By Michael Benavides
Staff Writer
PLUMSTED – New Egypt High School students will receive new computers as part of the Plumsted Township School District’s One to One technology initiative.
According to a press release from the school district, the high school has partnered with Apple to provide students with new MacBook Air 11 devices.
New Egypt High School Principal Michael Mendes said he wanted to provide students with modern technology in order to improve the quality of their overall learning experience.
“Through the use of technology, we want to improve student engagement, achievement and acquisition of 21st century skills which include creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making and digital citizenship,” Mendes said.
He said that in the past there was a shortage of computers which forced some teachers to sign up for computers on an as needed basis.
“At the high school we had computer carts the teachers could sign out to use in their classrooms,” Mendes said. “We did not have enough carts to put in all classrooms so the teachers had to share the carts or go to the media center which had desktop computers for student use.”
The New Egypt Middle School had a limited number of computer carts as well and two computer labs, according to Mendes.
Lynn Pryzbylkowski, who is the structured learning experience coordinator at the high school, said the new computers have had a positive effect on the students’ learning experience.
“The students really enjoy doing their work now that they do not have to share computers with each other,” she said. “As a teacher, I also noticed that my students actually had less problems with the MacBook computers.”
She said the new computers will reshape the way students learn in the classroom.
“The computers are the future of learning for everything going completely paperless,” Pryzbylkowski said. “All my assignments are completely done online through Google Classroom.”
Google Classroom is a learning application created by the technology company Google which allows educators to create, distribute and grade assignments electronically.
“The computers will be infused into the curriculum in all classes,” Mendes said. “The teachers are working hard to create lessons that are student-centered with technology infused throughout.”
The MacBook computers are being distributed to all of the high school’s approximately 500 students.