THE
GREAT MAINE LAPTOP EXPERIMENT
Chris
Toy, Principal
Freeport (ME) Middle School
Maine is undertaking a bold experiment. The goal: Put Apple iBooks in the hands of every middle schooler across the state. In September, the first wave of 17,000 laptops were distributed to 7th-graders at 239 schools, including Freeport Middle School, where MiddleWeb diarist Chris Toy is principal. A strong proponent of Maine's Learning Technology Initiative, Chris will chronicle the laptop adventure for us.
Laptop
Diary #6
Getting
Parents Up to Laptop Speed
Last week we held our evening meetings for parents on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:00 - 8:30. The sessions were facilitated by three staff members.
John Lunt, our building's computer coordinator introduced the project to the parents, using a powerpoint presentation. He provided an overview of the project and focused on the idea that the MLTI was about transforming teaching and learning for the 7th graders.
John has
been at the forefront of the MLTI project since its beginnings nearly
two years ago. After the Governor introduced the concept, John was part
of the legislative study group made up of representatives from the Legislature,
Department of Education, and private business. Several members of this
group did not think the MLTI was a good idea. However, by the end of its
deliberations they recommended to the full Legislature that it should
be enacted.
The third
facilitator was Linda Pritchard, the new 7th grade team leader. Linda
provided the parents with an overview of the work students have been doing
on the laptops. Linda is also the team's special education teacher. Linda's
experience as a special educator on the team gives her a unique perspective
on the MLTI. She understands that individualization and differentiation
of instruction helps not only students with exceptional needs. All students
benefit from being provided with a variety of ways to achieve common learning
objectives. She also sees that technology such as the laptops and multimedia
tools like digital camcorders, cameras, and software can be powerful tools
for engaging students in their learning.
This team of dedicated and skilled educators did a great job of explaining
and demonstrating the goals and possibilities of the MLTI. However, the
most exciting part of the evening was when the children opened their laptops
and showed their parents the work they had accomplished in the few short
weeks they had the computers. Parents watched in wonder as their children
logged on and showed them movies they had made in social studies, programs
they had written in math for practicing basic skills, virtual tours of
Paris and the Middle East.
Sending the laptops home
After 20 minutes of show and tell, the students and their parents reluctantly closed their laptops for the final agenda item for the evening, the guidelines for taking the laptops home. We explained that a major goal of our project was to get the laptops home and for the family to use them as a resource. All we asked is that the students and the families care for them and not abuse them. Parents were asked to sign a form acknowledging and accepting this responsibility.
In the agreement we, the school, accepted responsibility for normal wear and tear as well as damage caused by accidents not resulting from neglect or disregard of normal care and caution. Out of over one hundred students only a handful of parents missed the three evenings and only one parent refused to sign their form. She spoke to us after the meeting and explained that her son could not handle the responsibility at this time, but that she would like to be able to come back and change her mind in a few weeks. After hearing her explain what her child had lost, left behind, or damaged we understood her concern and agreed he was not ready to assume responsibility for the laptop at home.
The feedback from parents who attended was overwhelmingly positive. Many I spoke to after the meeting were most impressed with how well the project was planned. They were also pleased that the students were using them so well in their studies. The evening's success was due to the hard work and dedication of the three staff members who put in extra time and effort to put it all together. I believe it's this kind of teamwork that will make the MLTI work. Come to think of it, it's this kind of teamwork that makes just about anything work in our school, or any school!
