Laptops given to all Edgecombe County students

Edgecombe County Public Schools were distributing laptops to all 2,100 high-school students Saturday, school officials said.

The school system has launched its 1:1 Laptop program to allow teachers to use high-tech instructional methods. Approximately 400 high-school teachers received laptops in August and spent the fall semester training in how best to use them in the classroom.

Students – accompanied by a parent – were getting Dell laptops at North Edgecombe, Tarboro and Southwest Edgecombe high schools Saturday. The Edgecombe Early College High School got its laptops in spring 2008.

The 1:1 Laptop program was partially funded by grants from the Golden LEAF Foundation, SAS Institute, Inc., and the North Carolina General Assembly.

The school system is working to establish Internet hot-spots throughout the county for students who don't have Internet access at home, according to the school system's Web site. Some online homework assignments can be downloaded and brought home.

The school system will collect the laptops at the end of the school year and update them over the summer. Filters will be put in place to monitor students' use of the Internet.

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Latest Comments

When kids are given things.. they become to expect more things (for free). If they WORK for things, they appreciate them more.

Instead of GIVING them laptops, why dont they have to WORK for them? You know.... like real life and all?

For example, they have to put in X amount of hours of community service. Talk about a missed learning opportunity.....

NCPictures
January 27, 2009 6:52 p.m.

what is a grant,where does it come from,how is the money generated somebody paid it so wasnt it a taxpayer

woodrowboyd2
January 27, 2009 6:43 p.m.

While I see where it's helpful for children to learn to use a computer, this seems a bit excess. Besides, how are they ever going to master handwriting if they're always typing?

brassy
January 27, 2009 5:00 p.m.

Oh, it can be constantly monitored by the shcool as far as content of IChats or emails etc....

maddiesmom972
January 27, 2009 4:19 p.m.

Actually, our Greene County Middle School and High School are part of a smilar program. Our grant is through Apple. I paid insurance on the computer for the lenght of the school year. There is no widespread misuse of the equipment and Snow Hill is a realtively wireless commnity...McDonalds, Bojangles, downtown...the Primary School area...The kids have a BlackBoard type feature where they pick up assignments etc...They also receive cases that are VERY study...

Our kids seem to love it. Apple has a lot of cool features...and it is a great learning tool. And ITS A GRANT...not taxpayer money.

maddiesmom972
January 27, 2009 4:18 p.m.