Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco initiated her state’s new laptop program with a visit to Maplewood Middle School (Sulphur, LA), one of 54 schools participating in the initiative, known as Turn on To Learning (TOTL).  Louisiana dedicated $5 million for TOTL, investing in the hardware and software to support this pilot.  At Maplewood, TOTL provides 50 students and four teachers with nearly $70,000 worth of technology to support two digital learning classrooms, where students use their laptops in core subjects for a minimum of four hours each school day.    

"We intend to test a variety of models - to see what works well and why, or what doesn't and why not," Governor Blanco said.  "Together, the 54 schools participating in TOTL provide us with rich diversity and robust research opportunities for future development.  This begins in earnest the statewide development of one-to-one learning environments, with one computer for every one student to demonstrate that computers are as important as books, paper and pencil in an earlier age.  They are the basic and most critical learning tool for the 21st century."

In most schools, the pilot will begin with two classrooms. Some districts chose not to participate, because they did not see the laptop as a good match with their programs. Others did not want to divide the sixth grade into haves and have nots, and so found additional funding to expand the program.

The TOTL laptops are "digital backpacks" created by Apple especially for the pilot. For teachers, these MacBooks with wireless capabilities allow connection to overhead projectors, and are equipped with the latest software to create, extend and enhance digital one-to-one learning.

TOTL also includes a network of support, providing 54 laptops to district technology personnel to ensure proper support for classrooms, 16 laptops to regional teaching, learning and technology centers to deliver technical support as well as professional development and training and 70 laptops to Louisiana's Colleges of Education to ensure continuity and consistency in linking today's classroom with tomorrow's.

Numerous local papers covered the experiences of their sixth-grade classrooms as laptop use began. Most students will be able to take the laptops home after Christmas.

Source : Governor’s Press Release, Governor Blanco celebrates Louisiana's Laptop Initiative, delivers on promise to provide laptops to students in Louisiana public schools