Laptops

Atlanta School for Students with Autism Goes 1:1

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 06/24/15

The Cumberland Academy of Georgia, an Atlanta-based school for students with autism, has gone public with its deployment of a one-to-one computing initiative.

The school uses technology to encourage communication and collaboration among students, as assistive tools and to allow teachers to track student progress.

The 1:1 program got started when Variety of Georgia, a local chapter of Variety International, provided laptops for every student in grades 9-12 with a Chromebook through a grant in 2014. A second grant earlier this year put the devices in the hands of most middle school students at Cumberland.

The school aims to get the most out of the devices with a range of programs and offerings, including:

• Google Apps for Education;
• IXL, a Web-based program that allows students to work at their own pace on language arts and math;
• BrainPOP, an online resource featuring short animated videos, formative and summative assessments, self-graded quizzes, suggested readings and lesson plans; and
• Online courses from Brigham Young University for high school students with specialized interests or advanced abilities in specific areas.

"This generous grant from Variety will allow our middle and high school students to utilize Google Apps for Education," said Debbi Scarborough, founding director of Cumberland Academy of Georgia, in a prepared statement. "Utilizing assistive technology will enhance the students' knowledge, which is imperative in helping our students succeed."