Warrior Elementary School recently received its third portable computer lab.

The “lab” is actually a large, rolling metal case that charges 25 laptop computers inside of it. The case can be rolled into a classroom, where students remove the laptops from the case and use them at their desks, effectively transforming a classroom into a computer lab.

“I like the rolling lab better,” said Connie Fuller, a teacher at Warrior Elementary. “There’s no wasted time, and we can do it more frequently.”

The labs were bought with technology money from the Jefferson County Board of Education. Because of pro-ration, Warrior Elementary won’t be seeing any more technology money in the near future, but Fuller said she feels confident the rolling labs will fill their computer needs for now.

“We used to have to share… Each classroom had one computer, and we had seven in the library. Now every student [in a classroom] gets a computer,” said Fuller. She said every student has access to a laptop at least three days a week.

One of the programs the students participate in is “Study Island,” an Internet service the students access over the school’s wifi network, or after school on their home internet connections.

Each student has an account with Study Island, and with it they can access activities in reading, math, science, and other subjects. Study Island is tailored to state curriculums, so it follows standard Alabama education requirements.

“It feels like a game to them,” said Fuller.

The laptops are “netbooks,” small computers that are specifically designed to use the internet. They often sacrifice features like CD-ROM drives to make them lighter and more portable. Fuller said she was concerned at first the students would have trouble using such small devices. But, she said they learned to use them remarkably well.

“We don’t have a computer teacher, but we have faculty that are pretty good with computers,” said Fuller. “We don’t need a whole computer class. They’re getting hands-on experience.”

One of the labs is used by kindergarten, first and second grades. Another is used for third grade, and the newest one is used by the fourth and fifth graders.