Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 9, 2005 Pinehurst School student Marlowe Harrison, 11, works on some algebra problems on a new laptop computer provided by the school�s foundation. The school�s oldest students each get a laptop to use at school and home. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Technology comes home Laptops scored for middle school students By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune A sleek laptop computer and sturdy black and silver backpack to haul it in have become standard school supplies for fifth- through eighth-grade students at Pinehurst School. The Pinehurst School Foundation has spent more than $6,000 to buy basic Dell Inspiron 2200 laptops for all 10 middle school students at the 23-student school perched along Highway 66 to use at school and home. Pinehurst is only the second school in the state to provide all students with laptops they can take home, Oregon Department of Education spokesman Gene Evans said. In February, Springfield Middle School got Apple iBooks for all of its roughly 340 students, thanks to a grant from Apple, said Jeff DeFranco, community relations coordinator for Springfield Public Schools. Advertisement Pinehurst parent volunteers already had provided the school with a wireless network and almost as many computers as kids, but teachers still dreamed of an upgrade that would let students take the technology home, school clerk Wendy Fullerton said. "Then the foundation came to us and said they wanted to give us these laptops to help kids be computer literate," she said. Students got the laptops Nov. 1 and the first big project they took on was last week’s State of Jefferson Academic Scavenger Hunt. They won the contest for the third year in a row. "Last year we did our Internet research on the classroom computers and they always crashed," said eighth-grade student Amanda Holbo, 13. Sixth-grader Marlowe Harrison, 11, said having a laptop computer to use at his desk or at home is a major convenience. "It’s useful," he said. "I don’t have to go back to the computer lab and I don’t have to try to e-mail assignments from home to school." Fullerton has found students crouched over laptops learning new things well before the bell rings to start classes. They are developing games to build their typing skills and determining how to track grades via spreadsheets, check assignments on a network and integrate word processing and PowerPoint presentations into as many classes as possible. The two teachers at Pinehurst who work with fifth- through eighth-grade students, Marie Mannatt and Jim Impara, also are figuring out how to employ this new tool. "It’s transforming the way we think about assignments," Mannatt said. "I know that every single child can use the computer at home and then print out their assignment at school. It equalizes the playing field, so there is no poverty or remoteness to think about." She noted that even students who live in homes without electricity — yes, Pinehurst has students like that — can charge their laptops at school and complete high-tech homework. In Springfield, DeFranco said the possible loss of computer privileges has been a powerful tool to improve behavior and attendance. The laptops also boosted scores on state assessments done via computer as every child became more familiar with the technology, he said. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail Technology comes home ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Salvia Divinorum Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s