DOBSON — Almost 70 teachers who teach seventh-grade students in the Surry County School System received laptop computers recently.

Funded through a grant recently acquired to support the 1:1 laptop initiative, laptop computers were issued to seventh-grade teachers in Surry’s four middle schools who teach core and encore subjects. The laptops will assist teachers in preparing lesson plans utilizing technological and other available resources to enhance their instruction.

During the laptop dissemination meeting at Meadowview Middle School, Pat Widdowson, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said, “It is important for us to remain focused on the standards, but let our many technological resources assist us in enhancing our instructional delivery.”

A lesson plan template designed by Surry’s administrators was overviewed and modeled followed by time for teachers to review curriculum maps and discuss areas in which technological resources could be used.

The dissemination of laptop computers to Surry’s teachers was a step on the continuum towards meeting goals of the 1:1 laptop initiative, a major objective of the county board of education’s annual action plan. Teachers have begun to write and revise lesson plans to infuse various technology resources and to motivate and engage students through the use of laptop computers as a tool for learning. The school district has worked to provide a plethora of available technology tools and training to assist teachers such as SMART Technology, United Streaming, Word Press, Wiki’s, and Digital Content, just to name a few.

The Surry County school district is moving forward with the 1:1 initiative scheduled to begin with seventh-grade students in the fall of 2009.