Matthew Stone has been closely following the newest laptop expansion proposal, both in Kennebec Journal news articles as well as through his blog The Report Card. Today’s blog entry calls our attention to tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) laptop program hearings, noting that “consolidation is coloring any and all discussion these days about education policy in Maine”, including the discussion about laptops in the high schools.
He also points to two districts that are following a different course.
At Erskine Academy, everything’s on the table — except slavishly following the State’s lead:
“With the Apple model, they say, ‘Everything out, all Apples in,’” Bourdeau said. “It completely ignores our taxpayer-paid-for, student-computing model we have in place.”
Schools would pay $242 annually to lease each laptop, under the contract the Maine Department of Education has negotiated with Apple.
For Erskine, that’s a $1.4 million cost after the program’s first eight years.
But Bourdeau says the academy could spend 43 percent less over the same, eight-year period to buy 740 new desktop computers and cover the costs of monitors, wiring and furniture. Purchasing the desktops would be a one-time cost, unlike the annual lease under the laptop program.
Erskine officials have also discussed purchasing used desktop computers for 63 percent less over the eight years and recycled desktops for 82 percent less.
The school could purchase NetBooks — small laptops designed primarily for Internet use — for all students for 58 percent less than it would cost to implement the Apple laptop program.
Under all the options, the school would replace the equipment after four years.
The desktop and NetBook machines have the computing power students would need, Bourdeau said.
“The goal isn’t for every student to carry an Apple,” he said. “The goal is to have a 21st-century education.”
We’re especially excited about the decision the school board made in Oxford Hills:
SAD 17 officials are backing away from a state plan that would outfit every high school student with a laptop in favor of a new, less expensive technology initiative.
The school board voted unanimously last week to approve Superintendent Mark Eastman’s plan to buy a new Acer Aspire One Netbook for every student in grades 9 through 12 for about $300 each.
We’ve noted elsewhere that these machines are less than a third the cost of the great deal the State got on Macs. The numbers they’re using at Erskine appear to pretty much confirm this rough calculation.
It’s good to see a little bit of diversity! (Some) Maine schools are on the move!