by Anthony Austin
ATHENS (KYTX) - Forget pencil and paper - as of today, every high school student in Athens has a laptop. CBS 19's Anthony Austin just returned from Athens.
Nearly 70% Athens students are considered economically disadvantaged. That means most students probably don't have computers in their homes. But now, all high school students, regardless of their economic situation, have a computer to learn with.
400 brand new laptop computers fill the lecture hall at Athens High School. 400 eager students are lined up, eager to get their hands on the latest piece of technology.
"I've been waiting for it for about four weeks now," said student Justin Adams. "I never thought it would happen."
The Hewlett Packard notebooks will be a 24 hour learning tool for students.
"Learning doesn't stop at 3:30," said technology director Leslie Garakani.
They'll be able to complete online quizzes, test, and homework assignments at the touch of a button.
"I can go to different websites that if I need help, they can help me and things like that," said student Keona Clark.
High schools students enrolled in advanced level classes were already using school issued laptops, but administrators thought it was important for all students to have one.
"We know in the very near future students won't be carrying around paper textbooks any longer, but they'll have laptops with the capability of accessing textbooks that way." said Garakani.
But with the new learning aids also come challenges.
"We've put in place a web content filter," said Garakani. Technology director Leslie Garakani says security features are on each laptop for those students who may want to do more than just homework on the internet.
"With that web content filter, [it will] basically force all their internet traffic through the filter," said Garakani.
But in the end, and these students might actually enjoy doing their homework.
"The benefits far outweigh the negative," said Garakani.
"This is the best thing that ever happened to me at school," said Justin Adams.
It cost the school district nearly $400,000 to purchase laptops for the students. The district paid the bill using money from the Murchinson Foundation, stimulus funds, and the school budget.
The school district will collect the laptops from the students when school ends in May. Students will be reissued the computers at the beginning of the school year.
