Seaford Students Getting More Take-Home Tech

Seaford Schools: With laptops now in the hands of sixth graders, Seaford Middle School has become the first school in the district to have full participation in the 1:1 technology initiative. The HP devices, which can be used both in school and at home, were distributed to more than 160 students on Sept. 12.

Seventh and eighth graders returned to school in September with the devices they received last year through the Personalized Digital Learning Initiative. At the high school, 10th and 11th graders also have their devices from last year, with the freshmen class getting their laptops this month. By next year, every student at the secondary level will have a take-home device. At the two elementary schools, each fourth and fifth grade class has a set of laptops for use in school. Kindergarten through third grade classes share iPad carts. During the laptop handout, sixth graders had to turn in their signed user agreements, which outlined acceptable use policies and computer care. Each student received a stylus and a charger. Thomas Lynch, the executive director for instructional technology and STEM, said that the laptops are very similar to the ones students used last year in fifth grade, operating on the Office 365 platform. In addition to note-taking, word processing and digital presentation programs, the computers allow students to participate in interactive review games such as Kahoot and Quizlet. Mr. Lynch explained that the laptops allow students to keep their classwork well organized, and also provides additional communication opportunities between teachers and students. The devices will be especially beneficial to the sixth graders, as it will help them access content from their electronic textbooks in math and science.