...laptops.

"Because had the federal evaluation grant, we have been able to evaluate the program extensively," says Anita Givens, senior director of instructional materials and educational technology at the Texas Education Agency. And the results from the program's first year exceeded expectations, revealing an impact that stretched from the campus to the living room.

According to Givens, "The first-year report showed an increase in technical proficiency, engagement between the students and the teachers, spike in parental involvement, and greater communication between the school and the home." She says the second-year report is close to completion.

Data is beginning to come in on several of the first 1-to-1 initiatives that were launched three or more years ago, an adequate time frame for obtaining measurable results. Just as expected, formal analysis shows that students are learning more through this new, collaborative instruction that opens the doors of communication and takes education beyond the classroom and into the community at large. Anecdotal success--accounts of positive transformations in the classroom from students, teachers, administrators, and parents--only serves to bolster the formal evaluations of these programs, which for most, were mandated when the programs were implemented.

The Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI), which began five years ago and provides each seventh-grade student in the state with a laptop, has also been undergoing evaluation, with two groups working in tandem to measure its success, says Bette Manchester, director of special projects for the Maine Department of Education. The first group, the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine, looks at how the technology is being used, viewed, and accepted at the state's middle schools. Among the findings, which can be found at www.usm.maine.edu/cepare, the CEPARE report states:

"There is a growing body of evidence that Maine's Learning Technology Initiative is impacting teachers, students, and learning in many positive ways:

* Teachers are more effectively helping children achieve Maine's state learning standards.

* Students are more motivated to learn,...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.