"The Maine Learning Technology Initiative made Maine the first state to seize the potential of technology to transform teaching and learning in classrooms statewide; first with a plan to equip all students and teachers in grades 7 to 12 with personal learning technology statewide; first to equip every 7th and 8th grade student and 7th through 12th grade teacher statewide with personal access to learning technology; first to empower every 7th through 12th grade teacher in every school statewide with professional development and support to fully tap the potential of computers and the Internet; and first to provide the option of home Internet access to every 7th and 8th grade student in every school statewide."
Thanks to former Governor Angus King, Maine was a pioneer in implementing technology advancements in the classroom. It is this spirit of remaining "cutting edge" that seems to inspire many teachers in the state. After all, we are home to one of the most well known Educational Technology Bloggers in the country - Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers. Since it's inception, the MLTI has reached beyond its original 7th-12 grade parameters, and entered every grade in most public schools.
In my classroom, I am lucky enough to have a 1:1 laptop set up. They are pretty old Apple Ibooks, but those little workhorse computers get the job done, and trust me, we put them through their paces. So that's where I'm coming from. I have to keep my mind on that as I dole out advice on implementing technology in your classroom, that you may not have the same computing environment that I have. That's OK though. There is no profession more flexible, adaptable and resourceful than a teacher. MacGyver ain't got nothin' on me.
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