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Alabama Schools to be First in US to Get XO Laptop

Posted by Zonk on from the educatin-on-the-cheap dept.

CountryGeek passed us a link to a story in the Birmingham News, saying that schools in the Alabama city will be the first US students to make use of the XO laptop. The piece touches on a bit of the project's history, and seems to indicate the Birmingham school district is ready to make a serious commitment to these devices. "Langford has asked the City Council to approve $7 million for the laptops and a scholarship program that would give Birmingham students with a C average or above a scholarship to college or tech school of their choice. The City Council has not yet approved the funding. The rugged, waterproof computers will be distributed to students on April 15, Langford said, and children will be allowed to take them home. If a computer is lost, the school system can disable it, rendering it useless, Langford said. Students will turn in their computers at the end of their eighth-grade year."

4 of 334 comments (clear)

  1. Alabama? by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 5, Funny

    Alabama you say? That's entirely natural. After all they were supposed to be for the third world... ;-)

    1. Re:Alabama? by tfoss · · Score: 5, Informative
      To be statistically blunt:


      Etc. etc. I have no doubt there are plenty of smart, healthy, wealthy, open-minded folks there; however the statistics tend to suggest that overall AL (like much of the deep south) has a pretty unhealthy, uneducated and poor population.

      -Ted
      --
      -=-=- Quantum physics - the dreams stuff are made of.
  2. No they're not... by the_skywise · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What part of: "The City Council has not yet approved the funding." = "schools in the Alabama city will be the first US students to make use of the XO laptop."

  3. Re:C average by dryueh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think the point is to encourage all students to consider post-secondary education, whether that's college or tech school. It's a fine idea -- I imagine that 'C' performers, in many areas, are seldomly encouraged to go on with their education/training after HS graduation.