Bring Your Own Device). These devices include notebook, netbook or laptop computers; eReaders and tablet devices; smart phones and other cellular devices; and other devices with computer interfaces. These devices will be used as a supplementary resource to support instruction across the curriculum. BYOD uses include ebooks during independent reading, internet sites such as dictionary.com and thesaurus.com, Google maps, online textbooks, and online digital content. Students will not be denied access to digital content if they do not bring a device.

Before a student can connect to our wireless network, a Personally Owned Device (POD) Release form must be filled out. If a student does not return the form, they will not be allowed to use personal devices in our school. Beginning in January, each class will have a lesson on BYOD, the resources available for use, and a review of the acceptable use policy. The school will establish rules regarding the safety of the device, such as storing the device in the child’s bookbag, and not sharing the device. However, the school is NOT responsible for any damage or theft to personal devices.

Attached you will find a POD Release form and an informational flyer with some suggested device specs. Please review the FAQ sheet on the back of the flyer for further information. If you have any questions, please contact the Centerville Tech Team at 678-639-3833.

Regards,

Dr. Brenda F. Johnson