handing them out should not happen keeping them at school is where they belong. That way they can be monitered and checked for their proper use on line not another family toy at taxpayer dollars.

theinfoman, you are right. How much does this program cost the state? At a time when they are taking a hard look at cutting so much else? I would be interested to know how many of those laptops are going to households that already own a home computer??

It seems the money would be better spent having them at school, with ample access to them during/before/after school hours. AND, they could be checked out by a student when needed.

Technology is important for every student but giveaways are not the way to go.

The reason they are being handed out is because many kids don't have computers at home or any way to access the internet and what not. Taking them home gives them an advantage they otherwise wouldn't have.

Why can;t they keep them in school so all the kids can share with each other, let everyone benefit from this.

They DO monitor them for inappropriate use, and usually the parents of each child have to pay a fee for insurance in case the child loses or damages it. The computers are intended for homework research purposes, therefore are of more use if taken home. Many of the students do have computers at home, but the schools seem to always use macs, and the majority have pc's, so projects started at school may not always be compatible with what is at home. These are not "giveaways" as they are returned at the end of the school year and reused for next year's students. I have 3 pc's at home, and both of my kids will be issued laptops from school. I would be happy to have my kids use the computers at home instead, but many apple programs are not compatible, so they wouldn't be able to work on projects started at school.

Hats off to Gendron and company. While the state is once again cutting education funding to prop up the budget, these Einsteins go through and spend millions on laptops. Is there anyone in a position of authority in Augusta that has has a grip on reality or maybe even within reach of it at least? Yes, I know the actual answer - that was purely rhetorical.

I want to see where grades have greatly improved or this needs to end. If the tax payer is paying for them than we have a right to see these kids grades.

These laptops are configured so that they cannot be easily messed up and/or modified, so as long as they aren't physically abused they should remain in good shape. The ones my oldest child has used have been fine. And because they are "locked up" they aren't going home to be game machines for the kids. They can only be used for the intent they were designed for.

As for seeing an increase in these students grades... you are missing the point. These laptops aren't necessarily going to increase their education in the traditional subjects. What they are going to do is prepare our children for living and thriving in the 21st century. If they aren't computer literate and proficient, they are going to be left behind, both in the working world, and in continuing education. They need to be able to utilize a computer in so many different ways, and if they do not know how to do so it will inhibit them from getting many jobs that would be considered "basic", let alone any type of job considered "good". I spent quite a bit of time going through different employment sites (yet another reason to be computer literate!) recently and found that a great many jobs that weren't necesaarily high-paying actually required a working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Word or Excel. I'm talking entry level positions, in banks, offices, all sorts of jobs. Technology is part of our world, and our children need to be able to use it, and use it well.

Do I think that this program is cost-efficient? That is another story alltogether, And the fact that the schools are using Macs while the great majority of the working world uses PCs is another issue that could be debated. (Fortunately the kids can adapt quite well between the two.) The good news is that we are proactively working to making our children better prepared for the real world., thus better "educated".

Gotta wonder how much graft is involved in this and who at the Dept of Education is getting it.

This is ludicrous. Teaching school students to conduct their research on the Misinformation Highway? Gah! I am really happy there are so many home schooled children in Maine, maybe there is some hope for us yet.

So pairing this story with the one on cuts to the education budget (just yesterday) I learn that the state's idea of an appropriate budget is one which supplied desert, but skips the meat an potatoes. Great going Gendron.