Why+laptops?

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Why do it?

 * Students must learn to function comfortably in an increasingly technological world.
 * 24/7 access to information for all students.
 * Digital tools for exploration and innovation
 * Information literacy skills
 * Opportunities to learn beyond the classroom walls.
 * Increased student collaboration
 * Increased organizational skills
 * Different learning styles can be easily accommodated through individualized software (ex: text to speech)
 * more project based, hands on learning
 * More effective communication, independence and creativity
 * Student work published to a larger audience.
 * Permanency of student projects

Why do it here?

 * Sem has an excellent college preparatory program and a long history of educating young women.
 * Strong faculty development program in technology – our teachers are ready
 * We have been planning for this for several years.
 * Currently do not have enough computers for all who need them.
 * Most teachers assign work which requires computer / Internet access.
 * Currently many students struggle to do their computer work at school because they do not have the needed computer programs at home.

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How would all of this change Sem?

 * Technology as a natural part of the learning process, seamlessly integrated into the curriculum.
 * Technology as a means to enhance education
 * Wall to wall wireless access
 * Computer lab could be used for classroom space
 * Less paper
 * Exciting student presentations (beyond Power Point!)
 * E- text books, or classroom created learning materials
 * Digital portfolios
 * Digital tablets instead of notebook computers increase the functionality in a setting where notes and numeric formulas must be quickly recorded.

(the follow is an excerpt from an online article by Fred Bartels, IT Director at Rye Country Day School)
 * Mathematics education can be made much richer and engaging by helping students explore math with the aid of software tools like spreadsheets, Geometer's SketchPad, Mathematica, and Maple.
 * History, social studies, and current events instruction can be tremendously enriched by students having immediate access to the vast wealth of information available on the Internet. Laptops provide the environment for the presentation of, and much more importantly, the creation of, multimedia rich descriptions and analyses.
 * Science education can be greatly enhanced by the data gathering, data analysis and simulation software tools that run within the digital workshop the laptop provides.
 * Foreign Language instruction success correlates highly with the time students are able to spend in immersive environments. The multimedia capabilities of laptops allow students to spend more time listening and speaking in the language of instruction. With the right software, and a set of headphones, a laptop can function just like a language lab work station. Laptops also provide access, through the Internet, to the media of the countries where the language of instruction is the native language.
 * In art, music and drama laptops provide easy access to examples of best practices. Students can visit virtual museums, listen to music clips, and watch videos of great performances. Students can also use various software to assist in the creation of artwork, music, scripts and digital video.

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