Carrollton Headmistress Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ, recently implemented the Anytime, Anywhere Learning Program with the seventh and eighth graders.

Every student was required to purchase a laptop or bring one of her own. Those students with financial need were made eligible for grants that helped in the computer purchase. The students received their laptops and a taste of a new way of learning. The laptops will be incorporated into nearly all of the schoolwork.

“This technology has become a natural medium with these girls and there are no limits to where they might go,” Sister Cooke said.

Through a combination of surveys, observations, simulated problem-solving tasks and student interviews, researchers found that students with full-time access to laptop computers apply more problem-solving and critical thinking skills, are more motivated and interested in core academic subjects and produce higher quality work.

Taking a leadership role in the facilitation of integrating technology into the curriculum, Sister Cooke said, “We promise to prepare our students with informed faith and disciplined minds. Excellence in learning today presupposes that technology is thoroughly integrated throughout the entire program.”

Sister Cooke continued, “I believe the most effective means to address technology integration at Carrollton is by implementing the national laptop program of Anytime, Anywhere Learning Program, Notebooks for Schools. Through this program, Carrollton has entered into a partnership with educators around the world. This partnership is supported by certain corporate leaders in technology.”

Sister Cooke served on an Advisory Council for Microsoft when Microsoft first developed the Learning with Laptops Program, which now is known as Anytime, Anywhere Learning. She stated from experience, “that as a member of the Anytime, Anywhere Learning Program Advisory Committee, this program makes a concrete difference to learning.”

After much research, Carrollton chose Compaq as its corporate partner. Since joining the partnership with Microsoft, Compaq has drawn on its long commitment to education. As a result, schools working with Compaq have the advantage of an all-inclusive approach to technology integration from planning to hardware to network building to training.

Teachers will have access to electronic curriculum resource libraries supported by both Compaq and Microsoft. Compaq also has entered into an agreement with Lucent Technologies, a designer and provider of wireless access.