MPC has had the privilege of working with a number of visionary educators and innovative programs in the area of 1:1 computing. The following are some deployments that MPC believes offers excellent examples of how to effectively integrate technology in the classroom.
South Dakota Classroom Connections
The South Dakota Classroom Connections 1:1 program is part of Governor Mike Rounds’ 2010 Education Initiative, which stresses the importance of increasing 21st century skills through the use of advanced technology to enhance learning, and includes the implementation of a 1:1 laptop initiative for high school students. In May 2006, 20 school districts were chosen as pilot schools for the project. In March 2007, 21 new school districts were selected to participate in the program, bringing the total number of high school students with laptops to 9,600 in 41 districts across the state.
Auburn City Schools’ 21st Century Learning Initiative
Auburn City Schools in Alabama initiated a program to provide a Wi-Fi enabled tablet PC to every garde 9 student at Auburn Junior High School. Beginning in the 2006–07 school year, all students received tablet PCs to keep through their senior year at Auburn High School. A wireless network was deployed in the district schools to provide ubiquitous connectivity. The tablet-equipped student use computer applications such as spreadsheets and word processing programs, access online resources and use the Internet for researching projects and assignments.
Sergeant Bluff-Lutton School District
This Iowa school district purchased tablet PCs for all K–12 teachers in the summer of 2007. Teachers were trained on the use and care of the machines prior to the start of the 2007–08 school year. The district purchased wireless projectors, which were mounted in almost all the 3–12 grade classrooms and also provided projectors on a mobile cart for each K–2 teacher. In a survey of the staff just two months after deployment, 86 percent of the respondents reported that students were more engaged in their classroom.
The John Carroll School
All full-time faculty members at the John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md., received Tablet PCs in May 2005, and the school is implementing a one-to-one computing program beginning with the Class of 2010. The school’s Tablet PC Laptop computer program aims to prepare students for college and the professional world. Each classroom will provide students with wireless access, and school leaders believe the one-to-one approach is the optimal way for students to search the Internet, compose documents, construct spreadsheets, send email, create graphics, organize presentations and build databases.
Chicago Public School’s Technology Immersion Project
The third largest school district in the nation is home to more than 400,000 students. The Technology Immersion Pilot Project created by Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois State Board of Education will create 1:1 computing environments in public schools across the state and will provide laptop computers for all participating students and teachers, along with professional development for teachers and technical assistance for school-based networks.
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