New Digital Age Learning Concept to Launch in District 220

Starting fall 2013, students at Barrington High School and both Barrington middle schools will have the opportunity to participate in new Digital Age Learning Concept Classrooms, using 1-to-1 technology to further enliven their learning.

At the Prairie and Station middle school campuses, all students in grades 6-8 will receive a personal HP laptop computer to provide equitable access to knowledge at school and at home. The tentative goal is to personalize learning and to inspire innovative instruction by placing technology equipped with network safety filters in the hands of every middle school student.

Middle School parent communication sessions regarding this new technology will be offered Aug. 12 for 6th-grade, Aug. 13 for 7th-grade and Aug. 14 for 8th-grade. On each day, the parent sessions will be at 8 a.m. for students whose last names begin with A thru G, 9 a.m. for students whose last names begin with H thru O and 10 a.m. for students whose last names begin with P thru Z. The middle school sessions will include distribution of each student's laptop computer.

A parent must attend a session for students to receive a laptop computer. At Barrington High School, 15 teachers across all four grades were selected through an application process to host one of the Digital Age Learning Concept Classrooms. In their classes, 600 students will receive MacBook Air laptops equipped with network safety filters to augment their learning both in and out of school. The 15 teachers are participating in Apple training this summer to prepare for using the computers in their classrooms. The MacBook Airs will be distributed to the 600 students when school resumes in August, followed by parent information nights at the high school. The Digital Age Learning Concept Classrooms will likely expand to other teachers and students in subsequent years.