After receiving an irresistible offer on the MacBook Airs this summer, the school board approved the laptops for the entire high school student body. They will be handed out during the second semester.
“We’ve been talking about going one-to-one since Mr. Chappell first got here,” technology specialist Jill Hughes said. “The MacBook Airs were at a reduced price, and the company was reserving them for schools before releasing it to the public.”
Students see the technology upgrade as a positive step.
“I’m excited to get a laptop,” junior Morgan Guffey said. “I hope that it will make school work easier.”
The laptops could solve integration problems with homework.
“I’ve had problems with my projects when I get home,” Guffey said. “I try to finish at home, but my computer doesn’t have the same programs as the school does.”
The eventual goal for students could be to own one of the laptops, but that is in the future. After the three-year lease agreement is completed, students may have the option to buy their laptops.
“Students will receive their laptops freshman year and by the end of their senior year will have the option to buy it,” Hughes said. “This won’t happen this year, and if it does, I’d say this year’s sophomores are most likely going to be the first class to get that option.”
Sophomore Randee Thomas feels a laptop will make school easier for her and her parents.
“I’m excited to get a laptop,” Thomas said. “If we got to buy the laptop when we graduated, it would make it easier on my parents, so they wouldn’t have to look for one, and it would be familiar since I’ve been using it for years.”
The laptops will have the same filtering system as all school computers have. Policy and rules for the laptops are still being formulated by administration.
“There will be an insurance policy for damage or loss,” Hughes said. “There is a committee of board members, parents and staff which is deciding what will be in the policy. We are looking at other one-to-one schools to get an idea of what we need.”
The new policy would address responsibility for the student in case of damage, loss or inappropriate use of a laptop.
Senior Nicky Guzman is worried about accidentally damaging a laptop.
“I’m ready for the bigger responsibility,” Guzman said. “I will leave the laptop in my room because I’m scared to break it.”
According to Hughes, all the laptops can be tracked using the school’s JSS inventory.
“Every laptop, computer and iPad is entered into our inventory,” Hughes said. “If one is stolen, we find what’s missing from inventory, get the IP address, go online, and it shows exactly where it is.”
Adjustments to desktop computers will be made when the laptops are distributed.
“After we get the laptops there will no longer be computers in the library,” Hughes said. “It will become a charging station. There will also be surge protectors put in classrooms for students to charge, but it’s the students responsibility to have their laptops charged and ready for class.”
Although the process of distributing and maintaining laptops for all students is going to be a challenge, Hughes is optimistic.
“I’m real excited about this,” Hughes said. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be a lot of work, but the benefits outweigh the work.”