The Carondelet 1:1 laptop program officially begins with the 2011-2012 school year. During this first year of the pilot laptop program all incoming freshman students will receive Toshiba laptops. After positive evaluation of this first year pilot each year thereafter incoming freshman classes will also receive laptops. In the event the pilot is not successful, the program laptops will be cycled into the current on-site laptop program.
Even though computers were first introduced to Carondelet in 1983, the 1:1 laptop program is a significant milestone for technology at Carondelet. Students will have 24/7 access to information on the Internet. They will be able create projects which include images, audio and video, as well as traditional written work. The 1:1 laptop program will change how students are taught and how they learn.
Preparing for the launch of the 1:1 laptop program did not happen overnight. It began in 1983 when the first Radio Shack TRS 80’s and Commodore Pets arrived at Carondelet. Then, in 1993, two classrooms were converted to computer labs. Each lab contained a class set of networked IBM diskless workstations running the DOS operating system. The programs included WordPerfect and the latest in IBM educational software.
By 1997 the labs were obsolete and had fallen into disuse. Sr. Kathleen Lang, then principal of Carondelet, hired a technology coordinator and told him that she wanted cutting edge technology brought to Carondelet. The process began with upgrades to existing workstations, followed by installation of MS Windows and MS Office. During the following decade Carondelet invested well over a million dollars in a school wide network.
This has brought us to both wired and wireless networking backed by a blade server system with terabytes of storage. Every teacher now has a laptop and there are over 200 student workstations and laptops on campus. Every classroom is equipped with a projector and sound system.
Training for administration, teachers, and staff has been ongoing. They are using PowerSchool, our student information system, Moodle, our course management system, and a variety of software applications. Teachers have become adept in using email and have participated in online curriculum mapping.
The Carondelet web site, which first went online in 1997 with seven pages, is now professionally designed, has hundreds of pages and receives over 5000 visits each day. The site contains calendars, news, information and links. It exemplifies how technology has become a vital part of Carondelet culture.
Initiation of the Carondelet 1:1 laptop program is the culmination of a vision begun nearly three decades ago. This program will open new opportunities for both teachers and students to discover how to use the vast quantity of information available on the Internet. It will provide them with tools to demonstrate their understanding and creativity. The 1:1 laptop program is a key element in achieving our goal of making all Carondelet students lifelong learners.