Digital Learning Program

Preschool 

Students will more fully integrate technology in their development of language and phonics

Kindergarten – 1st Grade

Students will use school-supplied Chromebooks and iPads for centers/stations and projects. 

2nd – 12th Grade

Allen students in grades second through twelve (2nd-12th) are required to have their own personal laptop for school use as well as a set of small headphones/earbuds. The information below should help address many of the most common questions you may have as you prepare for purchasing the personal device.

Students will be using a personal laptop in most of their classes. This does not mean that writing will only take place on the computer, paper and pencil will still be used. Technology is a tool. A vast assortment of projects using the technology component will be on the agenda for Allen’s future and having a personal device will be a major step in the educational enrichment and resource direction.

Bring Your Own Laptop  Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Bring Your Own Laptop program?

A Bring Your Own Laptop program is an educational initiative where students bring a laptop with them to school each day to engage in their learning. 

Can my child use a tablet?

No.  There are functional reasons why we need all students on the same basic platform.  

What is a Chromebook, and how is it different from a laptop?

A Chromebook is essentially a “thinned out” laptop.  While a traditional laptop has a large amount of storage, a Chromebook is designed to run the Google Chrome OS and store everything in the cloud.  In general, we are recommending Chromebooks for Kindergarten — 3rd Grade as they are web/cloud-based and that minimizes virus and software issues.  If your student is in 4th Grade or higher, we would advise against using a Chromebook.

Will the Laptops be serviced by the school?

Allen will offer support with smaller issues (internet connection, sound issues, logins, etc.).  Any major issues will need to be handled through the warranty that comes with the device that was purchased or other vendors.

Can we use a laptop that we already have?

Yes.  If your laptop is only a couple of years old, then it should work fine.  If it is older than that, you will want to check that it at least meets the following requirements:

Laptop Requirements:

• Screen Size: 11” minimum, 15” maximum
• 64-bit Operating system: Windows 8.1 or 10, macOS
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi Capability
• 2.4GHz Processor (or faster)
• 8GB of Memory
• 256GB minimum SSD Storage
• Battery Life: 3+ hours
• Headphones/earphones (each student needs their own pair)
• Internal/external microphone
• Internal/external camera

Additional requirement for Digital Art/Graphic Design:

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or equivalent GPU

Will there be digital training for my child?

Yes.  There will be training on Google Apps for Education, Keyboarding, and Digital Citizenship provided in the beginning of the school year.  Using Allen’s email is also a key learning tool.