English I teacher Mrs. Tracy Krysl is the first OHS teacher to have the opportunity to issue laptops to every student in her classroom. Laptops were delivered on Tuesday, Jan. 17 and were issued to students on Thursday, Jan. 19.

The purpose of the laptops will be to see how effectively computer access can positively impact the classroom. Students will have their own laptop at their desk, and will be able to use them for research for papers and essays.

The laptops will allow students to be more interactive with their work. “Student engagement will increase,” Krysl said. “Students will be able to work at their own pace, and can be more responsible for their own learning because everything will be saved onto their computers.”

Having access to a computer resource will allow students to be more interactive with the teacher when writing papers, while also sparing the time of reserving a day in the library. The true purpose of the laptops is to help the district save money by having an open source curriculum. By using free online sources, teachers will be able to teach the same curriculum without the costs of new books or book repairs. Computer technology will also save the district money by cutting down on the amounts of paper being printed for class notes.

Mrs. Krysl is confident that the laptops will help her students in not only her class, but many classes.

“The students will be more acquainted with new technology, they will have the ability to check valid sources online, and if allowed by other teachers, will have the opportunity to use their laptops in other classes to save their work,” Krysl said. “I’m very excited for the outcome.”