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New Hampshire to Follow Maine's Lead
Timex writes "According to an article from the Portland [Maine] Press Herald, some seventh-graders in New Hampshire will be issued laptops in January. 19 school districts have been invited to submit proposals, and up to five of them will be chosen to lead the way in New Hampshire. Cabletron Systems co-founder and NH Governor Craig Benson is getting funding for the four-year project from corporate donations. So far, he's gathered about half of the estimated $1.2 million estimated cost."
I guess the kids go back and then just say their laptop was stolen, and then get another one, so everyone wins!
> Student's don't even know algebra
Looks like you didn't pay much attention in school either...
I believe the poster's original point was that the laptops were useless education-wise. Your post seems to support that assertion.
Not only did the students seem more engaged in their learning
How exactly can a distraction such as a laptop cause students to pay attention to the subject at hand? Can you elaborate? Do you mean they weren't looking bored because they were playing Minesweeper while the teacher was explaining history?
they used them for almost everything: they wrote journal entries
And how is that better than writing journal entries in a notebook?
found clipart for multimedia presentations
I always found that multimedia presentations were a way to waste class time doing nothing. Can you explain what a multimedia presentation might be useful for? How does finding clipart contribute to those kids' education?
then researched information for a speech
Of course, we all know how reliable the Internet is at delivering accurate information... NOT. I think those kids would be better off learning how to use the library.
Students in social studies the next period spent time researching current headlines on msnbc.com
Great. How exactly is social studies remotely related to current headlines? What does that prove, that the students know how to read MSNBC.com?
What better way to engage students in education than by letting them be the teachers?
Was the teacher explaining the latest developments in Iraq when that happened? If he/she wasn't, then this is just a regular distraction.
Every study I've ever seen has said that two-way learning is much more effective than reading from a textbook or listening to lecture.
Perhaps. And every student I've seen prefers to watch TV to doing homework and reading textbooks. Obviously, if the students can choose to either do work or have fun, they will choose the latter. But that does not improve their learning of the assigned material.
In short, your post simply confirms the original premise: the laptops are useless toys that do nothing education-wise. Sure, they might slightly improve students' understanding of computers. However, learning how to use Word and Powerpoint is something that can be done in just a few hours, and doesn't require students to have laptops.