When North Carolina's Tupelo Public School District decided to launch a new 1:1 program, one of the first places they looked for help was to the neighboring Mooresville Graded School District, where four thousand students and staff now have laptop computers for their classroom use. All 4th to 12th grade students have been provided laptop computers in an effort to help their schools prepare for the future. "It is absolutely imperative that we train our children for the world they will live in," says Mooresville Superintendent Mark Edwards.

In the two and a half years since Mooresville's one-to-one program launched, Edwards and others have seen many signs of success. Mooresville used to be 37th in the state but now is 8th in academic performance. School attendance is up and student suspensions are down. Students are more engaged with their school now that they are working with laptop computers.

"I was really impressed with how seamlessly the laptops were meshed into the classroom," said Tupelo's director of technology, Brenda Meriweather. "It was just like they had a pencil or paper on their desk."

Other benefits noted by those participating in the site visit included:

* The personalized education, with students going at their own speed and adapting the curriculum to their needs.

* A change in the relationship between students and teachers. Students collaborate more and teachers lecture less. Teachers have also come to the realization that it is ok to ask the students for help with the technology.

* In addition to learning with and from their students, teachers are working more collaboratively with their colleagues, sharing ideas and learning from one another.

* Parents are saying they've seen an increase in creativity on the part of their children.

* Students are involved in meaningful projects and digital content that extends their learning far beyond what used to be possible with textbooks alone.

* Students who previously struggled in the classroom have gained new confidence and motivation as they become engaged in creating multimedia presentations or working with other students collaboratively.

Source: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services, North Carolina district uses computers to transform classrooms