The Laptops Have Landed!
After a year of planning, Penn Manor High School has officially launched a 1:1 computing program. Laptops are in the hands of approximately 1700 students! Here are a few fast facts and notes about the unique program:
- Each student received an Acer TravelMate TMB113 laptop, mouse, flash disk and case. Kits were distributed, by grade level, during the week of last week of January 2014. The bulk of the distribution took 4 days. During distribution, students received an orientation session to help them get started with the new laptop.
- The laptops are running Linux, specifically Ubuntu 13.10, along with several dozen free and open source programs. Our program is believed to be the largest open source 1:1 implementation in Pennsylvania. By using open source software exclusively, we estimate an initial cost savings of at least $360,000 on licensing fees.
- Students are given full control of their laptops. They are permitted to install programs and experiment with software. They are expected, and trusted, to abide by copyright laws and district policies. Program expectations, guidelines, best practices and digital citizen tips were reviewed with all students last December.
- The laptops will be used in the classroom and at home, and students will be responsible for any damages that may occur. As required by the Children’s Online Protection Act, (CIPA) each laptop is equipped with a filter to block material deemed harmful to minors. Filters are enabled both on and off campus.
- Our student technology apprentices have been instrumental in program implementation and peer technical support. Student apprentices are enrolled in an honors level, independent study course. Shifts on the help desk are scheduled during the school day just like traditional courses. During distribution, student apprentices worked alongside Penn Manor IT staff and assisted with tech support and helped to facilitate laptop orientation sessions.
- Several student apprentices helped develop critical software tools for the program, including the student help desk/ticket system utilized by their peers. Their code is available on GitHub.
Between logistic planning, teacher professional development, cardboard unboxing and all of the little details threaded into a project of this scale, the last two months have felt like a frantic sprint to the finish line after an intense marathon. The joint efforts of the district IT team, student apprentices, faculty and administration have flipped a profound classroom switch and empowered every student in every classroom. I look forward to the next part of the journey!
