Sangerville

Maine DOE delivers donated devices to RSU 68, SAD 4

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) delivered Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung Tab A’s with a 12-month Verizon service to RSU 68 and SAD 4 schools on April 8, in an effort helping area students with their school work while they are engaged in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The 500 devices were procured through a collection of donations, and are being offered in Piscataquis County first because data shows the region has the highest percentage of students without connectivity. The deployment will cover all of the needs for students in the county, and remaining devices will be quickly deployed to the county/school district with the next highest percentage of students without Internet. 

 

SeDoMoCha School

Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Education
HELPING STUDENTS LEARN — SeDoMoCha School Technology Director Matthew Larrabee receives a delivery of Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung Tab A’s from Maine DOE Coordinator of Secondary Education and Integrated Instruction Beth Lambert on April 8. The devices will help connect students lacking Internet access for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“We are so grateful to the Department of Education for the research they did and realizing that Piscataquis county has the least connectivity of any county,” said RSU 68 Superintendent Stacy Shorey. “These devices will allow all of our students to connect not only with their teachers but with each other.”

 

As part of this pilot program, the Maine DOE surveyed building principals across Maine to identify needs, and are working to procure devices and hotspots for all students that need them as quickly as possible. Maine DOE Coordinator of Secondary Education and Integrated Instruction Beth Lambert, who delivered the devices, has been working with Maine DOE Chief Innovation Officer Page Nichols and a team at the DOE to research, procure and deploy the devices.

 

Jessica Dunton, SAD 4 technology director/Piscataquis Community Elementary School assistant principal, and Matthew Larrabee, technology director for the SeDoMoCha School, were both on hand to receive the devices at two drop-off locations. From there, arrangements will be made to get the devices into the hands of students who need them.

 

SAD 4 Maine DOE

Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Education
HELPING STUDENTS LEARN — Jessica Dunton, left SAD 4 technology director/Piscataquis Community Elementary School assistant principal, picks up a delivery of Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung Tab A’s with a 12-month Verizon service from Maine DOE Coordinator of Secondary Education and Integrated Instruction Beth Lambert.

 

“My favorite moment during this remote learning experience was being in Mr. (Brian) Miller’s fourth grade classroom the first time they participated in a Google Meet last week,” said Shorey. “He had scheduled 30 minutes and was experienced enough to realize that they needed 26 minutes just to say hi to each other.  He used his last four minutes to clearly articulate three things he wanted his students to know. We are so excited here at SeDoMoCha to now be able to give all of our students this common experience.”

For further information about this pilot program Lambert can be reached at beth.lambert@maine.gov and Nichols can be reached at page.nichols@maine.gov.

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