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By David Rothman

image "Maine started its first-in-the-nation program by distributing more than 30,000 computers to each seventh- and eighth-grader in all of the state’s public schools in 2002 and 2003. Now the goal is to provide a laptop to every public school student in grades 7-12 by the fall." – E-School News.

The TeleRead take: I’d be curious to know about the usage of e-books in the current program, which apparently has used iBooks. See Wikipedia item for more background. Shown is the original iBook Clamshell.

More details: The cost per new MacBook is to be $242, with officials in talks with Apple about four year leases of 100,000 machines.

The Digital Divide and achievement angles: "School administrators say the laptop program, aimed at eliminating the so-called "digital divide" between wealthy and poor students, has been a success. A study released in 2007 by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern Maine indicated writing scores improved after laptops were introduced."

Ars Technica on in-class laptop distractions: “Even in cases where laptop use is integrated into lesson plans, the educational value of the machines is a mixed bag. The growing presence of personal laptops in classrooms, however, may be sparking a backlash.”

 
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