Noni Miller, executive director of educational services for Ypsilanti schools, compared the district's laptop project to updating an assembly plant for a new model of car. But we didn't have the advantage of shutting down while it happened. Our children keep coming every day. That meant the district had to offer extensive training before, during and after school, giving teachers a choice when to attend. Even so, the idea didn't gain immediate support.
Some people are just scared of machines.
Teachers raised concerns ranging from how they could protect the computer from being stolen or damaged to how they could carry the laptop and its various accessories to and from home. Administrators raised some of the same concerns, plus others. There was no model to look at from other districts. There's also a power strip, a phone cord so teachers can plug into the Internet at home, cables and cords to attach the various accessories, and a cable lock that fits into a tiny port on the side of the machine and through a metal tether that was installed on each teacher's desk. And finally, a luggage tag with each teacher's business card inside.