Touchscreen laptops are the new pen and paper in School District 43 after the district purchased 3,700 of the devices to update technology for teachers and students.
The rugged devices can be used outdoors and even dropped four feet without breaking, and the touch screens were chosen because applications are headed in that direction, said Stephen Whiffin, the district’s associate director of instruction for learning and technology.
The purchases are part of a long-term replacement plan to ensure that technology in schools is less than six years old. SD43 spent $1.8 million from its operating surplus leveraged to $3 million from technology subsidies.
In all, 5,900 new devices were purchased, including 3,700 laptops plus 1,500 iPads and 750 desktop computers.
A full rollout of high-speed WiFi for local public schools was also completed before September, enabling the district to handle about 17,000 devices, most of which are owned by students.
The iPads are usually used by kindergarten to Grade 3 students while the laptops are for the older grades.
The new equipment is “much more in line with education priorities,” Whiffin said.
The new Dell laptops cost approximately $600 each.
