“Rethinking Computers in the Classroom,” a December, 2008, feature article at BusinessWeek.com, explores the new Administration’s plans for education and computers in the classroom.  According to author Aaron Ricadela:

Schools are enthusiastic about the technology's promise, but short of the money and trained faculty to extract many of its benefits. The debate over the efficacy of PCs in schools is gaining new charge as President-elect Barack Obama proposes new federal spending to outfit classrooms with computers and wire schools for Internet access as part of his economic stimulus plan.

Schools and districts cited in the article as examples of what’s possible include:

* Auburn, Alabama, whose one-to-one tablet program is featured at the K12Computing Blueprint web site.

* Keller, Texas, where the district is outfitting students with smartphones this year.

* The High Tech High charter school in San Diego, where students use technology to produce “real products for a real audience.”

"There's a sense of hope with the new Administration that there's opportunity for us to reclaim the kind of educational institutions we owe our children," Intel’s Eileen Lento is quoted in the article as saying. At the same time, Lento and others caution that rethinking the curriculum and providing adequate professional development are necessary before technology can make a real difference. “If you’re just sprinkling the technology on top of the curriculum …,” says Lento, “then you just have some expensive pencils.” 

Source: BusinessWeek.com, Rethinking Computers in the Classroom by Aaron Ricadela.