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http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=1215
Maine iBook program called a success
By ron carlson, Insanely Great Mac
November 4th 2002
Proponents say the portables have led to improved student performance
GlobeTechnology reports that Maine's effort to close the so-called "digital divide" is
bearing fruit. This first of its kind program outfits each seventh grader in the state
with an Apple iBook and high-speed Internet connection.
The proponents of the educational initiative say that, even after just a month or so,
the teacher-student experience is being fundamentally changed.
"It is a revolutionary idea," Eliott Soloway, a professor of education and computer
science at the University of Michigan told GlobeTechnology.
"All the evidence suggests that when [certain] conditions are met, technology has an
impact. One of those conditions is, of course, access," Prof Soloway said. "There is
absolute data that say, indeed, computer technology leads to increased understanding
and leads to increased effectiveness in the classroom."
"It is way beyond anyone's expectations," Maine Governor Angus King told the pub. "The
one-to-one relationship of this incredible tool has exploded the educational process
in Maine. Teachers who were opponents are now proponents. Parents are involved. The
students are engaged."
The iBooks never leave the school and, while there was some initial debate about
whether the students ought to be allowed to take them home, one teacher said that,
given the attendance improvements, he would prefer to keep the computers at school.
Editor's note: This is certainly one efficacious way of improving student performance
and raising standards. Now, the only question is, "Will anyone pay attention?"
Certainly, the Mac's superior stability, ease-of-use, productivity and long-term value
-- put in a single acronym, ROI (return on investment) -- haven't led to widespread
adoption.
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