The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Principal answers concerns about laptops
By Edward Freundl, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: January 1, 2009
Beach Middle School Principal Patrick Little provided details about the school's student laptop program in a series of questions and answers.
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Q: Why did the Chelsea School District decide to provide laptops for each middle school student?
A: For the past four years, the sixth-grade teachers and students have been doing one-to-one learning through the "Freedom to Learn" grant.
The data collected on the learning environment with laptops was very good. It showed that students felt the laptops were a great learning tool; they helped students feel more organized and empowered.
Parent and teacher data collected last winter supported the students' feelings.
Sixth-grade teachers were passionate about the positive impact on learning the laptops had on students, particularly those who struggle academically.
Under the program, they have seen many improvements in learning and the student use of technology.
The Chelsea School District established a five-year cycle for technology updates, and Fall 2008 was Beach's turn.
In pricing the replacement of traditional computer labs, District Technology Director Scott Wooster explored the additional costs to go 100 percent wireless and 100 percent laptop for all students and staff.
After the bidding process was complete, the "1-to-1 Laptop" program was slightly more expensive than a traditional model.
Superintendent David Killips approached the Board of Education about spending money to make the expansion of the laptop program a reality.
After the data were collected and reviewed about the impact on learning, the school board agreed to expand the program to the seventh and eighth grades for the 2008-09 school year.
It is important for Chelsea to be progressive in the education of our students. We feel that this step is an opportunity to set our students apart from others by the integration and use of technology in everyday learning experiences at Beach Middle School.
Q: How will learning be different with this program?
A: Teachers will use the laptops differently based on their subject area and based on their comfort level with the technology.
There are some specific programs such as "Discourse" that we use. Obviously, research is made simpler by having the laptops in the classrooms, along with presentations on PowerPoint.
We already offer a digital photography class and a Windows Movie Maker class as electives which will now be taught in the classroom versus the lab.
Our Robotics and Electronics curricula are very popular and the laptops have software specific to those classes, so students will be able to take them for homework rather than just using them at school.
The students can keep themselves more organized as well. The students are taught a specific file-saving protocol so they can receive and submit assignments electronically.
Hopefully, this will help the "lost paper" excuse that we see so often with middle school students. Students will drop assignments into a teacher's secure folder on the server when they complete the worksheet or homework.
Eventually, all our textbooks will be either loaded on the laptops or, as we do now for English classes, the books are online.
Some students I have talked to may use Microsoft Express, Google Calendar or other digital calendars on their laptops.
There is one word of caution, however. There is no "magic" in these laptops. Rather, they are a dynamic tool and an opportunity to enhance learning.
There is a very humanistic side of teaching that we all recognize as essential to our success.
We will not lose track of the empathy, motivation and synergy that is needed in great learning environments.
Q: What happens if a student doesn't follow the laptop rules?
A: All staff maintain high expectations for students with the laptops.
They and their parents sign a contract - if they have problems, the computer goes to "laptop jail." The family and the school agree to a learning plan, and then the laptop is "set free" to the student.
Like any other privilege, it can be taken away if poor choices persist. In addition, parents are financially responsible if the laptop is damaged in any way.
This, too, is part of learning about responsibility that takes place at Beach Middle School.
Q: These laptops look different than other laptops - what are the differences?
A: The software is the complete Office 2007 Suite, standard Internet browsers and typical student learning software. The outside is different. It is built by Hewlett Packard specifically for this use.
It is a new design in the following ways:
The laptops we purchased are the HP 2133 Mini-note. They are very small and lightweight at less than 3 lbs., but they were designed with schools in mind.
It has a sleek, sturdy all-aluminum case and the hard drive has a feature called 3D DriveGuard which helps protect it from some bumps the computer might take.
Running Windows XP Professional, we are able to load all the software we would normally load on a computer and it runs great.
The screen is a high-resolution, 8.9-inch WXGA display — which can be a little small for older eyes, but the students really like the size. Even though the computer is small, the keyboard is 92 percent of full size, which makes it very easy to use.
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