Monday was an exciting first day of duty for teachers at DeBakey High School for Health Professions. They received their laptops in the third phase of HISD’s PowerUp initiative.

“I’m excited about how I’m going to use it in my classroom,” said math teacher Wilson Chavez. “Sometimes it’s difficult to implement technology in math, but I have exciting plans to use it for various projects.”

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The teachers are currently receiving training on their laptops, including how to use web-based tools in their daily instruction through the HUB.

“The HUB will allow teachers to communicate with their students via their laptop computers,” said DeBakey Principal Agnes Perry. “Students at home can work on their assignments and come back to school well-prepared. This represents a tremendous expansion of our instructional program.”

DeBakey is among the remaining 13 high schools in the final phase of PowerUp. During the 2013–2014 school year, students at 11 high schools received their devices. Last year, 21 high schools were added. By January 2016, all 65,000 HISD high school students will have been issued a laptop.

Before students receive their devices, they and their parents must sign and return the district’s laptop loan agreement and pay a $25 non-refundable security deposit. Parents and students are also required to learn about the proper care of the device and the importance of good digital citizenship and cyber safety.