An Assessment of the Maine Statewide iBook Program Approaching Four Years

Apple pioneered the broad use of iBooks in K-12 education when in 2001 Henrico County, VA, leased thousands along with AirPort wireless networking for its students and teachers in public schools. The State of Maine followed suit in 2002 but expanded the concept to the entire state for all students in grades seven and eight and their teachers. The high school portion of the Henrico County program came to an ignominious end by replacing the iBooks with Dell laptops and with a human stampede to buy the left-over iBooks, injuring a number of people. Maine's current iBook program ends in early 2006 and the debate continues on what to do.

MaineToday.com writer Giselle Goodman today posted a comprehensive look at the Maine iBook program that includes statistics, views from students and and her own experience with a similar calculator program when she was in K-12. Standardized tests do not show an improvement but this is not unexpected according to some experts because they test memorized facts and not skills at finding, assembling and synthesizing information that the iBooks would facilitate. The students' views are as mixed as students views would be on the value of going to school. Ms. Goodman's own experience with calculators would probably be considered by many as not supportive as written but she does mention the positive experience of her brush with the cutting-edge technology of the time, even if over sold by school administrators.

Finally, there are the statistics, ones that Apple, school administrators and the people of Maine should be very proud of. Only 100 of the 30,000+ iBooks were stolen or became lost. Of those at King Middle School, the primary focus of the article, the number missing is just 2. The damage rate statewide was only 3.3 per cent and only 5 had to be replaced at King Middle School. Those very low numbers speak wonders for how well the program was handled by administrators, teachers, students and parents and how well the iBooks have stood up for nearly four years. More... [Dana Baggett & Bill Fox]