As the 2010-2011 school year begins at Thomasville High School in Thomasville, NC, students have the opportunity to connect to school 24/7 through their own personal laptop computer. With money from a technology IMPACT Grant from the N.C. State Board of Education, Thomasville High School will be purchasing 725 computers.

The district has three goals for the computers:

1. Increase student proficiency
2. Decrease the number of dropouts
3. Decrease the turnover of teachers

The Thomasville program is part of the second year of a three-year grant that brought $2.5 million to seven school systems in the state. The first year was spent working with district teachers, and providing laptops to teachers so they could get familiar with them and start planning how their teaching could change with the computer.

Thomasville's director of technology, Mike Ingram, is excited about the additional technology that will support the laptop computers. The technology will also include iPod Touches, carts, tablet PCs for the teachers and a TV/Video production studio so the students can learn how to be creators of media.

A policy manual has been prepared for staff, students, and parents. Parents will sign an agreement that specifies their responsibility toward the student's computer. The school is also working with parents who don't have Internet available at their home and don't have the money to put one in. The district wants to make sure there is no digital divide in their district.

Source: The-Dispatch.com, Thomasville High students to receive laptops