Three years ago, the Department of Education and a few pioneering schools embarked on a novel approach for one-to one computing in the classroom. Using small grants from the Department of Education, schools purchased low-cost computers and monitors. Part of the overall plan to keep costs low, was to see if schools could successfully use open source software. Open source software is generally available for free or at a low cost. We wanted to look at functionality of the hardware and software, retraining issues, and viability in the classroom. The viability in the classroom issue took into consideration several issues like acceptance on the part of students and teachers, comfort levels with application software, reliability and durability. A year later, it was clear that the concept worked. The hardware was reliable and teachers were using the systems. What started as a small program to test commodity- priced hardware and open systems has now swelled to a network of computers that reaches over 18,000 students each day. inACCESS was born.

Our high school English classrooms now have a different look! Gone are the desks that used to occupy the classroom, replaced with tables from Nova Solutions. The recessed computer and monitor offer total visual comfort in the classroom while at the same time total access to software applications, internet connectivity, and online classroom integration tools (Moodle) that offer access in and out of the classroom.