Students are using the laptops for inappopriate entertainment: pornography, hacking, etc. In addition, the teachers see the laptop as a hindrance to the one-on-one relationship with students: “The teachers were telling us when there’s a one-to-one relationship between the student and the laptop, the box gets in the way. It’s a distraction to the educational process.”
Students also use the computers now more than ask teachers for help, so they are not getting as quality of assistance, nor do the teachers know what students are having difficulty in.
I can see why these problems have arose. I think there are pros and cons to the elimination.
1) I never truly saw the need for school-wide laptops. I don't think students need 100% internet access all the time. In certain areas and at certain times, it is necessary to employ computers, but not all the time. So, perhaps this elimination will help teachers find a different way to teach more constructively.
2.) Perhaps laptops are not working because the teachers do not know how to use them correctly in a classroom. Students do not need to do everything from a computer just because they have them. Put the laptops under the desks or something. Then, they can use them when needed. Teachers seem to have resistance to the laptops, but that could also stem from frustration because they do not know how to incorporate media literacy into their curriculum. Perhaps the administration should give teachers media literacy and technology training. We all know that there are fun and educational ways to use the computer, but there are also times when it is and is not appropriate.
Looks like perhaps the paperless classroom was an idea blown to the wind...
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/education/04laptop.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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