The Pine Tree State orders 64,000 MacBooks, with more to come
The Associated Press released an article today noting that the Maine Department of Education has placed an order for more than 64,000 MacBooks. The MacBooks are being purchased from Apple as a part of Maine's Learning Technology Initiative, which has provided MacBooks to all middle school students in Maine since 2002.The new order expands the program to high school students who did not receive a MacBook in middle school, and also provides the laptops to faculty for grades 7 through 12.
Maine is expected to place an additional order for about 7,000 more laptops within a few weeks. The laptops can also be used as an economic development tool for parents as well, providing software that links the computers to the Maine Department of Labor resources, including career centers.
Does your state, country, or school district provide laptops to every student? If they do, and they're providing Macs, let us know.
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The Associated Press released an article today noting that the Maine Department of Education has placed an order for more than 64,000...
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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.
July 02 2009 at 9:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhy 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.
July 01 2009 at 8:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI 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.
July 01 2009 at 1:12 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyActually, check out Croons Academy of Information Teachnology, a public high school in central flordia. They've been doing this successfully for years. The website is www.croomsaoit.org
July 01 2009 at 8:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI 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.
July 01 2009 at 12:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHA! 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.
July 01 2009 at 11:51 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHappy Canada Day
More to the point of the post, my school didn't give us Macs.
They didn't give anyone any computer. They didn't have laptop racks.
The classrooms each had one computer for the teacher, but the students used books.
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,
July 01 2009 at 11:49 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI 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.
July 01 2009 at 11:48 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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