Access to technology and devices is necessary to deliver high-quality learning experiences. Schools and students that don't have access are at a disadvantage. But giving all students access isn't as easy as it seems. Competing budgetary priorities, uncertainty about the most effective products and services and other constraints make it difficult…

In recent years, American universities have implemented many innovative strategies to enhance the academic success of students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. Yet first-generation and/or low-income (FLI) college students continue to encounter barriers to success because they do not have authentic access to digital technology…

We report on a randomized controlled trial of an intervention that leverages the availability of laptops for all public-school students in the state of Maine. The intervention, called "ASSISTments," provides feedback to students as they solve mathematics homework problems and automatically prepares reports for teachers about student…

We report on a randomized controlled trial of an intervention that leverages the availability of laptops for all public-school students in the state of Maine. The intervention, called "ASSISTments," provides feedback to students as they solve mathematics homework problems and automatically prepares reports for teachers about student…

For many years, researchers attempted to prove that the use of technology would improve student achievement (Morrison, 1994). Many of these assertions prompted researchers to "test" the effectiveness of these various technologies by comparing a technology such as television or computers to a teacher teaching. While a number of…

When in 2002 Maine launched its pioneering Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) that equipped every one of the state's 30,000 seventh- and eighth-grade public school students and teachers with their own Apple iBook, all eyes were on the endeavor. As the first statewide one-to-one deployment, MLTI's $37 million education experiment…

Australia was once a world leader for laptop adoption in schools. Now overtaken by extensive roll-outs of laptops in Maine and Uruguay, this paper seeks to explain why this lead was lost. Six case studies of government primary schools were undertaken to gather data about current initiatives. Comparative analysis shows how the potential of…

It is a simple fact that access to high-speed broadband is now as vital a component of K-12 school infrastructure as electricity, air conditioning, and heating. The same tools and resources that have transformed educators' personal, civic, and professional lives must be part of learning experiences intended to prepare today's students for college…

Over the last ten years, the emergence of 1:1 programs has grown increasingly in popularity. More and more schools are implementing 1:1 programs as a means for increasing student achievement and performance. In fact, few modern educational initiatives have been as widespread and costly as the integration of laptop initiatives into education. As a…

The basic tenet of one-to-one computing is that the student and teacher have Internet-connected, wireless computing devices in the classroom and optimally at home as well. Also known as "ubiquitous computing," this strategy assumes that every teacher and student has her own computing device and obviates the need for moving classes to…

The Team-Taught Cohort Model for preparing pre-service teachers to use technology in their classrooms involves a "block" of courses in combination with a field experience in the second year of a four-year university program. Pre-service teachers are placed in cohort groups that participate in intensive coursework in curriculum,…

As the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) enters its seventh year of implementation, the need to expand upon the current research is essential. In an effort to gather information about implementing technology within various educational contexts, the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE) at the University…

Maine's one-to-one laptop program provides an ideal opportunity to explore conditions that optimize teacher integration of technology-focused curriculum into the classroom. EcoScienceWorks (ESW) is an ecology curriculum that includes targeted simulations and a code block programming challenge developed through an NSF-ITEST grant. The project was…

This analysis responds to a generation of criticism leveled at 1:1 laptop computer initiatives. The article presents a review of the key themes of that criticism and offers suggestions for reframing the conversation about 1:1 computing among advocates and critics. Efforts at changing, innovating, and reforming education provide the context for…

Over the past 20 years, the amount of information available to students via the Internet has increased dramatically. Access for students to technological resources used to locate information on the Internet has likewise increased. As a result, teachers are now being asked to teach students important 21st Century Skills, including the ability to…