The goal of installing laptop programs is to increase student learning in the classroom. In this article, the author offers eleven tips to get the most learning out of one's investment: (1) make students responsible and accountable; (2) make the activities authentic; (3) embrace one's surroundings; (4) make sure the technology extends the…

While virtual schools, which currently serve only a tiny fraction of the nation's 48 million K-12 students, get all the buzz, a much bigger, largely untold story of online learning is unfolding in America's brick-and-mortar classrooms: a simple yet profound merger of virtual-school technology and the traditional classroom is taking place. This…

In this article, the author, as a technology director for East Rock Magnet School in New Haven, Connecticut, a federal government test site for laptop learning, shares his secrets to a successful implementation of a wireless laptop program: (1) Build a wireless foundation; (2) Do not choose the cheapest model just because of budget; (3) A sturdy…

Just how much bandwidth does the average student in the United States have access to today, and how much will he or she need in the future? That depends, according to district CTOs, state technology directors, industry experts, and classroom teachers. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 97 percent of U.S. public schools with…

More districts are turning to one-to-one computing, which puts a laptop in the hands of every student. This ambitious undertaking can bring challenges when it comes to training teachers how to use the technology--and how to teach students to use it. In 2005, Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Oregon, provided Apple laptops for 300 middle…

There has long been a power struggle between techies and teachers over classroom computer desktops. IT personnel tend to believe allowing "inept" educators to have unfettered access to their computer's hard drive is an open invitation for trouble. Conversely, teachers often perceive tech support to be "uncaring" adversaries standing in the way of…

This brief article describes how one young man who once was unmotivated and uninterested in learning more than just the minimum required for graduation transformed into an active, motivated student through a program called MOUSE (Making Opportunities for Upgrading Schools and Education), a NYC based non-profit dedicated to empowering students…

Discusses students' equitable access to technology and considers whether the quality of access is comparable. Highlights include home computers and socioeconomic differences, computers in schools, how computers are used in school, gender issues, students with special needs, and examples of elementary and secondary schools that have overcome…