In 2007, Kings Ridge Christian School’s big dreams became a reality as the school graduated its first senior class and opened the doors to its 70-acre, permanent campus outside Atlanta, Georgia.

Adding to its success was an estimated 79 percent growth in enrollment over the proceeding two years. The path for King's Ridge was not without its road blocks, however. Zoning issues with land originally purchased for the campus required the school to set up temporarily in a former grocery store building. Although major renovations were made to retrofit the space into a fully functioning school, the "grocery store" image made it difficult to recruit students.

In addition, King's Ridge leaders admit, area children were offered a solid academic education in the local public school system.

King's Ridge realized early on that it would be required to position itself in the minds of parents and potential students as a different and preferred option. The school began to distinguish itself from other public and private schools with technology at the helm.

"Every school in this day and age has a computer lab. But, at King's Ridge, students don't just use technology; they are immersed in it," said Lisa McGuire, Director of Admissions.

At its Upper School (grades nine through twelve), Kings Ridge began a Lenovo one-to-one tablet PC initiative. At the lower school, children as young as kindergarten utilized laptop and tablet PC carts to augment projects and assignments. All grade-levels utilized DyKnow to foster engagement and interaction in the classroom.

The Lenovo/DyKnow solution drew the attention of many local families.

"Having DyKnow attracted the attention of families who wanted to give their children a competitive edge," said McGuire. "As people who interact with technology in their own careers, parents see the importance of their children learning as much with and about technology as possible."

She continued, "Potential Upper School students also were excited about the prospect of using so much technology. These are students who no longer want to be limited to endless lectures. They wanted interaction and more global connections."

At King's Ridge, however, the focus was not just on recruiting the students; it was about preparing them to be problem solvers and critical thinkers for college and beyond.

"DyKnow has permitted students to think in a way that may not be possible in schools that don't have the technology," said McGuire.

"Students get more involved in the class as they are immersed in the curriculum and flow of ideas. Students have ownership in the learning and therefore are more empowered and encouraged to advance to activities requiring higher levels of thinking skills."

In the upper school, tablet PCs and DyKnow were used in disciplines such as history, math, science, English and foreign language.

"High school students preferred these classes for a variety of reasons," said Doug Whitley, Director of Technology.

For example, in history classes, students were provided with an enormous amount of information. Students annotated the teacher-prepared content in their DyKnow notebook, and then used it as a study guide for tests. In math and science, students utilized DyKnow's replay function at home to review how the day's lesson progressed. Teachers used the polling and chat features, as well as other student understanding indicators, to gauge student comprehension and adjust the speed and content of class accordingly. Teachers also utilized DyKnow to electronically administer, grade and return tests and quizzes.

"Today's teachers are competing with the fact that students can and prefer to multi-task up to seven different things at a time," said McGuire. "Using DyKnow, teachers had students look something up on the Internet and share it with every student in the class. Students chatted to the teacher and asked questions about the topic. They answered polls and the teachers immediately saw results. Students stayed active and engaged in learning."

To encourage students' comfort levels with technology at an early age, DyKnow was also used on laptop and tablet PCs in grades kindergarten through eighth, with kindergarten and pre-first grade classes being some of the strongest users. In the lower and middle schools, DyKnow was used for math, shapes and matching lessons, patterns, vocabulary lessons and handwriting practice. In handwriting, for example, students used DyKnow's replay tool to watch how their teacher created each letter and then they traced the letters on the screen. Teachers had students submit their writing practice work, then replayed and reviewed it to ensure students were crafting their letters correctly.

"In the lower school, students as young as six years old had no issue with technology," said Whitley. "In fact, their interest levels were constant and unwavering. Using technology made learning about time and money fun."

As this small school continues to believe big, technology will be an integral part in helping faculty and students accomplish their goals of growth and educational excellence.

"Nearly two years into our Lenovo/DyKnow implementation, we are seeing real results," said Whitley. "DyKnow has helped engage students by delivering course content in a dynamic way. It has raised the discussion level amongst the students during class. It's made learning more fun."

He continued, "As we move into future, many of our technology plans involve how we can continue to maximize our technology usage to recruit students, retain them and get them ready for college and the real world."