They feel they become more creative and more innovative in their teaching and that the laptops enable them to think at higher levels. William Hamilton, assistant superintendent for curriculum, says the computers have already changed the relationship between teachers and students. But it's nevertheless a pleasant surprise to find that what was predicted has come true so soon. There are some outspoken critics of the laptop movement. Kids who have their own computers waste a lot of time using their machines just as adults do, he said, and the advantages for students who own their own computers are not so great that those who use public-access computers will suffer much by comparison.
People get too caught up with getting technology into kids' education.
The fact is that the technology will change so much by the time the kids graduate that what they learn about it in school will not have much relevance to what they encounter in the workplace. David Couch, commissioner of education technology for the state of Kentucky, is also less than enamored of laptops, though for other reasons. Laptops were actually included in Kentucky's technology strategy for both teachers and students eight years ago. The goal is still to provide every teacher with a laptop, but giving them to students is another matter. Families just don't understand how delicate laptops can be.