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During a recent lesson on William Shakespeare, she said students were able to use a variety of tools -- including online videos and maps -- to learn about the time period

“We can take a virtual field trip to the Globe Theater,” she said. “We can link up, using Skype, and talk with other classes in England.”

Albaugh’s family moved to the Van Meter school district from Des Moines when she was a freshman. Initially dubious about the laptop initiative because it uses Macintosh computers instead of PCs and “I don’t like typing,” Albaugh now shakes her head at her hesitation. She uses technology to keep her on schedule and on task, sending reminders to her phone to “go home and study.” Her smart phone is paired with her school-issued laptop, so notes, vocabulary words and other resources she stored online are literally at her fingertips. “I think I learn more and retain information more,” she said. “It’s an easier way to study and learn. It’s not just a teacher lecturing.” The value of the initiative isn’t isolated to th

“One of the most powerful things about math that we sometimes forget is that it’s a way to look at a situation and ask questions,” Pettit said. “When you have to deal with the abstract ideas, math is really messy. A lot of math, even abstract math, was invented because they needed it. They needed calculus. I think we sometimes we fall into a trap that if each individual student doesn’t need it, it’s worthless. “But it can help explain something the kids may take for grant