I was one of the group from the VITA-LEARN Central Region who visited the 1:1 programs at Glover and Irasburg.  I've always been skeptical of Maine's program and went to the two VT schools with a definite "Show Me" attitude.  

What we saw was a mixed bag.  There was some wonderful learning going on that took advantage of the technology, some relatively clumsy attempts to adjust the curriclum to the new medium, and at least one classroom in which the laptops really did not need to be there for what was essentially a paper and pencil exercise.

The assessment of technology's impact is also a mixed bag, and part of the problem is determining what sort of ruler to use to measure it.  Will using a laptop help a student be more accurate in adding a column of three-digit numbers?  Does it make the student better at analyzing a problem and framing a solution?  I'm not sure the NECAPs will ever reflect IT's impact, but a presentation on the number and variety of organisms found in a stream should do so.  The constraints imposed by NCLB on how we measure learning and our accountabilty for it mean that we have to demonstrate content, and I think it is unlikely that any 1:1 initiative will assist us making that demonstration.

Tommy Walz

Tommy Walz
Technology Coordinator
Barre Supervisory Union