Amitabh Sharma, Features Coordinator

American International School of Kingston grade-six students (from left) Marques Skipper, Mercy Arndt, Nina Johnson and Alex Chin work on their laptops at the school's St Andrew facility. - Contributed

Marques Skipper loves homework. In fact, he loves homework so much that he catches up on it whenever he has free time in class. He does this with his newfound love, the iMac laptop computer he got from his school.

"I think it is cool," Marques, a grade-six student of American International School of Kingston (AISK) in St Andrew said, as he got pumped up, sipping mineral water and browsing the Internet.

The 'cool' factor has caught on with Marques and his classmates. The idea is the brainchild of Mathew Gaetano, laptop pilot coordinator, and English and history teacher at AISK.

Future of education

"I am a techie at heart," Gaetano declared, adding that he wanted the school to pioneer techniques that would be the future of education.

The 1:1 laptop project was introduced as a pilot last year, for grade six, and has caught on with the students.

A year down the line, the Mac books have become an integral part of these students' lives, more of an accessory that they cannot do without.

Nina Johnson is excited about the concept. The laptop has made her life easier.

"There are so many features. This is so great," she remarked.

"I am getting a good amount of complaints," said Alex Chin, another gradesix student, whose life seems to revolve around her Mac book. "We had to go out on the weekend, but I chose to stay back and work on my laptop."

Gaetano said using laptops has helped make learning fun and effective.

"School has become exciting because we are talking to students, using their language," he said.

Different learning styles

It is imperative, the laptop pilot coordinator said, to allow the students to experience different learning styles through use of technology. "These are skills that are necessary to be competitive in today's information era," he said.

Mercy Arndt said she was uncomfortable about using technology, but her perception has changed. "Getting the laptop got me used to technology," the sixth grader said. "I edit essays, do home work."

Access to technology, said Gaetano, not only prepared the students for the next level of teaching methodology, but also geared them toward effective time management.

"I finish off my work faster," said Mercy, "it gives me more time to spend with the family."

Saves time

Marques chimed in: "The computer has cut down on the time I spend doing my homework. I get to play games and also spend time with family."

Features such as chat are blocked, and each machine is under watch for usage. "Security will not be an issue," said Gaetano. "The technical team at the school monitors closely."

Gaetano said AISK has studied similar programmes across schools in the United States.

Success

"The pilot has been a success," he said. "From next term (September 2008), it will be extended from grade six to eight."

The programme, when rolled out, will benefit 60 students and there will be no significant cost to the school.

"We had been talking to the parents," Gaetano said. "The school will be issuing 16 laptops, the rest are being bought by the parents."

While Gaetano is upbeat about the success of the pilot and hopes to carry it to the next term, Marques and his friends are having fun with the technology at hand. "I can use different applications for doing school work."

The faculty at school wants to catch up with technology, which has given the students a new role to play. "We are also teaching our teachers," said a beaming Mercy, "and we love it."

amitabh.sharma@gleanerjm.com