Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Laptop Program

A few of you have wondered what a "Lap Top Program" is.

The Scout got accepted into the laptop program in 7th grade.

Well, it is this cool thing that has been around for quite a few years at our middle school. The kids bring their own laptops and get to use them as a learning tool for 2 periods a day-English and Social Studies. They do all of their papers in Word, type out lecture notes in class, and get to have interesting learning opportunities, such as going to online museums instead of opening a text book.

The kids are held accountable for using their computers appropriately in class. There are stiff penalties for playing games. And if anything inappropriate is done, they are expelled from the program.

The best part...my boy is excited to go to school! Whoo Hoo!

I also want to give a nod here to one of my fav's:

Belle from "Life of a Southern Belle". I am a huge fan of her wit and outlook on life.

She recently gave me the awesome ( and prestigious :) Southern Belle Award.

She is having a wonderful giveaway. Head on over and say "Hello"!


27 comments:

April said...

That laptop program sounds great, Julie...I know my girls would love something like that! Congrats on your award...I'm heading over now to introduce myself. Have a super rest of the day!

Foursons said...

That's awesome. I'm sure one day soon there will be laptops in all the classrooms.

Mags said...

In this day and age, I'm surprised laptop programs aren't more prevalent. Scout should have a fun year in the program.

Jen said...

that sounds like a really cool program. I wish you had that around here, on the other hand maybe when my kids get that old there will be.

E @ Scottsville said...

Congrats on the award, Julie! Woo hoo!

And that Laptop Program sounds pretty cool. Kids these days NEED to know how to use 'em!

Good thinkin.

Casey said...

What a great idea! I'm a firm believer in keeping things interesting in the classroom.

And congrats on the award! YOu deserve it!

Mrs. M said...

What a great learning program! :-)

He & Me + 3 said...

What a cool program. My kids would be excited too!

Pam D said...

Very cool.. I like the fact that the school isn't using the budget to provide laptops. And congrats on the award; you surely deserve that and many more! Oh.. shout out to the LEGO Star Wars storm trooper.. we may have a couple or fifty of those at MY house, too! Love that pic..

~*Michelle*~ said...

Very cool.....I love that!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Julie, I just stopped over here to tell you that your letter to Jennifer @ The Blue Sparrow was so sweet. You have a wonderful heart. I wanted to let you know about my project which I started back in June of this year.
http://wwwforyourtears.blogspot.com/
The program that gave her son the outfit and blanket sounds amazing. I am going to donate to them as well. Take care & God Bless

Liz Mays said...

I'm so glad you explained what that was. What a cool opportunity!

Belle (from Life of a...) said...

Thanks so much for the shout out. You absolutely positively deserved the award. Only THE most special people get one!!

Beth E. said...

I wish they had a program like that around here. My boys would have loved taking a class like that when they were younger!

Heading over to Belle's right now to check out her giveaway. Thanks for the info!

Hope the rest of your week is awesome!

Kelley said...

what an awesome program!

Beth in NC said...

Congrats on the award. Oh, that sounds neat! Thanks for explaining.

Meg said...

Thank you so much for your sweet comments about my pictures. I love my laptop, I think that is an excellent way to motivate children to want to learn!

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

What a wonderful learning program...thanks for stopping by for a visit....

Annie said...

the lap top program sounds great!!
congrats on the award pretty lady :)

Becca~CapturingSimpleJoys said...

That sounds like a great way to get kids excited about school subjects and yet a very useful thing for them to learn. Wish I'd had that class back in high school!

The Blue Sparrow said...

I just wanted to stop by and thank you for your kind words and your support of the mary madeline project. It seems us firewives are pretty similar in nature as I feel as if I already know you. (Has your hubby figured our his hearing problem?) Id love any links that you have for other families dealing with loss. Sharing our stories really helps. Thank you Julie.

christy rose said...

That sounds like a cool program for kids. I am glad he is excited about school. Congrats on the award!
Christy

Morgan said...

I've heard of schools doing that. Very cool.

Congratulations on your award Julie!

Orah said...

that sounds like a great program. Way to go Scout.

The Blue Sparrow said...

Julie, my email is jenn_624@hotmail.com. Feel free to email any time, looking forward to getting to know you a little better!

Rebekah said...

My 15yr old daughter is going to take some of her high school classes on line this year. She took a self paced science class this summer online and realized she could concentrate better at home than in the classroom. We will see how it works for us. Anything that keeps the kids excited to learn and focused is great.

Grumpy, M.D. said...

Is putting a Lego stormtrooper on the computer cord considered inappropriate?!