FAQ

At its most basic, 1:1 (or 1 to 1, one to one) is shorthand for the ratio of computers to students (one computer for each student), but the MCPSS 1:1 initiative will include the technology, services, training, and support necessary for a successful move toward a more blended and student-centered 1:1 learning environment.

Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, MCPSS will provide every student with a Chromebook notebook computer - giving a ratio of one computer to one student.

But our implementation of this increased student access to technology involves much more than can be represented by a simple ratio - more computers for students is only a part of our 1:1 initiative. Please read more on our What is 1:1? page.

Computer labs are great! And they will continue to have important roles in our schools. Placing a computer in the hands of every student, however, opens up incredible possibilities for more personal, meaningful education experiences for our students.

A Chrome book is a computer - usually a laptop/notebook - that uses the Chrome operating system (rather than Windows or Mac). The Chrome book operating system is published and maintained by Google, but Chromebooks are produced by many manufacturers, including Lenovo, HP, Samsung, and others - even Google.

Much of the work done using a Chromebook takes place in "The Cloud", with the Chromebook accessing programs and services through the Chrome browser. A good example (and not just for Chromebooks) is using an online productivity tool and storage system - like Office 365 or Google Docs - to create and save a document. The software, storage, and end product are all used on and saved to internet-based data centers - not on the computer itself.

Read more about Chromebooks on Wikipedia - or on Google's promotional page.

And see our Chromebook Care and Chromebook Help pages for more information.

Also, be sure to see the MCPSS Chromebook Handbook and MCPSS Student Laptop Agreement documents.

Please see the Chromebook Loss/Damage/Theft page

Please see the Chromebook Care and Responsibilities page for an overview. Refer to the MCPSS Chromebook Handbook for full details.

You will need to use the Chromebook that the school provides.

With our move to 1:1, the schools’ networks are configured to only allow school-owned and district-owned devices to join. So, while you could bring your personal computer to school (after checking with your school’s administration), you would not be able to join it to the network. Without being on the network, your computer would not have access to the Internet or any of the web-based you’ll need – like Schoology.

No. Student and staff email accounts are Microsoft Office 365 accounts and use Outlook for email. Students do have MCPSS-issued Google accounts for signing into Chromebooks, Google Drive, and other services, but MCPSS does not use the Gmail service.

With our Google Workspace for Education service, we (MCPSS) create and maintain the MCPSS Google accounts. This agreement allows us to provide accounts for all students, regardless of age.

Yes! Our license with Microsoft permits students and employees to download and install Office apps on up to 5 devices. Please see the Install Office at Home page for more information.

Students are encourage to make use of the web-based versions of these programs. More help is available on the Microsoft/Office 365 page.

Our agreement with Microsoft allows us to create and maintain accounts for students and employees. Since we (MCPSS) own the accounts, we are able to provide accounts to all users, regardless of age.