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Louisiana Laptop Initiative Provides Laptops to Students in Public Schools



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Nov 7, 2007, News Report

Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco visited students at Maplewood Middle School in Sulphur Tuesday, one of 54 schools participating in Louisiana's Laptop Initiative, Turn on To Learning (TOTL). Louisiana dedicated $5 million for TOTL, investing in the technology -- hardware and software -- to support this unique research and development pilot. At Maplewood, TOTL provides 50 students and four teachers with nearly $70,000 worth of technology to support two digital learning classrooms, where students use their laptops in core subjects for a minimum of four hours each school day.  

"We intend to test a variety of models -- to see what works well and why, or what doesn't and why not," Blanco said. "Together, the 54 schools participating in TOTL provide us with rich diversity and robust research opportunities for future development. Combined, these 54 districts receive 3,530 laptops for students and 153 laptops for their teachers. This begins in earnest the statewide development of one-to-one learning environments, with one computer for every one student to demonstrate that computers are as important as books, paper and pencil in an earlier age. They are the basic and most critical learning tool for the 21st century."

The TOTL laptops are "digital backpacks" created by Apple especially for the pilot. For teachers, these MacBooks with wireless capabilities allow connection to overhead projectors, and are equipped with the latest software to create, extend and enhance digital one-to-one learning.

TOTL also includes a network of support, providing 54 laptops to district technology personnel to ensure proper support for classrooms, 16 laptops to regional teaching, learning and technology centers to deliver technical support as well as professional development and training and 70 laptops to Louisiana's Colleges of Education to ensure continuity and consistency in linking today's classroom with tomorrow's.

"TOTL makes the first and most critical step of a longer journey," Blanco told the students. "Those who come after will also take up this journey, because they realize as do you and I, that these investments in modern learning tools pay meaningful dividends to us all. I am counting on Maplewood Middle School, its teachers and its students, to hold and protect one of many important sparks that TOTL generates. These are sparks of innovation and discovery. These are sparks of promise and hope. And these are the sparks that ignite our passion for learning and help create the bright future Louisiana needs and deserves."


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