August 18, 2011
08/19/11 The first day of school on august 17 may have seemed like Christmas to many of the Plymouth High School students. Every student was given a MacBook laptop computer to use at school and at home for the entire 2011-2012 school year.
All in all, some 1,300 computers were passed out to students and staff. Faculty members had received theirs prior to the opening day of school and had received specific training on the many ways they can be used to enhance learning.
For the majority of the their classes, students will no longer have to carry hardback books, but rather will be able to access information from the entire texts that are loaded into the computers. Students will also be able to access information provided by individual teachers, such as homework assignments, through special applications loaded on the computers.
Superintendent Daniel Tyree is pleased with the addition of the computers as learning tools. He said, “Technology for our kids is the great equalizer.” He said, “Every student has access to the same information as the student next to them.”
Tyree said many students have not had the opportunity to travel, go to museums out of the area or state, or other similar experiences. He said, “Through the computers, they can visit any place in the world.”
On Wednesday, students used their SRT (Student Resource Time) to pick up a computer and power cord from the rows and rows of computers in the library. In order to keep track of the computers, each student had to present their school identification that has a bar code built in. Each computer also has a separate bar code for identification.
Carol Anders Correspondent