Disclosure: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. 

This year, the school system where I teach launched a massive new 1-to-1 initiative. This means that every student in our middle school will have a personal laptop to use at home and at school.  In January, the initiative was launched with the 6th graders that I teach. Every student received a personal laptop; the students carried the device to and from school each day. They even get to keep the laptop over the summer!  Technology in the classroom doesn’t stop for the summer.  Instead, students can extend learning into the summer months by reading ebooks, accessing online educational support, and participating in school-related discussion boards.  I’m so excited about the way that technology is shaping today’s classroom!  Technology partners such as Best Buy can provide valuable advice and service for those who need technology support.  The Best Buy for Business (BBFB) Education Program helps IT professionals in the education sector to create technology-rich classrooms.   The Best Buy Education Program’s dedicated staff provides consultation and networking with schools, giving personal attention and support through initiatives such as the 1-to-1 program, BYOD initiative, and other unique opportunities.  Now through July 4, 2015 , Best Buy is giving away $25,000 credit, plus additional gift card prizes and Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablets with keyboards.  Find out how you can enter the sweepstakes by clicking here.  This sweepstakes is open to all educators and administrators.

The 1-to-1 initiative changed my classroom this spring in many ways.

1.  Students could easily communicate with me via email through our online portal.  This really opened the door to communication!

2.  Students took responsibility for keeping up with their grades, projects, and work completion. By submitting work online, they were better able to organize their materials and papers.

3.  Our work took on a wider scope.  We reached out to students at other schools, inviting them to participate in our learning.

4.  Projects and assignments used real-world websites.  Students demonstrated much more interest in a book project when they could create a video, podcast, or online poster.

5.  The 1-to-1 initiative helped to level the playing field. Students with access to technology no longer had the upper hand. All students had the ability to use the laptop at home to work on typed assignments, read books, and more.  Although not every student had access to free Wi-Fi, this is something that might improve over the next few years.

Technology partners such as Best Buy can help bring technology-rich resources to your classroom environment, too!