Winnipeg parents are scrambling to pick up back to school supplies, and with COVID-19 still threatening to send kids back home sometime through the school year, having the right technology to keep them connected may be as important as pencils and notebooks this year.
But knowing what to buy — whether it’s a new laptop, tablet or Chromebook — depends on what school division kids are returning to Sept. 8.
Global News reached out to all six school divisions in Winnipeg. Here’s a break down of what the ones that got back to us suggest:
Winnipeg School Division
While Winnipeg’s largest school division says learning in classrooms will be full-time for students in nursery through Grade 8 and for special needs students in all grades, some remote learning will be required for students in Grades 9 through 12.
According to the division’s back-to-school plans posted to their website, WSD is in the process of adding more technology to improve remote learning and will continue to plan for a sudden shift to remote learning. This work includes expanding technology and connectivity infrastructure, training staff and providing technology for teachers to record in-class learning.
The division uses Google Suite on Chromebooks, said WSD’s acting director of technology, Tony Marchione. For personal purchases he says laptops offer students more versatility, but a Chromebook is sufficient for online learning — and is less expensive than a laptop.
Pembina Trails School Division
Pembina Trails has said students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 will return to five days of in-class instruction per week, while students in high school will attend, at minimum, in person two days a cycle and participate in remote learning when not physically attending.
The division says it has invested in cameras for each classroom for instructional purposes, to be used at teachers’ discretion. When a child is unable to attend class, the division says they may be able to follow along for parts of the day.
A division spokesperson said students can bring their own electronic devices to school, but schools will also have tablets, laptops and other technology for shared use. All shared school electronics will be wiped down with alcohol disinfectant after each use by trained staff, they added.
Because the division uses Microsoft Office’s 365 platform the spokesperson said laptops with Windows are recommended for Grade 4-12 students, while tablets will work for most Kindergarten through Grade 3 students.
River East Transcona School Division
Kindergarten to Grade 8 students, and all students with additional needs in all grades in the River East School Division, will return for five full days of in-class instruction per week.
While students in Grades 9–12 will return for up to five days per week of in-class instruction, the division has said learning for high school students will likely be extended through some remote/at-home work and, where possible, some courses may be offered online.
A division spokesperson says any technology that is needed for in-class learning will be supplied by schools and, should the division move to remote learning, loaner devices and home internet service will be provided to students based on need.
That means parents do not need to purchase specific technology to bring or use for school work unless they wish to do so, the spokesperson said.
The division does allow students to bring their own devices and the spokesperson said it’s up to parents and students to decide what to buy.
Louis Riel School Division
Louis Riel School Division says kids in Kindergarten to Grade 8 will return for five days of in-class instruction per week, while students in Grades 9 to 12 will return for up to five days per week of in-class instruction if high schools can effectively implement physical distancing and the use of cohorts.
The division’s director of information services, Clarke Hagan, says choosing the right device will depend on what grade a student is in.
Hagan said most students in the division use laptops. He said the division supplies laptops for all students in Kindergarten through to Grade 8, but students are also encouraged to bring their own laptops if they want. He said iPads are also used by students in Kindergarten through Grade 4.
For high school students, the division requires they bring their own laptop with them to school, but added the division supports families that can’t afford a device with a divisional laptop.
The division allows any type of personal student device to join its network, including laptops (Windows, Mac or Chromebook), tablets and smartphones.
Seven Oaks School Division
Seven Oaks has previously said children in Kindergarten through Grade 8 and students with special needs will be in class full days, five days per week at the start of the school year, and most high school students will attend in person every second day and learn at home on the alternate day
According to Seven Oaks back-to-school plan posted to its website, all high school classrooms are equipped with webcams so that teachers can teach students in person and online at the same time.
The division has said schools will lend tablet devices and assist with connectivity as required.
Seven Oaks superintendent, Brian O’Leary says the division currently has enough devices for one in every three students and has been investing in more tablets in order to provide more access for students.
“There’s real equity issues with devices,” O’Leary said in an email.
“Our goal is to bridge the digital divide rather than pressure parents to buy devices that pressure family finances.”
Global News also reached out to St. James Assiniboia School Division, but has yet to hear back.
St. James Assiniboia has previously said Kindergarten to Grade 8, and students with special needs will be in-class full days, five days per week and Grade 9 to 12 students will begin attending in-class learning on alternate days for the first three weeks of September.
Starting Sept. 28, where two metre physical distancing is possible, high school students may return to in-class learning every day, but the division has said that will be decided on a class-by-class basis.
When remote learning is required, students will have access to learning resources, including technology and connectivity, according to St. James Assiniboia’s back-to-school plan found on its website.