"They walk into a classroom, frankly, they could have walked into 50 or 100 years ago: a flag, a clock on the wall, and maybe a white board instead of a black board," said Kurt Larsen, who directs the WestEd technology consortium for Western educators. But there are exceptions. Next August, Tucson's Vail Unified School District will open a new high school without textbooks. Each of the 250 to 300 freshmen and sophomores will be handed a laptop computer instead. "If we can rely on almost limitless information available on the Internet, why do we need a textbook?" Vail Superintendent Calvin Baker said.OK, let me get this straight... buy computers, combine with students, stir vigorously, and VOILA'!... instant educational improvement! Wow, isn't technology grand. I wish Arizona success... I would prefer to see what their plans are to train teachers and integrate the technology into the curriculum. *Sigh*
Arizona School District Joins the One Legged Stool Club
Arizona schools try to leap digital divide