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 discusses the proliferation of one-to-one programs. For educators, the key to one-to-one success is in a well-managed and thoughtfully approached classroom program. Despite a good body of anecdotal evidence on the success of one-to-one programs--increased student attendance and motivation, more collaborative…

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…

Irving Independent School District in Texas is not a typical candidate for a locally funded one-to-one computing program. With more than 31,000 students, most of whom are minority and economically disadvantaged, technology-rich classrooms and wireless laptops for all seems a lofty goal. Irving's recipe for success lies in strong leadership and the…

In 2001, Indiana officials at the Department of Education were taking stock. The schools had an excellent network infrastructure and had installed significant numbers of computers for 1 million public school enrollees. Yet students were spending less than an hour a week on the computer. It was then that state officials knew each student needed a…

Computers on wheels, or COWs, combine the wireless technology of today with the audio/visual carts of yesteryear for an entirely new spin on mobility. Increasingly used by districts with laptop computing initiatives, COWs are among the hottest high-tech sellers in schools today, according to market research firm Quality Education Data. In this…

Assistive technologies (AT) give special needs students the ability to access computer resources. AT can be life-changing for kids with significant communication, mobility, literacy, visual, and hearing challenges. But implementing AT in schools is a complex issue. There are various categories of commercial and open-source products, each 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…

This article relates the story of one California school district that is making laptop ownership for students a reality, despite the overwhelming financial burden. In January 1996, Clovis Unified School District found itself in a situation familiar to many districts. Fresh from a conference in Redmond, Washington, sponsored by Microsoft and…

This article discusses the future of America's education system. In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education's report A Nation at Risk raised questions about whether America's education system was endangering America's competitive future. This prompted a wave of reforms in education, including a stronger focus on the effective use…

It has been slightly more than a decade since the U.S. Department of Commerce's NTIA division published its first major report on home computer access, "Falling through the Net: A Survey of the "Have Nots" in Rural and Urban America." Published in July 1995, the report focused on serious gaps in the levels of technology available to different…