Student Laptop Learning Program
Program History
The Penn Manor laptop learning program was unanimously approved at the April 1, 2013 school board meeting. During the 2013-2014 academic year all full-time high school students received a laptop for use throughout the school day and at home. The program expanded to middle school students in March 2015.
An elementary laptop pilot program began in the fall of 2017, and expanded to all students in grades 5 and 6 in August 2018, Grade 4 students were added in 2019. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, grades 1-3 received laptops in August 2020.
Student laptops ran the Linux operating system (Ubuntu) for more than 10 years. As of fall 2023, students are using Chromebooks. Student technology has changed but our guiding principles remain the same.
FAQs, Policies, & Support
Need tech help? Visit the Student technology support and tips site.
Student Laptop Program Policy
Fees Guidelines
Online Safety Resources
Frequently Asked Questions – For Parents and Caregivers
Elementary FAQ
Middle and High School FAQ
Guiding Principles
Dr. Seymour Papert, co-founder of MIT’s Media Lab and a seminal expert on educational computing, describes laptops as the “prime instrument for intellectual work.”¹ Guided by Papert, we are compelled to offer a powerful learning laboratory to better equip our students for life after high school. To help us visualize a new laptop learning culture, six guiding principles and ideas have been identified:
Equity of Access
Equal access to a flexible and potent computer provides learning opportunities for students who many not otherwise have access to current technology. In contrast to traditional computer-on-a-cart models, where technology intermittently visits a classroom for a special learning occasion, the laptops will be a permanent instructional companion, both in school and at home. Personal device ownership heralds a seismic shift in student learning opportunities. Classroom ecologies will change as we meet students on their own technology-rich playing field and then ask them to up their game. All students, regardless of socio-economic status, will be equal players in a new school ethos.
Engagement and Ownership
Research indicates that 1:1 programs have considerable positive impact on student motivation. Many 1:1 schools report a decline in discipline issues and measurable increase is student engagement. When we trust our students to take ownership of a personal, customizable, potent and dynamic learning tool, we believe our school culture will fundamentally change as well.
Science Technology Engineering and Math
Laptops are computational and analytical devices for engineering, math and science. By offering the inherent flexibility of a full laptop, students will develop problem-solving abilities and practice higher-order thinking. These skills are now, more than ever, essential to empowering our students for the new economy and ultra-globalized workforce.
Writing and Language Arts
The flat-world technology revolution asks us to rethink our notion of what it means to be educated and literate in the 21st Century. However, one traditional skill remains unchanged: the ability to artfully and effectively self-express through writing. Blogs, reports, essays and Tweets; writing across multiple modalities is learning made visual–and a full keyboard is still the most efficient tool to hone this skill.
Curiosity and Agency
We wish to incite students to direct and take ownership of their learning. Their curiosity should not be confined to the classroom or bound by a locked technology device. Students are encouraged to tinker with the laptops, spin software knobs, and delve into a powerful set of learning software and creative programs. Exploration and discovery is a key goal of the 1:1 computing initiative. Students are trusted, and given administrative access to their computers. They may install software, explore the operating system, code or even run a local web server.
Anytime, Anyplace Learning
Personal laptops will be a student’s travel companion for his or her entire academic career. Importantly, anytime/anyplace means the lines between school learning and home learning are abolished. With technology access barriers removed, students may work at a time and place of their choosing. Impromptu home learning opportunities are now possible as education moves beyond the walls of a traditional school building.
2012 Committee
The following teachers, staff, and administrators comprised the 2012 committee on student technology:
Johnna Friedman – School Board Liaison, Committee Co-Chair
Charlie Reisinger – Director of Technology, Committee Co-Chair
Tony Carrodo – Penn Manor High School
Lisa May – Penn Manor High School
Emily Lyons – Penn Manor High School
MaryKay Fair – Manor Middle School
Jon Bittenbender – Manor Middle School
Jayne Leitzel – Marticville Middle School
Wayne Martin – Martic Elementary School
Jason Ayer – Hambright Elementary School
Dr. Dana Edwards – Manor Middle School Principal
Dr. Phil Gale – Penn Manor High School Principal
Dr. Peggy Anastasio – Asst. Director Special Education
Dr. Theresa Kreider – Director of Student Services
Vickie Hallock – Elementary Program Coordinator
Dr. Cheryl Shaffer – Assistant Superintendent