Sustainable 1 to 1 Learning Transforms District’s Culture

Profiles in Success: Denali Borough School District

“Our 1 to 1 program has had an enormous impact on student learning,” Vraspir notes. “Our kids are incredibly engaged in a huge variety of learning activities with the Apple laptops. They’ve become completely accustomed to using them, and would never be without the computers if they had a choice.”

Adds Arlie Swett, Denali’s director of instruction and student advocate, “Our model of instruction focuses on the direct introduction of skills, project-based application of skills, and learning expeditions that are linked to the community and real-life experiences. Technology and the iBook laptops support classroom instruction, and are integral to everything that we do.”

“With the help of the Apple laptops, we’ve seen an improvement over the last few years in student achievement, in every level.”

— Pete Vraspir

A Sustainable 1 to 1 Learning Program

The Denali district acquired its initial group of PowerBook and iBook laptops in 2003 with the help of a creative leasing program made possible by Apple Financial Services (AFS) Education Finance. Since then, Vraspir and his team have come up with what may be the country’s first, entirely sustainable 1 to 1 learning program. In this model, the district uses a combination of grant funds and its regular technology budget to lease new Apple laptops each year (Denali also receives discounted Internet access through the Federal E-rate program). At the end of a student’s high school career, he or she will then be offered a buy-out of the laptop.

Says Vraspir, “Our goal is to send every senior out of school with an Apple laptop to take to college. Granted that student will have a three- or four-year-old computer. But that’s part of the reason why we chose Apple: The iBook is a very durable machine. Since many colleges now have a laptop requirement, we felt this would be a big benefit to our students and their families.”

Professional Development Ensures Smooth Transition