Maine Laptop Program a Success

Myoglobinologist writes "The New York Times has an article about how the State of Maine purchased $37 million worth of iBooks from Apple. The article states that the kids have adapted quickly to the laptops, attendance is up, and there is even heart-warming testimony from some politicians that were opposed to the project." We've done several previous stories about this initiative (they were originally considering custom-designed thin client machines - probably a good idea to go with off-the-shelf systems), and it's interesting to see how it has panned out.

Comments

What are we teaching?

[st0rmcold]

While we are at it, teaching the kids to use/work with apples, how about we show them how to use a washboard to clean their clothes? Or carry water on their shoulders from the fountain?

If you want kids to succeed, you need to teach them what they will be working with in the future.

What a waste!

Re:Heathy eating

[Anonymous Coward]

geek fag humor... i bet you got beaten up all the time in school

Homeschooled == socially retarded.

[BoomerSooner]

99.99% of the time.

Remember the spelling bee girl that couldn't spell without covering her mouth? Lol, the worst disservice people do is homeschooling their children. What happens when they get to college? (assuming the can) or better yet how will they interact with diverse people in a new job setting? I guess you'll have to wait 12-18 years to see. Oh and meeting the freaks at church doesn't come close to actual "real-world" social interaction different religious views, different social norms/mores, learning the way to be at the top of the school hierarchy instead of the bottom, just to name a few.

If you believe iBooks == dictatorship your a moron and I fear for your childrens future. You should be more afraid of "enemy combatant" status than anything else. Once the government can hold you sans lawyer, access to courts, and access to the charges against you, then you're in a dictatorship. Hopefully our wonderfully intelligent president won't be reelected.

Re:Think different

[Jacer]

Grammatically, your statement is incorrect. You say "Think different" since different is modifing your verb, you should use the adverb form, differently, "Think Differently" is the proper way to state it. Remember kids, friends don't let friends use improper grammar.