Wireless Studies

When Jeremy Gypton’s social studies class investigated the Middle Ages, this Arizona teacher sent them to a Web site with live video from the site of the Battle of Hastings.

While they peered into their laptops—no outdated history books here!—“Students could clearly see from the top of the hill why holding the high ground was so important,” says Gypton, who also serves as Empire High School’s technology coordinator. “It was a real a-ha! moment for them.”

Hundreds of classrooms across the country have already put laptops into every lap. (Think Maine, where every seventh-grader got a laptop courtesy of the state government.) But brand-new Empire High in Vail, Arizona, stands out from the virtual crowd. Unlike most existing schools that make the switch to technology, teachers and students here opted for wireless from the get-go, and the school was built for the latest tech.

Now Empire teachers can better engage tech-savvy students by customizing curriculum with the latest research, maps, and videos, instead of using static textbooks. But they haven’t completely given up on paper—Gypton still gives paper tests, and there is plenty of pulp in the library.

Photo: Jeff Topping