How Hudson School District Mastered The Art Of Student Chromebooks
“When you put a device in the hands of a student there are certain things that we know,” says Jennifer Lotze of Hudson Public Schools.
“It will get damaged, it will have issues, and it will be returned looking ‘well-loved’.”
Over the years as Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning (Technology), Jennifer Lotze has seen the full spectrum of Chromebook horrors. From popped-out keys to shattered screens, maintenance of student devices had a way of stealing the lion’s share of her tech team’s bandwidth.
Despite challenges in “the how”, Jennifer’s role in teaching and learning kept her intrinsically connected with “the why” of 1:1 devices. With one foot planted in instruction and the other in technology, she recognized that “always-accessible” student Chromebooks let future-ready learning thrive.
It’s a matter of getting devices in students' hands and keeping them there. Jennifer and her team do so with a little help from their friend, Trafera.
Equity & Access At The Heart Of It All
Hudson School District (HSD) sits just to the east the St. Croix River, in scenic Hudson, Wisconsin. The district–totaling over 5500 students and 400 teachers–says their number one goal is to “create a supportive and inclusive learning environment.”
According to Jennifer, technology programming plays a major role in that.
For many years, HSD has provided 1:1 devices to third through twelfth-grade students. To Jennifer, that has set the course for student success. "When it comes to technology," she says,"our students have what they need, when they need it. They are leaving our schools upon graduation with coding and computer science skills that will open doors for them in the future.
However, a full-fledged 1:1 program is demanding. Between configuring new devices and repairing the old ones, the HSD tech department had their hands full. They reclaimed that time by partnering with Trafera.
Ever since, they have been able to keep their focus on directly supporting students, teachers, and families.
“An Extended Team With Our Friends At Trafera”
For the last 4 years, Lotze has chosen Trafera as her Chromebook partner. The quality of service, Lotze says, makes Trafera a fixture for Hudson’s tech team.
The partnership has centered around top-notch Chromebook support. Whether her district is buying, deploying, or repairing student devices, Lotze turns to her “extended team” at Trafera.
The real game-changer, though? Trafera’s warranty.
"Their device warranty is unparalleled and has allowed us to have a sustainable 1:1 initiative. When it comes to this warranty, there is literally no one better."
Trafera’s Platinum Warranty was designed with instructional uptime in mind. In the spirit of granting students uninterrupted access to devices, Trafera’s Platinum Warranty offers onsite parts closet, loaner device, and flexibility around self-maintaining. When Chromebooks break, the team can reequip students with loaner devices while theirs are under repair. Simple repairs can be done in-house using the parts closet. More complicated repairs can be submitted to Trafera through the easy online portal.
This is amazing! Our techs have more time to be supporting staff and students." Jennifer Lotze, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning - Technology (Hudson School District)
Due to Hudson’s proximity to Trafera’s Minnesota repair facilities, Lotze and her team have also reaped the benefits of Trafera’s local pick-ups. "In the past," Jennifer says," we would spend countless hours repairing devices, requesting parts, running to the UPS store... all the things. Trafera makes the repair process simple!"
"Our techs request a repair through the portal and a Trafera employee personally comes and picks up our devices for repair. These devices are usually back in our hands within 5-10 days. This is amazing! Our techs have more time to be supporting staff and students."
In addition to Trafera warranty support, Hudson School District works with Trafera on Chromebook leasing. The choice to lease came from a desire to establish a predictable and stable budget year after year. This budgeting tactic has helped them to provide consistent access to student devices, regardless of the ups and downs in external funding sources.
Through it all, Hudson School District’s partnership with Trafera has helped their 1:1 initiative to flourish.
Jennifer closes, "It feels like we have an extended team with our friends at Trafera. We needed this!"
Get Your 1:1 Project Off On The Right Foot
Whether you’re fine-tuning your school’s existing tech program or getting a new project off the ground, turn to Trafera for a true ed-tech partnership. It’s like having a whole extra member of your tech team.
You’ll get your own dedicated account manager to work with you through it all. From tip to tail of your school’s technology, you’ll find support services to help you with:
- Purchasing
- Financial Services
- Deployment
- Installation
- Tech & Teacher Training
- Repairs and Warranty Support
- Buy Backs
Local pickups for repairs are available in areas surrounding Trafera’s Minnesota, Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and North Carolina facilities!
Contact Trafera today to get this Techy-As-Heck™ show on the road.