K-12 Computing Blueprint News - June 2008

Welcome to the May issue of the K-12 Computing Blueprint newsletter. This newsletter and the K-12 Computing Blueprint site are brought to you by Intel and Technology & Learning. If, for any reason, you do not want to receive this periodic eNewsletter, please visit your custom subscription management page, and feel free to unsubscribe to this mailing.

Which is why I think you'll be intrigued to read about the young students featured in this month's eBook, which describes using Intel-powered classmate PCs to facilitate affordable one-to-one computing in the elementary grades. The 3rd-6th graders in the schools profiled would be the first to tell you that they are not too young to appreciate, learn from, take care of, and become experts on wireless laptops that connect them to the broader digital world. And their teachers would wholeheartedly agree.

So whether we're talking about third graders in Oregon, California, and Texas using classmate PCs or kindergarteners in Tempe Arizona working with full-sized laptops , opening our minds about the age at which students are ready to take ownership in their learning -- with help from personal digital tools like the ones that we, adults, rely on every day -- seems more than wise.

Announcing: Intel-powered classmate PC

In our latest eBook, A Laptop Especially for Schools,K-12 Computing Blueprint introduces you to a small, kid-friendly laptop device that has been piloted in several U.S. elementary schools in recent months. Join us on a visit to eight classrooms where Intel-powered classmate PCs were placed in the hands of students 24/7 as part of a complete software and hardware solution that supports student-centered learning and opens up new worlds of possibility. What does this new mobile device look like, what can you do with it – and, most importantly, how does one-to-one learning involving classmate PCs, wireless networking, and curriculum and learning management software transform what takes place in classrooms?

Intel Salutes Schools of Distinction Winners

Six schools have been named winners of the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards, an annual program honoring schools for implementing innovative and replicable math and science programs that produce positive educational results. Winning schools receive $1 million in grants and awards from the Intel Foundation and sponsoring companies. Learn more about the program, and winners from this and previous years.

Year-Round Schooling: Your Take

In last month's Quick Poll we asked about your experiences with year-round schooling and whether you thought it was a good idea. You might be surprised to know that slightly more than 50% of the respondents were all for the idea. Arguments in favor of year round school included the following:

* It has proven to be beneficial to the students because they retain better what they have learned. The summer months become long and boring, as does the Christmas break. Plus, my family would like to take a fall or spring mini-vacation instead of only in the summer.

*We are no longer the agrarian society that this calendar was designed around. We should begin a new school year on January 1 and conclude at Thanksgiving, taking off a month in the summer and in the spring. This would allow districts to hold 2-3 day inservices three times a year, during the off months. Teachers would also be paid for one extra week each break to work on long-range lesson plans, having 2 1/2 weeks off each intersession. We've gone to the moon, but we're still stuck in the 1800's when it comes to education, and that starts with an antiquated calendar.

Others were dubious, saying:

*As a high school library media specialist I count on the summer weeks to re-work lessons, to collaborate with content area teachers on projects and to redesign web resource lists, etc. These are the kinds of labor-intensive projects that don't fit into my schedule during the school year because I am too busy keeping up with day-to-day classes.

*I don't think anyone who has not taught their own classroom understands the emotional attachment and bonding that occurs with a teacher's kids. At the end of each year, it takes me a month or so of mourning the students I've lost. It would be impossible for me to turn on for a new class without summer to rejuvenate.

And finally, one person summed things up as follows:

*For this concept to work the "powers that be" must have successful experiences in implementing a schedule such as this, focusing on what's best for the teachers and students and not put in place a "cookie cutter" schedule! One size does not fit all

Take This Month's Quick Poll: Will the Smaller Laptops Help You?

How important is price to your ability to invest in one-to-one? Do new ultra-light, low-cost education devices such as Intel-powered classmate PCs increase the likelihood that your district will move more fully in the direction of one-to-one? 

Take this month's quick poll and let us know what you think.

Headlines

Survey Guides Laptop Plans
Students love their laptops, according to a survey from the Eastern Townships School Board in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Pueblo, Colorado, to Equip High Schoolers with Laptops
When school starts next fall, every student in the three high schools of Pueblo Colorado's Rural District 70 will have a laptop for the school year.

Laptop Pilot Expands in Union City, Michigan
A one-to-one laptop program on Michigan's Lower Peninsula expands from a single grade to six.

Engaging Potential Drop-outs in Mooresville, NC
Mooresville High School in North Carolina hopes that laptops will keep kids in school.

Cutting Edge in Carolina
Getting one-to-one to work isn't easy. Here's how one district was able to do it.