Press Release - Wednesday, March 08, 2006
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Seventh-grade student speak out about the benefits of laptop learning! Laptop Computers - the textbooks of the 21st century
PEORIA - Wednesday, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn joined with seventh grade students at Sterling Middle School to promote the I-Connect Initiative - legislation to provide approximately 13,000 seventh graders and their teachers with personal laptop computers.
"No Illinois child should be left on the wrong side of the digital divide," Quinn said. "Laptops are the textbooks of tomorrow."
The I-Connect pilot program will provide laptop computers for seventh graders and their teachers at 148 Illinois public schools. Last week, the Illinois House of Representatives passed the legislation and it's now being considered in the Senate.
Each participating school will receive laptops for every seventh-grade student and classroom teacher. All laptops will be equipped with science and math tutorials, word processing, note taking, and spreadsheet software, and a warranty. In addition, educators will benefit from professional development training and schools will receive technical assistance to aid in developing a school-based laptop network.
Modeled after the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, I-Connect will allow Illinois students to learn anywhere at anytime with their laptop computer. Henrico County in Virginia introduced a similar laptop initiative for students in grades 6-12. Last school year, students in that school district achieved the highest SAT verbal and math scores ever recorded in the county, just four years after the program began.
"Laptop computers have transformed learning in other states," Quinn said. "Let's place this innovative resource in the hands of students across the state of Illinois."
Quinn was joined by Peoria Public Schools Associate Superintendent Herschele Hannah, and Sterling Middle School Principal Tim Delinski.
Lt. Governor Quinn serves as Chairman of the Broadband Deployment Council. The Council was created under Executive Order in September to address Internet access needs for all Illinois citizens and to help bridge the digital divide.
For more information about the I-Connect Initiative, please visit www.IllinoisConnect.org.
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