High School students nab new tablets, some parents angry over $50 insurance fee

Sept. 03--For some Grand Strand students, a new school year means new tech gadgets

Students at the Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology in Myrtle Beach received new Dell Venue 11 tablets Tuesday morning in a county-wide effort to put a digital learning device in the hands of every student.

Robin Jones, AAST principal, was running around the high school Tuesday organizing, directing and preparing for the handout that gives all of her 652 students a new tech tool. Green Sea Floyds High School was the first to debut the new tablets this year, so Jones and her team observed the handout process and pinpointed any problems or glitches.

"We tried to run through every scenario before starting this process," Jones said. "So far, so good."

AAST is the district's second high school to receive the tablets. Though the devices are free to use, students must pay a $50 insurance fee to take them home. Parents were informed of the fee and change in mid-August, prompting complaints to the district about how late the fee was announced.

Before the Dell tablets, the school had iPads and laptops they could use while in school. Now, students can take their devices to every class and even take them home, if the insurance is paid. Jones said about 30 percent of students already had a personal tablet or laptop at home, but the Dell Venues create uniformity and give all students an equal platform.

"These (tablets) are going to be quicker and easier, because they're connected to our school's network," Jones said, "and teachers can control what goes on them, and what doesn't."

Each student's tablet runs Windows 8 and comes with a power cord, keyboard with a built-in battery, clamshell case and a small laptop bag. The district spent $600 on each, which was just within the budgeted limit, according to Charles Hucks, executive director of technology for the district.

This year each school is offering for $50 insurance that will cover one complete repair, small breakage and theft for each tablet in or out of school. Students who pay the insurance will be the only ones allowed to take tablets home, where the insurance, said Velna Allen, executive director of secondary programs.

Allen said there was some backlash against the fee from parents who were not informed of the new charge until a few weeks before the new semester.

"One of the main concerns we heard from parents was that the insurance was announced so late," Hucks said. "But these devices are really going to level the playing field, because now all students have access to technology all day, every day."

There is a payment plan for parents who find one-time payment difficult, or who have multiple children to cover. Those who do not pay the fee will be responsible for any damage incurred to the device, said , the district's public information officer.

"It's a $600 device," Hucks said. "While it's unfortunate that we alerted parents to the fee so late, it's a reasonable charge, given all that the students get."

An earlier message about the fee would have probably helped quell parent anger, Britton said. She had several parents call the district with more questions, but were somewhat soothed after learning everything the non-required fee covers.

Britton said the insurance fee could have been announced even later, since not everything was in place by the mid-August announcement.

"In actuality, the notification came early -- it could have been delayed into the first of the semester," Britton said.

The Horry County school district recently bought about 13,000 tablets for all the high school students and teachers, purchasing each through a state contract with Dell, according to Allen.

The Dell Venue beat out several other laptops and tablets, such as iPads and a Chromebook, during a month-long process this summer that included teachers, administrators, principals and a handful of students. Each participant contributed to a list of requirements for the device, and later tested a variety of tech tools. The overwhelming majority favored the Dell tablets, Allen said.

"The high school students were looking for something with a keyboard, but they also wanted a tablet," Allen said. "The Dell Venue offers both of those things, so that won the majority."

Students seemed to enjoy the new gadget Tuesday morning.

"It's pretty cool," said Rayni Newman, junior. "In some classes it'll be easier to understand information on the computer, but in other classes I'll still have to write things down in order to learn them."

Jenna Nesmith, freshman student, said she likes how the actual tablet disconnects from the keyboard.

"It'll be much faster to type with the keyboard, unlike the iPad, but it's also touch-screen so it's like a normal tablet," Nesmith said. "I'm so excited."

The district paid for the tablets through their personalized digital learning initiative, which uses penny sales tax revenue to fund the $7.8 million needed among all the schools, according to Hucks. The initiative, which was approved June 2013, seeks to put a digital learning device in the hands of every student by 2016.

"These should give students to chance to learn at their own rate," Hucks said. "The technology skills they're going to obtain will help prepare them for both college and the work force."

Though he'll only get to use the tablet for a year, senior Steven Burnham is excited about all the programs and possibilities afforded by the device.

"It's so cool. It's going to be so much easier to do all my stuff now."

Contact CLAIRE BYUNat 626-0377 or follow her on Twitter @Claire_TSN.

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