Benson's Laptop Initiative

Governor Benson said he was inspired to put laptops in classrooms after a visit to a school in Concord.
BENSON :24 I met a young teacher who had gone out with his own money and bought Macs for his entire class. I coulda dropped a bomb in the middle of that classroom and they wouldn?t have looked up to see me no matter what. I was so taken by these students who were so enthralled with what they were doing on the computer. This was the way to go. These kids were just excited about learning.

Many teachers who incorporate computers into their curriculum describe a similar phenomenon? Dozens of usually jumpy kids, absorbed in their assignments, quiet and focused on the task at hand.
WILLIAMS :11 there?s utter silence in the room kids just clicking away reading. They just buy right into that, it?s something they?ve grown up with.

Steve Williams piloted Maine?s laptop program. He?s a middle school teacher in Auburn, Maine. The 4-year pilot in New Hampshire is much smaller than Maine?s Learning Technology Initiative. That program put 20-thousand laptops in 240 schools around the state. New Hampshire?s program will provide laptops to 7th graders in only five schools this biennium. Governor Benson invited 19 needy schools to apply. He hopes to raise 1.2 million dollars from corporate sponsors to fund the program.
Maine teacher Steve Williams says the laptops are especially handy for teaching about global hotspots, when his social studies textbooks are hopelessly out of date. But he says, some of his colleagues aren?t comfortable with the technology.
WILLIAMS :09 you?re dealing people who might have been teaching 20-30 years who are so set in their ways. You just have to try and get them to buy into the program.

The Maine program provided extensive training for teachers but Williams says there are still occasional glitches.
WILLIAMS :12 it?s a common complaint among teachers, not enough direct support at the school. Some feel they?ve been left out there to do it on their own.

A research group reports back to Maine?s Department of Education annually. So far, their focus groups, surveys, and classroom observations indicate that the laptops are a welcome addition to most classrooms. University of Maine Education Policy professor David Silvernail:
SILVERNAIL :19 we were surprised by how quickly the machines were integrated into the classroom. As one teacher said, I use my kids to help me learn the technical aspects, I can free up my time to use it as an instructional tool.

Silvernail says teachers report that students at all levels pay attention and participate more during laptop activities.
SILVERNAIL :13 engagement time increased substantially. Class participation has increased, we were particularly interested in different kinds of students, was it really working for all kids in classroom and in fact it was.

Silvernail says students in schools where teachers got more training made greater strides. And teachers need to know, first, how to use the laptops ? so they don?t get stalled by a jammed printer or a crashed computer. And second, they need to know how to effectively incorporate the laptops into their lessons.
U-N-H education professor Eleanor Abrams agrees. She says a laptop is just a tool and it won?t improve instruction unless teachers are properly trained.
ABRAMS :17 if laptops are just thrown into classrooms it can be somewhat like when computers were in every classroom. The teachers that knew how to use it did very well with them. Those that didn?t, they became very expensive dust collectors.

Maine teachers received extensive training over the summer before their student got the laptops. And they share ideas and lesson plans on the project?s website.
Many teachers in New Hampshire are excited about incorporating laptops into their classrooms, but they have some reservations. Susan Wereska teaches language arts and computer skills at West Running Brook Middle School in Derry.
WERESKA :08 it is a different way of learning and it?s a different way to teach. because not only are you teaching the content but you have to keep everything up and running.

The New Hampshire program will soon choose a vendor to provide the laptops. The New Hampshire teachers n the program will get whatever training that vendor provides to educators ? probably about 3 weeks of computer classes in December. Governor Benson also plans to hire a program administrator to keep the school networks up and running.
Wereska says she?d rather have a state-funded program provide laptops to all schools like Maine?s.
WERESKA :24 I went to school up north in NH and I just feel there?s such an imbalance in our state for the rural districts that don?t have a tax base to support them. I think it?s just critical that they?re able to connect with the rest of the world. I wish it was financially supported by our state and not by donations.

Technology should serve as a foundation for a good education not just an add-on, Wereska says.
So far, Maine?s laptop program has survived the latest budget crunch in Maine. The University of Maine evaluation team is waiting for standardized test scores to run the numbers and further analyze the effect of the laptops on 7th grade achievement.
For NHPR News, I?m RMD.