By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

Hays Daily News

ELLIS -- There's a whole lot of change going on at Ellis High School.

And it has nothing to do with celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the building.

Each student enrolling at Ellis High School on Thursday and today was being issued a Windows-based Acer laptop computer for use during the school year.

District administrators decided to go with the one-to-one laptop initiative this year, the final one in a five-year district technology plan that began with a Kansas Department of Education grant for grades four through six in the 2003-04 school year.

The gradual integration of laptop computers at different levels in the district included a year-long training last year. The district technology plan will culminate this year with the 140 students at Ellis High getting the use of laptops in and out of school time.

There also will be enough laptops on carts for the 130-some students in grades four through eight at Washington Elementary School, and grades K-3 also will have use of about 30 laptops on carts.

"It's important to realize this isn't one big jump," said Corey Burton, principal at Ellis High. "It's a process over a number of years to get to where we feel we need to be."

Bob Young, in his 15th year in the Ellis district, explained reasons for the methodical process of full integration of technology into the classroom at the high school level.

"When we first started talking about this four years ago, we felt it was important to go slow," said Young, now director of curriculum and technology to go along with his duties as technology coordinator for the district.

"Lyndell Barton (superintendent at the time) said that we're not going to jump into something until we had it researched," Young continued. "We've taken several trips to other districts to find out where the flaws are."

With red cardboard boxes lining the stage of the auditorium and laptops on tables behind a projection screen Tuesday night, Burton and Bob Young talked to parents and students in attendance about a variety of regulations for the laptops, ranging from using a mandatory carrying case to financial responsibilities for students to the use -- and misuse -- of the Internet.

It was the first of two such meetings that Young, technology director for Ellis USD 388, plans to have for parents before the start of school Aug. 22. The second meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the EHS auditorium.

Burton explained that the laptop initiative sparked other changes in the school, built back in 1977.

Each classroom now sports a mounted projector, and new tables were ordered for various classrooms. There also is a new course -- multi-media -- being offered this year for the first time.

"Teaching with laptops changes the traditional teacher-in-front-of-the-room format," Burton said. "This way, they can move around the room and see what students are doing on the computers."

District staff members participated last year in the Intel Teach To The Future training, a program that teaches the integration of technology into the classroom.

"The theory is if the teachers are prepared how to teach the students how to use (technology), the entire process will go smoother," Young said.

"We feel the laptops can be an extension of the classroom," Burton added.

Young said that the past few years he has contacted numerous districts of various sizes, ones that have launched the one-to-one initiative, for advice on dos and don'ts.

"We've looked at what has worked for them, what has not worked," Young said, "and put together a plan that we think will work for us."

Young and Burton both assured parents they know this will be an evolving, learning experience -- for everyone involved.

"Will there be bumps in the road?" Young asked. "Absolutely. There always is when you start something new."

But, Burton told parents, "We want to be in partnership with you. Any concerns you have along the way, please communicate them, and we want to do the same."

Reporter Diane Gasper-O'Brien can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 126, or by e-mail at dobrien@dailynews.net.