Officials admit the program was pestered with problems last year, ranging from inappropriate use by students to case design flaws in the computers themselves. And before handing out the computers again this school year, educators want to make sure they're as ready as possible.

“We want to make sure we have a comprehensive plan in place as far as the use of the computers both inside the classroom and at home,” High School Principal Mike Ritchey said. “We want these things to be a positive tool for the students, rather than a distraction.”

Ritchey said he has been meeting with teachers to devise the best timetable and method for distributing the laptops to students. At the earliest, officials foresee the computers being distributed to students at the end of the first six-week reporting period in October.

BSISD Technology Director Corey Wood agrees with the go-slow approach.

“As a person, a parent and as the technology director, I'd say we're handling things better this year,” Wood said. “I think it's good to be cautious and have your ducks in a row before you proceed.”

Wood and the technology staff learned several lessons in last year's debut of the program.

“There were several unforeseen problems,” he admitted. Those ranged from student abuse of computer programs and features — such as the built-in webcam — to structural flaws in the computers themselves.

Wood said more than 600 of the 1,100 computers had to be repaired in some fashion. Of that number, most were cracks in the computer casing that were repaired at no cost to the district by Apple Computers, the makers of the laptop.

But Wood conceded that the district had a higher-than-anticipated rate of computer damage because of accidents or mishandling.

“We had more than 160 cases of damage that were not covered by the warranty,” he said. 'That's more than 10 percent, which is far more than we anticipated.” In addition, Wood estimated technology staffers spent more than 100 man-hours simply cleaning the laptops after they were turned in by students at the end of the last school year.

Wood anticipates a smoother road this year — security has been upgraded and students will be held more accountable for the overall condition of their computers. In addition, the district plans to increase professional training for teachers so that they become more comfortable using the laptops in classroom instruction.

Despite the problems, Wood sees the program as a positive for the school district.

“It's definitely worthwhile,” he said. “Our biggest advantage this year will be increased professional development with the teachers ... so that they more comfortable using the laptops as a teaching tool.”

Ritchey agrees.

“I think the computers can be very effective,” he said. “With any learning resource, they're only as good as the classroom leader — the teacher ... It starts with them. They have to manage it in the classroom and maintain student focus on the particular activity at hand.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it