1 to 1 Supports Transformation of Maine Classrooms

Profiles in Success: Maine Public Schools

Students Actively Involved in Learning

Approximately 90 percent of all teachers surveyed said that students who use an iBook “are more actively involved in learning,” and that the “quality of my students’ work increases when we use the laptops.”

Percentage of Teachers Who Agree with the Following Statements Regarding Students and Learning and Laptops

“Traditionally,” Silvernail continues, “kids have to go through their teachers to get to knowledge. But when every child has an iBook, he or she doesn’t have to go to the lab, or the library, or depend on a teacher to deliver — and maybe filter — the knowledge. Instead, that teacher becomes a true facilitator, and helps the students to understand what they’re learning.

“There are other factors that go along with these changes, such as leadership in the schools and professional development,” Silvernail acknowledges. “But what we found is that 1 to 1 learning with the iBook laptops is what’s really changing the environment and raising student achievement. In talking with the teachers, we’ve found a huge shift in the power for access to knowledge.”

(Read additional research findings from Dr. Anne Davies of Classroom Connections International.)

Professional Development Being Assessed, Too

Educators need ongoing professional development to make the best use of their technology tools. The MLTI staff continues to provide technology integration support through workshops, email support, onsite visits, distance learning, and workshops, as well as web resources.

“1 to 1 learning with the iBook laptops is what’s really changing the environment and raising student achievement.”

— Dr. David Silvernail

While the research continues on the effects of educational technology on students, Maine is also conducting its Impact Study of Technology in Mathematics (MISTM), a collaboration of the Maine Department of Education (DOE), Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) and the Education Development Center (EDC) in Boston, MA. This three-year research study is examining the impact of a technology-infused professional development program for seventh and eighth grade mathematics teachers on the mathematics achievement of rural middle school students in technology-rich classrooms. The research study will be conducted through 2006.

Creating Lifelong Learners