To Each His Own

Maine put laptops in the hands of all its middle schoolers. But it's taken time and training for teachers to sign on.

By Edgar Allen Beem

One October morning, while their students are attending art, PE, and other elective classes, the handful of 5th grade teachers at Frank H. Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth, Maine, huddle around a conference table in the narrow office of technology coordinator John Martin. A New England Patriots banner hangs on the wall behind them as they focus on the screen where Martin, tapping away on the keyboard of his laptop computer, has projected the school Web page.

Harrison’s 5th graders are about to be taught how to use the Internet, and Martin is helping their teachers plan an orientation lesson built around navigating the Web. “They’ll click on buttons to find answers to questions, using the links to find information,” he says.

Once the lesson is planned, though, it’s time for the instructors to learn. They spend the remainder of the period watching Martin scan, display, and archive book reports. Marti-Jo Shaw wonders aloud how to organize student work...