RCS students receive Tablet PCs

Rogersville Review

It was hard to tell who was more excited about the arrival of Fujitsu Tablet PCs at Rogersville City School, the students or school personnel.

The Fujitsu T4215 Lifebook units, distributed to 55 staff members in early April, were officially presented to approximately 214 students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades Thursday morning.

“This is the day we have been waiting for all year,” Director of Schools Ravan Krickbaum said. “This is the day the latest in technology comes to students at Rogersville City School and we are so proud.”

School officials had originally entered into a lease/purchase agreement to distribute Gateway Tablet PCs at the start of the 2006-07 school year. That lease was terminated and new bids solicited in February because of maintenance concerns.

“I know we are at the end of the school year and we had planned to do this a lot sooner but we are very excited this implementation is taking place today,” Brandy Shelton, RCS Technology Director said. “We are not looking at this as having only a few weeks left in the school year. We are looking at this as an opportunity to see how much we can accomplish in this month.”

The initiative, dubbed Project SM@RT (Success Matters At Rogersville Tennessee), will assign a Tablet PC to each student for use in the classroom during the school year.

In addition to the units, the building and on the surrounding grounds have been equipped with wireless technology.

“This is something unique and very special. As far as I know, this is the first one-to-one initiative of its kind in the entire state of Tennessee,” said Dennis Holmes of Outsource, the Kingsport-based firm that installed the wireless technology.

According to Shelton, the Tablet PC units, unlike traditional laptop computers, can be configured so the user can “write” on the screen.



“A wireless projector has been installed in every classroom. With this technology, a teacher will be able to roam around the room freely with a Tablet without being tethered, work on it and it basically becomes an electronic chalkboard,” the technology director said.

The wireless technology will allow teachers to send students their assignments directly to the individual student Tablet PCs and the students will be able to complete the assignments and e-mail them back to the teachers.

“From receiving your assignment, to completing it, to submitting it — the process will be paperless,” Shelton said.

Shelton also predicted Tablet PCs will eventually become standard equipment in every classroom and could replace the traditional textbook.