If you take a stroll through Wright City High School, you will find the classroom setting has taken on a new look this year.Three weeks into the fall session, the students are actively engaged in using their recently unveiled laptops, that were part of the schools 1-to-1 initiative.The district distributed nearly 450 Acer Chromebooks during its rollout prior to the start of school.“From the beginning the kids have been extremely excited,” said Dawn Hickman, who was hired prior to last year to serve as the district’s technology integration facilitator.“We’ve gotten rid of that digital divide of kids who do and don’t have access,” she added. “Focusing on the kids responses, it’s been so amazing. They’ve been extremely excited.”Hickman says her position was created as part of a five-year plan that began with research related to starting the 1-to-1 program.“A lot of groundwork had to be done before implementing the technology,” explained Hickman. “Last year involved training the teachers and making sure they were Google ready, developing the forms and procedures. We also talked a lot with neighboring districts who already had the technology in place.”Each student at Wright City High School was issued a Chromebook during registration, given that they had completed the paperwork and paid a $20 insurance fee.Librarian Becky Brinkmeyer says many of the school’s initial concerns were erased during that time.“We had some concerns about getting the forms back completed or parents being alright with paying the insurance, but the roll-out went very well,” said Brinkmeyer.Only a few dozen Chromebooks are waiting on the shelves to be claimed.And Hickman says the students who do have them are working to keep the laptops in excellent condition, as they will keep the same computers all throughout high school.“Knowing they’re going to have that same laptop every year, the students are taking really good care of them,” said Hickman.The presence of the Chromebooks has revolutionized learning at Wright City High School, especially in terms of group projects. In the past, students could only collaborate while at school, but they are now able to work cooperatively even while at home.“With Google Drive, they can be working on tasks simultaneously,” said social studies teacher Brian Ernst. “That’s nice, because when they’re working in groups, they’re all getting the information at once and not having to take turns.”Ernst wasted no time implementing the technology into his curriculum and had his students actively engaged on a Friday morning.“The advantage has been being able to utilize technology on a daily basis,” said Ernst. “It’s nice to be able to not have the hassle of scheduling resource rooms or computer labs.”The cost incurred by the district during 2015-16 was $129,672.96 for the Chromebooks, chargers, screens and cases.There will be a cost of $5,225 during the 2016-17 year for the GoGuardian remote services, which allows the district to monitor student activity on the Chromebooks at all times.Acer Laptops