New Laptops Arrive

June 5, 2005

District's new laptops begin to arrive

DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

Hays Daily News

Summer vacation could be a long time coming for Becky Lovewell and other technical assistants in Hays USD 489. But Lovewell doesn't seem to mind. Approximately 325 laptopcomputers for the local middle and elementary schools began being shipped to the schools last week. And it was like Christmas in June for administrators and staff. "This is something, isn't it?" Lovewell said as she unpacked boxes of new computers in the Felten media center last week. The school board voted in May to approve a lease that will include enough Apple iBook laptopcomputers for a student-to-laptop ratio of 5:1 in the middle and elementary schools. It also included enough laptops for every teacher in third through fifth grade in the elementary buildings. The move came on the heels of a one-to-one laptop initiative at Hays High School this past school year. Districtwide, there are now close to 1,500 laptops. Students at several area schools have had the use of laptops the past few years after receiving a federal grant called "Enhancing Education Through Technology." In fact, at the May 2 board meeting, Allen Park, principal at Washington Elementary School in Hays, announced that his school had received an EETT grant for 2005-06. Two weeks later, at its very next meeting, the board moved to approved to purchase laptops for all the middle and elementary schools in the district. The lease was part of an initiative to start eliminating the current leases and move toward a master lease for the entire district by 2007. The lease, which includes all computers and other technology equipment districtwide, will cost $204,000 the first year and $150,000 for 2006 and will come out of capital outlay fund. "The board made it a priority" to go with the laptops at middle and elementary levels, said Craig Ludwick, technology director for the district. Felten will receive about 90 new computers, and Lovewell was busy getting them set up last week as several arrived at the school. "The initial setup isn't bad," Lovewell said as she moved around a circle where she had about a dozen new computers set up. "Powerpoints, Internet research, the kids are going to love these." Lovewell also said the teachers would benefit from having their own laptops. She said that she will try to get them in the teachers' hands to use this summer. The two biggest advantages of having access to laptops, most administrators say, will be mobility and having them available to take state assessment tests. "We need to move forward with technology, there's no doubt about that," said Carol Shepherd, principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, which has the largest enrollment kindergarten through fifth grade in Hays. "With the assessments being more computerized, we'll be able to move these into different rooms and not interrupt classes going on in the (current) computer labs," Shepherd added. "It'll just become a natural thing." Ludwick said that research has shown that when students take tests in their own classrooms, it's a comfortable environment and consequently they tend to perform better. "You want the best testing environment possible," he said. "And if you have 25 laptops on a cart, one day you can have the third-graders taking the test and the next day, the fourth-graders." All buildings will have AirPort base stations so they will have access to wireless Internet. "This next year we're going to be giving state assessments at all three grade levels in math and reading, and with just computer labs, there's no way to get that done," said Craig Pallister, principal at Felten. Pallister said that because of the availability of practice tests now online, having access to more computers is a plus. "The computer lends to better test-taking," he said, "and, our kids have grown up on computers. It's just another tool for learning." Pallister also said he thinks students will take to the new computers like ducks to water and that it will be an introduction of what to expect at Hays High. "Our kids will have a huge advantage when they move on to high school," Pallister said. "I really applaud our board. When the state is still deciding how to fund education (period), Hays has found ways to do it."

Reporter Diane Gasper-O'Brien can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 126, or by e-mail at dobrien@dailynews.net.