Students Get First Look at New Laptops: Nation looks to Maine in the widest deployment yet of laptops


Published:September 2, 2009



** MEDIA ADVISORY **

Maine Department of Education
Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner




Commissioner Gendron and Apple’s vice president of education, John Couch, will help distribute the first laptops in the high school laptops expansion at Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale and speak with students about how they use the laptops to improve their learning.

This highlights the expansion of 1-to-1 laptop computing in Maine to the high school level. More than 23,000 students in more than half of Maine’s high schools will receive laptops over the coming days and weeks. It is the widest deployment of laptops in the country, building on Maine’s first-in-the-nation success with the middle school laptops program. Around the country, schools, school systems, and states are looking to Maine’s experience as they implement similar programs.

Maine will be deploying more than 67,000 laptops this fall to public school students and faculty – to every student in seventh and eighth grades, and to students in more than half of Maine’s high schools.

Hall-Dale has been a pioneering high school when it comes to integrating laptops and other technology into the curriculum; now they have been able to participate at a greatly reduced cost due to the statewide high school expansion.

For additional background, see the June 30 press release below regarding the high school expansion.


WHO
John Couch, Vice President of Education at Apple (reports directly to Steve Jobs)
Maine Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron
Michael Reinhard, a senior at Hall-Dale High School
Don Siviski, superintendent of RSU 2/KIDS RSU
Lydia Leimbach, technology integrator for Hall-Dale High School

In addition, 10 students will participate in the event and be available to showcase how they use the laptops and talk about their educational experiences.

WHEN
Thursday, September 3, 10:30 a.m.


WHERE
Hall-Dale High School, Farmingdale, Maine
97 Maple St, Farmingdale, ME‎ - (207) 629-9193
In the Library – Please check in at office

DIRECTIONS

From South:
Take Rte. 295 north to exit 49 toward Gardner
Slight right at Brunswick Ave/U.S. Rt. 201
After 5 miles, take left onto US-201/ME-27
After 2.7 miles, turn left onto Maple Street
High school is at: 97 Maple St., on the right.

From North:
Take Rte. 95 south to exit 109A for ME-17/ME-100/US-202/ME-11; get onto Western Ave. toward Augusta
After 1.5 miles, at Memorial Circle, take the 1st exit onto ME-27/State St/US-201
Follow south 3.1 miles
Turn right at Maple St
High school is at: 97 Maple St., on the right.

Google maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&f=d&iwstate1=dir:to&daddr=97+Maple+St+Farmingdale,+ME+04344&fb=1&geocode=12164758866356824608,44.266180,-69.799344&ei=UpaeSpLcCYuL8Qatx_mtAw&sa=X&oi=manybox&resnum=1&ct=17 /> Contact:
David Connerty-Marin, 207-624-6880 | 207-831-3313