The tech savvy would love a computer soaked classroom, which would introduce a myriad of new classroom management challenges as well as a huge ability for tech. integration…
I hear your woes, as the classroom I use has 4 computers, all rejects from the computer lab that look good in the classroom but cough and sputter when you attempt to do more with them. For example: my students can only post to our blog on one of the computers, as it is running ie 6.0.
That problem would probably be easily solved by upgrading the other computers, but that involves getting our tech person involved as she is the only one with admin access…and she is flooded most of the time.

It would be great to have a computer for each student to use when applicable. Some classrooms and districts on mainland British Columbia are using laptop initiatives right now, which is amazing. In the summer edition of the BC Teacher’s Association mag. there was a story run on a school or district that has laptops (apples to boot!) for every student in gr.6-7. If my memory serves correctly, they were looking at extending the initiative to include gr.8 as well. Pretty amazing stuff. The article stated that it was meant to be used in helping improve writing…wow.

The problem I see with that (which, to be honest, I am really jazzed about it overall..) is what happens when these students exit the initiative? Have they learned to learn better and be better thinkers and writers, or will they have learned dependance….when they exit the laptop program, will they go through ‘tech’ withdrawl? or will they be able to access tech. Is this setting up for elitism, where families who can afford laptops can continue to ‘enrich’ their student’s learning by providing continued access??
I have been told this can be as affordable as 5 dollars per month for students if the school is signed up for an initiative….

A few thoughts….I agree with the idea of the ‘paperless classroom’ and am pushing for less and less paper in my own, but i wonder about what Molly says above….does it restrict certain experiences…i wonder if we loose some important learning by getting books out. There is something about ‘slow’ learning that i think is important. or maybe that is my old ‘digital immigrant’ self riling its’ head….
what do you think?