1:1 laptops are handed out

Laptops reach students’ hands as pilot 1:1 Student Laptop Program begins

The first wave of laptop computers was distributed Thursday and Friday to Open Campus students as the district kicked off the pilot portion of its 1:1 Student Laptop Program. In January 2014, all 1,700 high school students will receive one of the compact Acer laptops, which are equipped with open source software to reduce costs.  For the pilot, about 100 students will use the devices in school and at home, providing feedback to teachers and technical staff before the full-scale program begins.

Custom-designed by Acer specifically for the 1:1 program, the machines will provide students with access to everything from photo editing and music composition software to a wide array of online learning resources. “They’re the Swiss Army knife of education computing,” said Charlie Reisinger, Penn Manor’s technology director. In addition to a laptop and charger, students received a colorful protective sleeve for their devices. A team of students will assist district staff in serving as “tech apprentices” for the 1:1 program, helping their peers resolve technical issues while earning independent course credits.

More information is available on the laptop program here: https://www.pennmanor.net/%20techblog/?page_id=1561