La Porte ISD will offer a number of upcoming parent meetings to explain the district's new Student Technology Initiative. The meetings will provide parents of LPISD secondary students with information on how the program, which provides sixth through ninth graders with netbook computers for use both at home and school, will be implemented on their campuses.
Linda Wadleigh, deputy superintendent, explained that the mission of the initiative is to bridge the digital divide by putting technology into the hands of every student. In addition, the goal is to enhance instruction by integrating technology into the classroom and empower students to take responsibility for their learning in a 21st century learning environment.
Meetings at Baker Sixth Grade Campus are planned for Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. and Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. A session also will be conducted in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16. Lomax Junior High School will hold meetings on Feb. 15 and 20, with both meetings set for 6:30 p.m. Spanish translation will be available at the Feb. 20 session. Meetings at La Porte Junior High School are also planned for Feb. 15 and 20 at 6:30 p.m. Spanish translation will be available.
At DeWalt School, a parent meeting is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Parent meetings for La Porte High School are scheduled for Feb. 29 at 6:00 p.m. and March 1 at 6:00 p.m.
Information on these meetings will be available on the LPISD website (www.lpisd.org), and all parents will also receive notifications about the sessions by mail and through the district's callout system.
Meetings will explain the program and give parents the opportunity to ask questions about the initiative.
Wadleigh explained that the district has been working toward this initiative for several years by upgrading district resources, and at its Dec. 13 meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the plan to put technology in the hands of students at both the elementary and secondary levels.
The "saturation model" provides notebook computers to each student in grades six, seven, eight and nine during the 2011-2012 school year. The original recommendation was to provide the notebooks to students in grades six and nine, and the Board felt it was important to equip seventh and eighth graders with an individual device as well.
The "distributive lab model" will be implemented at the elementary level. This model provides one notebook for every five students at all elementary campuses.
Wadleigh explained that this appears to be a good time to initiate a student technology program because the various technologies that make laptop programs effective are now affordable and readily available.
When the district receives the notebooks in early February, they will first be distributed to the elementary campuses. Distribution of the notebooks to sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth graders, respectively, will begin in early spring.
Parents who are not able to attend the session at their child's campus may find information about the Student Technology Initiative and download a consent form on the LPISD website the week of Feb. 13.
