Eastside High School and Newton County Schools' Technology Department are sponsoring a "Back to School with Technology Night" tomorrow from 5 to 8 p.m. Three NCSS-approved computer companies - Apple Computers, ByteSpeed Computers and Dell Computers will have numerous products on display which parents and students can touch and test.

At approximately 7 p.m., each company will make a presentation highlighting their special educational programs and discount pricing available for parents attending the event.

"This is an excellent opportunity for parents to see the latest in educational technology available," said NCSS Technology Director Dr. Gary Shattuck. "Our school system is moving towards allowing students and employees the opportunity of bringing their own personal technology devices to school as long as they are used for instructional purposes. This event will showcase items currently on the market and give parents the opportunity to purchase at discounted prices if they wish."

According to Shattuck, each school has, or shortly will have, a wireless network that allows personal mobile devices to connect to the Internet from within each building. Teachers are being trained on how to incorporate these new technologies into their classroom practices in order to meet the growing demand for technology-connected lessons. As a result of these efforts, most schools allow students and employees to bring their personal mobile devices such as computers, netbooks, and tablets into the building to be used for instructional purposes on the wireless network.

"We encourage parents - and employees, to come out and see the latest in personal mobile devices and take advantage of the special pricing and programs offered during the ‘Back to School with Technology Night,'" Shattuck said.