High expectations at CISD for laptop programs

The students, faculty and staff of Clarendon CISD are expecting, new, exciting experiences and change this upcoming school year due to the new Apple Laptop Initiative that will be put into effect this fall.

The Apple Laptop Initiative involves a One-to-One education initiative that will put laptops in the hands of all students from 5th-12th grade, as well as two computer carts with 22 laptops per cart. One of the carts will be available for Pre-Kindergarten through first grade; the other one will go to second through fourth grades.  Every classroom in the district will become a virtual computer lab with wireless Internet. Students will basically have access to information at anytime.

All of the Apple notebooks have already been delivered. The district is now in the process of imaging them.

“We’re extremely excited about this upcoming Apple Laptop Initiative. We want to prepare our students for the future so they’re equipped with the skills needed to achieve success in a technology driven society,” CCISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger said.

When students are issued a laptop, an annual $40 maintenance fee will be required to help pay for additional insurance that the school will be purchasing to cover accidental damage to the laptops. However, there will be a deductible fee as well. A student’s first and second damaging offense to their laptop will result in a $250 deductible due from the parent/student. If a third offense occurs, the parent/student will be required to pay the full cost of the computer; and the student may lose access to his/her take-home privileges.

CCISD teachers have attended several days of extensive training by Apple Certified Trainers since last January. They’ve also been in a collaborative for teacher training and sharing of ideas and resources with several other school districts including Wellington, Memphis, Childress, Floydada, and Highland Park.

All the research done on this type of program stresses that one of the most important factors in ensuring success is adequate teacher training on use of the laptop and integration of technology into their current curriculum.

The teachers will also receive two more days of training before the school year begins.

“I look forward to quick access to technological tools in every subject area.  The wealth of up-to-date information in every subject area provides additional resources which can be accessed by both my students and me in a class period.  Also, I believe students will have another avenue to produce work products which allow them to use creativity and critical thinking skills,” says Jan Campbell, CCISD fifth grade teacher. 

A new technology facility is currently under construction west of the Administration Building. It is expected to cost between $800,000 and $1 million, which officials say they can build with no tax increase. The expected date of completion is November 2008.

School Board President, Wayne Hardin, explains how this building came to be, “Last fall, we analyzed the needs of the school district. We identified the need for more space for technology. The current room for the server and office of Marva Thomas (CCISD Technology Coordinator) is actually the storage room for the theatre arts department.  Melody Hysinger (CCISD Instructional Technology Specialist) shares a room with the diagnostician and speech pathologist.   We knew we were getting the laptops and needed a place to store, work on, and image them.  We looked at using some of our present facilities but then decided to do it right and build a building specifically for technology.  It will have a couple of classrooms, a video-conference room, and a place to bring computers to be worked on. We have visited other schools that have the laptops to learn from their mistakes so we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.  The whole school board is supportive of and excited about this project.”

Clarendon CCISD will hold an orientation night soon. Handouts will be distributed, and the policies regarding laptop usage will be explained. It will be mandatory that parents attend. If parents aren’t present, the student will not be issued a laptop.