November 3, 2015

Device Repairs, Insurance, and Program Update

Please review this guide to getting your device repaired or learn how to buy insurance. It is still available for a decent price.


Repair and Insurance Details here



September 4, 2015

Back to School Night Update

Dear Parents, Families, Teachers, and Students,

First off, you rock! Thank you for taking this important leap with us to infuse technology into our classrooms.

I delivered the message below to LCE's Back to School Night.


Starting school this year with 600 new computers in our classrooms has been a big adventure that we are all still adjusting to, but we couldn't be more happy with the initial reception and overall enthusiasm. 

Here are some quotes from our 5th graders from a recent survey (and I'll get to work on the noted wifi issue :)

What is the best part of having a Chromebook at school?

"I like having the opportunity to use a computer."

"I don't have to worry about losing any paper flashcards or wasting time digging around in my backpack to look for them, they are all on the Drive, an easy to find place."

"Having a Chromebook at school is like you have a private teacher at school with you."

What do you need help with if anything?

"I search around and figure it out."

"Nothing, right now I only wonder about stuff like advanced sync setting."

"I don't really need any help with the Chromebooks at all. Let's just say I'm experienced, but I wasn't  last year."

"My wifi sometimes doesn't work and is very slow. It doesn't happen all the time."



August 4, 2015

Best Buy Link is Ready

We now have the link to shop at Best Buy. 

Please use your email address as the username when you create the account. The registration code urumA3bi. 

If shipping is delayed, teachers are prepared to handle the first week of school with students having Chromebooks coming in late. 

Please watch this video for help getting the Chromebook set-up for the first day of school. 

Please let me know if you have any questions

 jlewsadder @ lcusd.net


PS. A parent just emailed me this deal directly from Toshiba

May 26, 2015

Chromebook Options


The Chromebook is unique in that most, if not all, work will be stored online, so the days of needing a gigantic hard drive are on pause. Here are some of the basic specs when Chromebook shopping, and a couple recommendations:

  • 4GB of RAM (You'll see many with 2GB, it's worth a bit more to get 4GBs)
  • 16 or 32 GB hard drive (Your choice here, again not at critical as the RAM)
  • 11" or 13" screen (This is a preference, but all of the district Chromebooks are 11". Check the weight on the ones you are considering. The two district recommendations are 2.95lbs for the 13" and 2.9lbs for the 11")


  • 8-10 hours battery life 
The two models that I recommend are the Toshiba 2 13" (available with or without 1080p HD) and the Acer C740. Through our vendor, CDW-G, you'll get our educational discount which beats many other online retailers prices.


Best Buy will also have a shopping site for us in the next two weeks.





One other amazing benefit of the Chromebook is the easy management. There is a one-time license fee of $30 for each Chromebook that allows the device to instantly connect to our wifi and have printing capabilities at school. Student will also be connected to the powerful classroom tools that allow for support and monitoring in class. 

Purchasing through CDW-G will be the best way to make sure you get the license. While this feels like one more thing that raises the price of the device, it is essential for the wifi and software. The district will of course cover the gap for those who purchase elsewhere and don't acquire the management license, but we appreciate any support here. 

For all of you who already own a Chromebook, there is no need to buy a new one. Also many of you have asked about other options. If you find another model you'd rather purchase, that is fine. CDW-G sells a wide variety as do many stores. We chose these two based on testing, current use, and release date. We hope that by having only two models in the classrooms we can support extra power cables. 

It's Official! LCUSD is Going 1:1 for 2015-2016 5th and 7th Graders

After the parent interest and commitment survey closed last Thursday, May 18th, the results  showed that 80.5% of the respondents* are willing to send a Chromebook to school with their child and above that, 10.8% had further questions before they could answer.

This is great news! We needed 70% to sustainably fund the program. Here's a snippet from the survey:


*Based on the margin of error of 5% for the sample size and with a with a confidence level of 95%.

1:1 in 14 minutes

In April, I toured PTA meetings, help technology nights, and attended 7th grade orientation with a presentation on the definition of 1:1 (one device per student) instruction and the roadmap for our district. Like many districts, this path has moved beyond if for us and is now at when. Although I saw that trend sweeping the nation, my concern centered on why. Please watch this video to learn the answer to that question and a brief overview of the program launching in the 2015-2016 school year for our 5th and 7th graders.