School laptop program begets writing gains

Reviewed by: Amy Marnell
Source: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=7467
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
Date: November 8, 2007

This article talks about the effects of Maine's distribution of 36,000 laptops to each seventh and eighth grader in Maine public schools in 2002 and 2003.
Direct quote:
"If you concentrate on whether laptops are helping kids achieve 21st-century skills, this demonstrates that it's happening in writing," said David Silvernail, director of the Maine Education Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern Maine."

The distribution of laptops was done in order to seek elimination of the digital divide between wealthy and poor students. The study focused on eighth-graders' scores on the Maine Educational Assessment to see if the standardized test scores were raised after the distribution of the computers. The test scores showed that 49% of eighth-graders were proficient in writing in 2005 compared with 29% in 2000. As stated in the article, the laptops make it easier for students to edit their copy without getting writer's cramp and the students are consequently writing and revising more frequently, thus leading to better results in writing. The article also stated that the teachers engage their students in a lot of peer editing so not only are they helping themselves they are helping each other.

I think that revising on a computer in and of itself is a 21st century skill that can easily be taught and achieved through the use of a laptop. This skill uses technology to improve writing skills and better prepares students for skills they need to have a successful job.