Lakeridge wins laptops

OREM — Lakeridge Junior High School teachers have been given 10 laptop computers for winning a districtwide contest.

After the school district received a $500,000 grant last year, Alpine's Board of Education decided that half the money would be used to assist teachers.

The winners, said Pam Hallam, a district technology specialist, would get new laptop computers for their school.

In addition, the district agreed to spend money on a high-tech program that helps teachers use technology in the classroom.

The computers were presented by Michael Wilcox from Hewlett-Packard and Steve Robinson from Comp Edge West of Utah.

"In today's day and age, it is imperative that schools integrate computers into all of their curriculum," Wilcox said.

Dave Christensen, an eighth-grade English teacher at Lakeridge, said the contest consisted of submitting a proposal to the board detailing what the school would do with the computers. He and the other teachers were thrilled to hear Lakeridge was one of 13 finalists in the contest.

They were even more excited when they won, Christensen said.

Rich Romrell, a reading teacher for the school, said, "Our proposal was chosen because it included the majority of our students, whereas many other schools planned to use the computers only in remedial courses."

Christensen and Romrell along with Rich Glassford, a science teacher, were responsible for making the proposal to the selection committee.

Also present during the presentation was Jean Haverstick of Classroom Connect. Haverstick gave a presentation to Lakeridge teachers that outlined how the teachers could use their new laptops to their full potential.

Haverstick said she works with laptop implementation projects in classrooms nationwide. She said preparing teachers to learn about their new technology and effectively teach with it can be difficult.

"Help from Classroom Connect will be offered to Lakeridge teachers as part of their selection as the winning school," Haverstick said.

Lakeridge Principal Jim McCoy said the computers would go into seven different classrooms. He said he hopes students will realize the potential of the new technology in their classrooms. McCoy said teachers often treat the student mind like a consumer.

"We expect their minds to consume what we teach them," McCoy said, "If we as educators connect the mind with technology, we've created a student with unlimited potential. With this added technology, we can turn the minds of our students into producers of knowledge."

Romrell said all seventh-grade students and nearly all eighth-graders at the school, 951 S. 400 West, Orem, will learn how to work with the new computers in next year's classes.

McCoy said Lakeridge's teachers are looking forward to using the laptops in the upcoming school year. He said the new technology provides students with new opportunities that other students do not yet have.

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E-mail: sstewart@desnews.com