Laptops bringing schools forward

Moerewa 9-year-old Bella Livingstone tries out her new Chromebook with classmates, clockwise from back left, Joseph Barlow, Jaydon Dickison, Keisha Boyce, Ingeborg Rodger (obscured), Courtney Korewha-Tane and Stella Saville-Burley. Photo/Peter de Graaf

Three Mid North primary schools have joined the information technology age by equipping their pupils with their own laptops.

Every child in Years 4-6 at Ohaeawai School - half its 140 pupils - now has a Chrome Netbook, a laptop chosen for its size, durability and functionality. Also involved in the project are Tautoro School, 10km south of Kaikohe, and Kaikohe West School.

The brand-new Chromebooks were handed out on Wednesday amid great excitement.

Ohaeawai School principal Lee Whitelaw said the laptops would ultimately allow the children to work anytime and anywhere, not just when they were at school. They would boost motivation and engagement and allow children to learn at their own pace.

The scheme was also preparing children for the future, with the government signalling NCEA exams would be done digitally in future.

Parents had paid about $600 for each Chromebook, including software and insurance. All came loaded with Google's Apps for Education.

Ms Whitelaw said she was "excited and proud" that every parent supported the scheme and had come up with a deposit, despite the school being in a decile two area. They could pay off the balance over one, two or three years.

"It shows people really care about their children and their futures," she said.

The Chromebooks were set up so the teacher could see on his or her computer what every child was doing, and give immediate feedback instead of having to wait until workbooks were handed in.

At first the laptops would stay at school. Only once children and parents were fully up to speed with cybersafety would they be allowed to take them home at night.

The children's response had been amazing, Ms Whitelaw said. Her dream was to expand the scheme to other schools around the Mid North.

The three schools involved had received help and advice from a cluster of low-decile Auckland schools which started a similar project a few years ago with excellent results.