SECOND WIND PCS AIDS IN GETTING TECHNOLOGY IN THE HANDS OF MICHIGAN'S STUDENTS

The State of Michigan has announced that it will provide funding to get laptop computers in the hands of every Sixth Grade Public School student in the state. Michigan based company, Second Wind PCs, wants to assist by offering discounts on computer equipment to every public and non-public school student of all grades.

(PRWEB) August 4, 2003 -- Last week Governor Jennifer Granholm and the State Legislature announced their dedication, with the assistance of Michigan school districts, to getting laptop computers to each of the state's 132,000 public school sixth-graders during the 2003-04 school year. In the Freedom to Learn program, the state will allocate $250 per student, while the individual school districts will be responsible for contributing $25 per student.

But with many questions still unanswered like, 'Will the kids get to keep the laptops' and 'Will there be funds to keep the program going through the next year,' it is uncertain if the program will last beyond the first year.

This week, Troy, Michigan-based computer re-marketer Second Wind PCs, the state's largest supplier of used computer equipment, is showing its own dedication to children and technology by offering additional discounts to Michigan students on laptops and PCs. The company is a division of O/E Systems, Inc., a leader in the technology business for 24 years.

When equipment comes off lease, it is taken in by Second Wind PCs where a team of trained technicians individually tests each piece of equipment, serial and model numbers are recorded and any data is removed to ensure a clean and virus-free computer. The name-brand computers, including Dell, IBM, Compaq, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Toshiba and others, are then sold to the general public at discounted rates. Second Wind PCs has more than 10,000 items regularly in stock recently off lease from Fortune 2000 companies throughout the United States.

In accordance with the State's initiatives to get more children acquainted with technology, Second Wind PCs is offering extended discounts to students beyond the all ready low prices the company offers. With proof of student status, desktop computers start at $99 and laptops start at $249, including warranty.

Offered with purchase, at no cost, is your choice of six software CDs categorized in one of three academic levels. The Upper Elementary set features Zoombinis Logical Journey, ClueFinder's 3rd Grade Adventures; The Mystery of the Mathra, ClueFinder's 4th Grade Adventures; The Puzzle of the Pyramid, ClueFinder's 5th Grade Adventures; The Secret of the Living Volcano, Amazon Trail 3rd Edition; Rainforest Adventures and The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions.

The Middle School series is highlighted by Compton's 3D World Atlas, 7th Grade Math, 8th Grade Math, Super Tutor Pre-Algebra, Super Tutor Biology Plus and Super Tutor Vocabulary. The High School programs include Super Tutor Algebra 1, Super Tutor Algebra 2, Super Tutor Geometry, Super Tutor Chemistry Plus, Super Tutor Grammar, Super Tutor Composition, Super Tutor Trigonometry and Kaplan SAT/ACT.

Access to a computer at home can benefit many of the groups the Freedom to Learn program won't reach.

- Students who are past 6th grade level and use computers at school but don't have access beyond the computer lab or classroom
- Students who have not yet reached 6th grade; getting a jump start on technology will help the students when they reach 6th grade level
- Students who have not yet reached 6th grade who face lack-of-funding by the time they reach that grade level and a chance the program will no longer be active

State officials see the program as a way to allow children to experience the technology they will need to be familiar with later in life. Although research on the subject is fairly limited, The Future of Children, a publication of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, contains reports of the beneficial impact of computer use on children¡¦s activities and development.

Evidence links home computer use to better academic performance, reading and visual progression like viewing images in three-dimensional space and tracking multiple images simultaneously.

For more information or to place an order, contact Kevin Hatmaker of Second Wind PCs toll free at 877-464-8733 ext. 4477 or visit www.secondwindpcs.com.