http://beta.aalf.org/news/ http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1016 The Maine Department of Education has chosen Hewlett-Packard as its preferred contractor to purchase tens of thousands of laptops for middle school students, even though the company was not the cheapest option or the top choice in terms of quality by a multistate committee appointed to study the matter. Laptop delay stalls Maine school plans The decision, announced Saturday by the office of Gov. Paul LePage and the Department of Education, also ends the state\'s long-standing exclusive contract with Apple, which has provided the state with equipment since Maine\'s school laptop program began in 2002. Jef Hamlin, technology director at RSU 34, which includes Old Town, Alton and Bradley, praised the decision. He said the HP option is cheaper once the hidden costs that come with Apple products are added in. For example, Apple iPads do not come with keyboards, so the district would have to buy them in order to use the devices to administer standardized tests, he said. \"In genera... Wed, 01 May 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1015 “Personalization” and “engagement” seem to be the new catchwords in education reform these days. Too bad the concepts are not credited to the person who first talked about them. It was the late Ted Sizer – in the Common Principles that he developed for the Coalition of Essential Schools — who pushed for personalized learning environments that engaged young learners. These days, he is seldom mentioned when these terms are rolled out. There may be a good reason for that. As polite as Ted always was, I think he might object rather passionately to the way “personalization” is being tossed around today.... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1014 Listening to the President\'s inaugural speech offered me a fresh ray of hope - not really the laptops, but because of the focus on education. While I appreciate technology as a driver of development in modern-day Kenya, and its potential to change the paradigm of learning, there are several questions that come to mind. The promise is that every child joining class one in 2014, will receive a laptop. From our Uwezo evidence, however, only five per cent of schools across Kenya have a computer of any kind, and most teachers in our schools fall way below the bar of computer literacy. The first question therefore is, will the laptop be a toy, or a learning tool, or both, and will it be for school or home use? How are we conceptualising its use, whether for home or school, and who will guide these first graders on how to use the laptops, when both the teacher and the parent, are technology helpless?... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1013 Kenya’s in the middle of what could be the most important election in its post-colonial history — a real turning point for the entire country. And how is Uhuru Kenyatta, one of two leading candidates for president, drumming up votes? By promising free solar-powered laptops for children entering primary school. Ever since the debut of the One Laptop Per Child project, getting robust laptops into the hands of children has been the rallying cry of technologists and politicians alike, despite the limited evidence that such projects accomplish much. (A typical headline on this subject: “Why Did One Laptop Per Child Fail?“)... Fri, 29 Mar 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1012 For the Natick schools, like hundreds of other districts around the country, the goal behind the digital conversion was simple: increase academic achievement. Despite the difficulty of investing in a costly program at a time when many districts are also facing tighter budgets, a growing number of districts like Natick are beating the odds by adopting cost-effective 1-to-1 programs—and seeing results. \"So many kids were going home and doing their homework on their laptops, and then in school, we\'d hand them an old textbook and a piece of paper and a pencil to take some notes on,\" says Sanchioni. \"We had to change that.\"... Thu, 21 Mar 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1008 As increasing numbers of school districts have put 1-to-1 computing programs in place, administrators are wrestling with whether to allow those devices to go home with students at the end of each day. While nearly all educators see the value in continuing learning and instruction beyond the school day, they also have questions about how to let students take the devices with them without too much risk of damage or misuse.... Mon, 11 Mar 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1005 The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative has published a response to a study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) that found kids given the program\'s signature PC didn\'t learn much and spent less time reading. The study, available here (PDF) , is titled Home Computers and Child Outcomes: Short-Term Impacts from a Randomized Experiment in Peru. The study “presents findings from a six-month follow-up of a randomized experiment in which approximately 1,000 OLPC laptops were provided for home use to students attending public primary schools in Lima, Peru.” The experiment was conducted outside the full OLPC program, which integrates the groups XO laptop into classrooms.... Sat, 09 Mar 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=1001 Students in Glenbard high schools will be encouraged to bring their own iPads to classes beginning next year as part of an instructional technology rollout plan that aims to put the computer devices in the hands of all 8,500 District 87 students. A district technology committee has been meeting for six months, conducting listening sessions at all four district high schools, and making site visits to other districts that already employ the use of hands-on technology in the classroom.... Wed, 06 Mar 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=992 The parliamentary committee on education, technology, culture and youth has assessed the impact the one-laptop-per-child program has had so far, and found that, although the program has made commendable progress in the use of technology (ICT) in education, the ministry of education has to strengthen its role in making sure that OLPC fully serves its role. The assessment was made in September last year countrywide. \"Mineduc has to make sure that the laptops distributed are being well maintained and fully exploited,\" said Agnes Mukazibera, the chairperson of the committee while presenting the report.... Thu, 28 Feb 2013 http://beta.aalf.org/news/view.php?HeadlineID=991 Poor kids in the developing world given laptops to help them make big educational leaps may wind up doing more household chores and reading less than children without the computers, according to a new study in Peru. The study, which looked at a program that gave 1,000 laptops to underprivileged primary school children in Lima, could temper enthusiasm for investments in laptop distribution as a path to better academic performance.... Wed, 27 Feb 2013