For today’s Cary Academy students, “tablets” and campus-wide internet access are an essential part of the CA experience, but 15 years ago, the introduction of laptop computers dramatically changed the way the school worked. Hailed as “awesome” by excited students and faculty, alike, the switch from classroom desktop computers to personal tablets with always-available internet connections coincided with the school’s 10th anniversary celebration.
“ Equipping every student with a tablet of their own has continued to allow Cary Academy to be flexible in our pursuit of discovery, innovation, collaboration, and excellence,” reflects Karen McKenzie, CA’s Director of Technology & Innovation. “CA keeps leveraging new and innovative technologies, with programs like 3D printing, augmented/virtual/mixed realities, and artificial intelligence, so that our students can produce and consume information about the world around them.”
As CA marks its 25th year, what recent changes do you think will be woven into the familiar fabric of the Cary Academy experience for students 15 years from now?
Below, read a contemporary account of the tablet PC introduction, from CA’s then-monthly newsletter.
From desktops to laptops —
CA students now using tablet PCs
Cary Academy begins 10th anniversary year
Cary Academy’s 10th anniversary year began like many others: friends catching up with one another in hallways and on the quad, swapping
“what I did over the summer” stories; the Middle School gathering for a class picture, and, of course, the handshake ceremony, which Head of School Don Berger said, “Binds us together as a community.”
But one major change has marked the beginning of this year: Cary Academy is now a tablet PC environment and all rooms and the campus are wired for Internet access. Over the first two days, all students received personal tablet PCs, and the students couldn’t be more excited.
Second-year student Chris Kucmierz (’12) couldn’t stop praising the new tablets. “They’re awesome. It’s going to be a lot easier this year in class: I’ll just whip it out and have all my notes and class journals right there;· he said. “I don’t have to worry about a gazillion pages of notes and books.”
Since the switch was announced last year, the school kicked into high gear to ready the tablets for the fall semester. A committee of students, staff and faculty picked three machines to test and settled on the TC 4400 from Hewlett-Packard. To keep parents and students informed, CA hosted information sessions over the summer and maintained a FAQ page on the intranet.
Once the machines arrived in July, the IS Department “imaged” each machine by placing the programs students will use for classes onto the tablets, along with the drives needed to print and scan. Then, 12 volunteers. Consisting of students, staff and faculty, assembled the tablets into bags. Each bag contained the tablet and sleeve, and all the peripherals: jump drive, AC adapter, instruction booklets, luggage tag, modem cable and stylus.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with how smoothly we distributed 711 tablet PCs,” admitted a proud Head of School Don Berger.
“As we had hoped, students are experimenting with their tablets and quickly learning how to effectively use it as a learning tool. I have not seen students and teachers this excited about school since we opened the school in 1997. Our tablet PC program will enable Cary Academy to continue to be a national leader in teaching with technology.”
