A local school system near Atlanta is about to issue laptops to every teacher and also to every student in middle and high school. (Over a period of time) Many in the community have voice their opposition to the plan, but I would encourage them to read this OpEd about a similar program in Connecticut.
"In spring 2009, we will expect our students to use a laptop - not pen
and paper - to take the essay section of the state 10th-grade exam.
This will allow us to assess how well youngsters write final drafts.
Now we can assess only first drafts because of the time constraints of
using pen and paper. This is inconsistent with what is important in the
real world: the final outcome of one’s work produced after multiple
revisions.
Research demonstrates that students who regularly
use computers while learning to write, gaining immediate feedback on
their work, show significant gains in standardized tests of writing
performance."








