The Pine Tree State orders 64,000 MacBooks, with more to come

The schools here in Henrico County, Virginia provide MacBooks for all Middle School students. They also provide classroom set Macs for elementary schools. High school students were using MacBooks as well up until 4 years ago. We have now swapped to Dell laptops. Every 2 years, the county updates either the middle or high schools. The high schools are receiving new Dell laptops for the 2009-2010 year.

Why does the government steal our money from us to buy toys for kids? Parents should be buying their kids computers if they need one. If the parents don't have the money, then it's a good lesson for a kid...don't be lazy slobs like your parents and get a real job when you grow up.

I think it is a waste, in my high school, we already got Apple laptops, just like 2 years ago, and the Middle school has gotten new laptops TWICE i believe, the last time also 2 years ago. I don't think we need MORE laptops. ugh.

I just bring my own to school now. o_O.

Maine has one of the highest tax loads in the nation and is forever on the verge of financial collapse. It would not be surprised me if the Governor announced free laptops for every resident and lobster.

Our school provides Macs for all the staff but not the students. Bummer.

I am actually quite upset about this sort of thing. I went to high school in Pennsylvania, where Governor Rendell is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to give laptops to all high schoolers. Additionally, he found it worthwhile to cut the Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence program, a program which I participated in, and which did more for my education and general life enrichment than anything else. The program cost 3.2 million.

I think it's nice to see schools try out new things, like giving laptops to students. However, when states (I don't think it's just Pennsylvania) are having massive budget shortfalls, and are cutting high quality education programs left and right, they shouldn't be buying laptops, let alone macbooks. I have yet to see and effective in-class computer program for high school students, let alone middle school students.

At least the students won't be playing minesweeper instead of paying attention.

I'm in Los Angeles. The LA Unified School District doesn't even offer EDUCATION! They're little more than a bitter, sullen and vaguely dangerous babysitting service.

HA! The Canadian government would laugh at anyone that proposed this idea. None of the school boards here get much funding, and what they do get is wasted on who knows what.

well I live in maine, i thought i heard something like this on the radio recently. I think that I should be grandfathered in, its only been like 7 years since ive been in school, I could really use a MacBook, please?...... no im guessing not, its a great thing, but I wish there was something like this when i was in middle school,

I like outside Philadelphia, PA and my school district just did a pilot program with Macbooks the past 2 years. Next year every student will be receiving one. The Macbooks are a big part of the classes, as most work is done on them, and submitted electronically. We are able to collaborate on projects, do research, and take quizzes online. You can log in to any Macbook and the server will sync all your settings and files. It's a very nice setup. Up until this year, we had Macbook carts in certain classrooms, but next year every student will have one to take home.