Students at Wright City Middle School are enjoying a new way of learning this year.

Since August, all seventh- and eighth-graders at Wright City received laptop computers to keep for the school year.

“Being a traditionalist, I was a little leery at first, but the process could not have gone any smoother,” acknowledged Principal Doug Smith.

A stroll through the hallways provides a glimpse of several classes actively using the Chromebook laptops for interactive lessons, while other students work individually.

“We’ve got teachers who are doing a tremendous job of adapting to it and trying things out,” said Smith. “They are pushing their comfort zones and finding great results with it.”

It’s not just the teachers who are thinking creatively and expanding their abilities. Students who were previously apprehensive about interacting are now more involved.

“They’re getting students who wouldn’t put forth the same kind of effort through pencil-and-paper work to commit more effort,” said Smith. “There’s a lot of tools that our teachers are using that provide formative assessment too.”

The electronic format and inclusion of applications allows students to answer questions in real-time on their computers as a teacher places a quiz on the board. In turn, this means immediate feedback from teachers and quicker grading.

Students use Google Suite to engage in group work and can even work on group projects remotely.

Smith says some parents initially had concerns about their child having so much access to a computer, so the school recently held an informative meeting.

“Our parent night was really in response to a lot of what we’ve learned first semester,” said Smith. “It was to address parent concerns as well as to show them the benefits. Anytime you bring in new technology, it comes with some apprehension.”

The district uses the safety filter GoGuardian to monitor usage of the computers and the content visited. While the system may not be flawless, Smith says the benefits far outweigh the concerns that exist with empowering students with their own computers.

And the computers ultimately cost less than replacing textbooks over the course of five years.

“If we don’t start preparing kids for what is coming, then we’re doing them a big disservice,” said Smith, who adds that the school is planning a parent night prior to school starting for the 2018-19 year.

In the foreground, seventh-grade student Devin Foust and his classmates participate in in a math lesson using Chromebooks. The computers were given to students at the beginning of the school year. Every student in seventh and eighth grade has their own computer for use throughout the school year. Record photo/ Derrick Forsythe.