A veteran English teacher at Pennsylvania s Latrobe Junior High, Esther Howard uses a laptop as a command central for her English classes. Every student in the school has been issued a wireless laptop. The benefits of laptops in the classroom and at home are enormous. Howard can turn students machines on and off, block Internet access, and disable spell checkers. She can revise their drafts of an essay.
Students log on, edit, print, and team with classmates to proofread and obtain feedback.
Howard circulates from screen to screen to monitor progress. At Latrobe the teacher is truly in charge. Laptops have created a substantial change in the way instruction occurs in the classroom, says Principal John Kozusko. There s more one on one interaction, more collaboration, and more inquiry based, independent study.