-- — Batesville High School is ready to enter a new era in instructional delivery and campus resources. 

The first day of the 2012-13 school year  Wednesday, Aug. 8, will start with each student receiving a personal MacBook Air laptop computer, a carrying case and personalized identification to inventory the machine, reports associate principal Andy Allen. 

“Substantive changes in education invite questions from parents, students, teachers and community members,” he notes.  Citizens are invited to attend two informational sessions at BHS Wednesday, Aug. 1, at noon and Thursday, Aug. 2, at 7 p.m.  Both sessions will be held in the auditorium and will last about one hour. 

The purpose of each will be to view the MacBook Air and accompanying supplies; outline responsibilities for students, parents and BHS; provide a brief tutorial on My Big Campus, which is a Learning Management System; review the new Responsible Use Policy; and answer questions.

All documents and agenda items presented at the sessions will be made available on the BHS Web site July 31.  In keeping with a schoolwide effort to reduce paper and waste, no paper documents will be made available at either session, according to him.

The 1:1 computer initiative is an emerging educational strategy,  blending traditional instruction with personalized virtual resources.   Although some methods of instruction, research and available resources may look different than prior years, the goals associated with Batesville Community School Corp.’s “Believe in Better” theme remain the same for students, teachers and school leadership. 

The sophomore group of Kiwanis Student Leadership Academy  students spent last school year developing strategies and innovative video announcements to inform students of upcoming changes.  These students will continue to serve as an advisory council for school leaders and students during the 1:1 initiative.

In addition, 16 students participated in AppleCare training  July 23-24 to create additional technology support.  Each trained student will be enrolled in an accredited class during the normal academic day to perform routine maintenance, troubleshoot software issues and provide technical support.  These students will be the front line of the BCSC Technology Department in an effort to support more than 700 student laptops.

Teachers participated in professional development sessions conducted by the BCSC Technology Department to introduce subject specific online resources, interactive teaching strategies and educational social networking tools.  All BHS teachers will have the opportunity to participate in additional professional development time in late July to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Mike Weiler, director of information technology, and his staff are busy making final preparations for laptops and training personnel. 

To date, 523 laptops have been imaged, inventoried and placed in their carrying cases readied for distribution on the first day of school.  According to Weiler, “All machines will be ready for distribution by Aug. 1.  We will be able to make adjustments based on new enrollments through the first few days of school.” 

1:1 computing will be one of the major focuses of teaching and learning at BHS during this school year and beyond. 

Persons with questions may contact principal Sherri Preston at spreston@batesville.k12.in.us or 934-4384.