Laptop Programmes under the Microscope

Tiburon middle school puts a laptop on every pupil’s lap — teachers and students give the idea both passing and failing grades.

Del Mar Middle School in Tiburon is finding itself in the front row of a debate about the use of technology in the classroom.
Two years ago, the well-funded public school became the first in the Bay Area to give a take-home laptop to each of its 335 students.
Although Del Mar educators acknowledge that laptops have led to inappropriate classroom use by students — playing games like Tetris and e-mailing buddies can be too much for a wired tween to resist — the program, they say, has led to a positive shift in classroom dynamics. Teachers are less likely to lecture at students and more likely to assign them to do their own research, resulting in more hands-on learning.
But a study in March by the U.S. Department of Education found no demonstrable link between educational software and higher test scores, putting laptop advocates on the defensive. A stream of news articles focused on school districts in New York and Florida that dumped laptop programs, citing high costs, misuse by students and the unfavorable results raised in the federal study.