Maine's groundbreaking laptop program was launched at nine pilot sites in 2001 by then-governor Angus King. In 2002 it expanded to all seventh graders in the state. Today, each seventh- and eighth-grader in Maine public schools and every grade 7-12 teacher has a laptop paid for by state taxpayers, at an annual cost of $11 million.

Teachers, students and administrators interviewed for a ten-year retrospective by the Lewiston Sun Journal said laptops are giving several kinds of return on that money—with student engagement heading the list of benefits. Laptops make learning and schoolwork more interesting, according to Jeff Mao, who oversees instructional technology for the Maine Department of Education. "When kids are engaged," he says, "you can teach them anything."

Writing test scores have improved, according to a 2009 study by David Silvernail of the Maine Education Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern Maine, who is currently working on a comprehensive report about laptops, which shows other benefits as well.

A closer look at one Maine district offers additional evidence. At Freeport Middle School the number of eighth graders receiving a passing grade rose from 50 percent in 2002 to 91 percent in 2010, according to math teacher Alex Briasco-Brin. Many attribute such dramatic improvements to the shift from textbook-based to laptop-based learning.

Using Technology, Seamlessly, on a Daily Basis

"Every middle school student in Maine has equal access to the technology and tools," says Carl Bucciantini, who heads technology learning at Auburn Middle School. "It's as important now as having a textbook and pencil, possibly more so." Some examples of the day-to-day ways in which technology is being used to extend learning include:

* In physical education classes, students create movies to show their juggling skills and gross motor skills.

* Language arts and social studies classes research Maine history and create documentaries.

* Students use laptops to learn advertising and to analyze media.

* Students use Glogster to create digital posters, and upload photos and music for reports.

* Teachers e-mail students and parents, give out assignments on laptops and share all sorts of information through classroom Web sites.

As Jeff Mao puts it, "It's become so common it all seems mundane now." While some critics suggest that Web 2.0 technology has created distractions for students, most educators and parents seem to be embracing it. Even social networking has strong support in many Maine schools. Although some of them block tools like Facebook, the Auburn Schools do not. "We tried filtering. It's a losing battle," said Auburn Schools' technology director, Peter Robinson. "There's always a way around it. Now our approach is teaching responsibility… We're doing them a disservice if we don't start at this age teaching them how to handle [social networking situations], whether it's school, college or a real-world job."

Overall, educators say the laptops have done what Angus King promised: level the playing field of access to technology and help students become technology-literate. "I'm as enthusiastic as ever," King said. "We did the right thing at the right time. It's been tremendously successful."

Source: 10 years after laptops come to Maine schools, educators say technology levels playing field for students, Lewiston Sun Journal.