Well, it looks like it’s really happening. I had heard of in-fighting in the Maine legislature over this, and I guess the purchase can still be stopped, but it’s interesting to see the demo school laptops being rolled out.
We’ve considered this in our own schools, but the cost is staggering. In a PA school budget year with severe setbacks in retirement funding, investment reductions, charter school payments, and more, it doesn’t seem likely.
It would be interesting to see this at the 12th grade level, or somewhere in the HS, but it’s possible these efforts could be better spent setting up a foundation to help get families computers and Internet access. Most districts have families who have no computers at home–this would help even out the haves and the have-nots.