Maine's Laptops For Students Program Still Going Strong

from the good-for-them dept

Over the past year, we've had a number of stories about the program in Maine to give laptops to every student in the seventh grade. While the program started out with some difficulties (mostly in that the teachers weren't trained enough), it quickly picked up steam, and won over many skeptics. Even the kids learned to be extra careful with their laptops to avoid breaking them. Now that the first year of the program is finishing up, most people involved with the program feel that it's been a big success, and are looking forward to seeing it grow. They admit that there have been some problems - but they have been dealt with quickly, and the benefits of having each student with their own computer has far outweighed any of the downsides. It also sounds like teachers figured out a good balance pretty quickly, so as not to rely too much on the computers, but use them as an occasional tool for better educating students.