Summary
The George Lucas Educational Foundation last month glowingly reviewed Maine's progress with its laptop program for seventh- and eighth-graders, pointing out many advantages, including advanced and more meaningful learning experiences, lower absenteeism, etc., that those watching this program have come to expect. But it ends its story on "The Maine Experience" with this unhappy thought: After eighth grade, students revert to stationary, shared computers and lose much of technological ability they had in middle school. Said one Skowhegan eighth- grader, "It's going to be like going back to kindergarten."
Politicians are always telling their constituencies that they are leaders in one thing or another, partly out of parochial pride and partly as a way to absorb the glow of the achievement. But former Gov. Angus King really did make this state a leader with his laptops initiative, and other states - Texas, Michigan, Iowa - are looking to Maine's experience to shape their own programs.See the full content of this document
Extract
Laptop Leaps
A brief story in State Legislatures magazine this month shows that what once seemed...
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