USA Today (8/24, Steinberg) reports laptops are becoming standard back-to-school supplies "for a growing number of families," and are becoming increasingly integral to some districts' curricula. Michigan's Walled Lake Consolidated School District offers "a districtwide laptop program" that "starts in the sixth grade and incorporates technology in math, science, English and history lessons." Most of the students' work is done on their computers, although they "also use 'smart boards' and electronic clickers to key in answers." Officials there "say laptops improve grades, boost critical-thinking skills and increase collaboration among students." And Michigan is not alone; Maine has been pursuing the goal of expanding classroom laptop use since 2000, and has set a goal of "a laptop for every student in grades 7 through 12 by 2013."
High School Renovated To Appeal To "Tech-Savvy" Students. The Miami Herald (8/23, McGrory, et al.) reported that the first day of school in Miami-Dade County, Florida "kicked off in some unconventional ways." At the new iPrep Academy in Miami, for instance, "classrooms are furnished with plush leather couches and decorated with large mirrors, retro lamps and colorful throw pillows." Students also "have access to the school iCafe, where they can purchase wraps, smoothies, and power bars," and "there's a Wii hooked up to a large flat screen TV." Moreover, each student at iPrep Academy gets and iBook. The academy "seeks to reinvent high school by making it relevant to today's tech-savvy teenagers."
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