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MacBooks make it to Canton
The rumble of excitement that filled Inez Cole’s freshman Mississippi Studies classroom at Canton High on the first day of school could be felt out in the hallway.
Some students smiled and joked as they worked together at their desks; others looked almost awestruck as they experimented with the technological innovation in their hands. All agreed that their new MacBooks are a game-changer, that learning in the classroom is suddenly much more interesting – and even fun.
Thanks to a successful bond issue, there are brand new MacBooks for each student in grades 9-12 at Canton High School (CHS). Each classroom has an active-panel promethium board, too.
“We’ve invested about $4.2 million in technology in the Canton Public School District,” said Superintendent Ike Haynes. “It’s an initiative called Canton Can Integrate Technology. Every one of our teachers received a Mac Book as well as the 800-850 students at the high school, and all the students from kindergarten through eighth grade got access to iPads and iPad Mini’s.”
Discipline was the farthest thing from Cole’s mind – she, too, felt the joy from her students as she gave instructions on how to operate the device and watched as they couldn’t get started quickly enough.
“The MacBook keeps the student engaged,” said Cole, who has taught at CHS for the last decade and for 15 years overall. “Because the kids are already so good with computers, they can go from site to site and start telling me what they find on the computer. The kids are into the world of technology – we’re having fun.”
“We’re making videos in class on how to meet each other,” said Chemyah Winn. “My favorite subject is math. The MacBook will help me use the calculator.”
“We can take pictures. We can create iMovies. We can FaceTime and a whole lot more things,” said Angel Wilkes. “It will help me succeed in the classroom and get better grades.”
Kai Hoskins thinks it’s a good idea to have technology involved with her schoolwork. Kre’Shuna Lee said the MacBook will help her focus more, and Dulce Basurto Arce likes the MacBook a lot more than using a pencil and paper.
“What we’re trying to do is make sure the kids are competitive, so they have any opportunity that every other student across the country has,” Haynes said. “I believe that we’re in an ever-changing society and world. Our kids in Canton need to be able to compete – not only with kids in Madison or Clinton or Rankin, but across the USA and the global settings.”