As a very long retired mathematics educator at a local school system and the state, I read with interest the article about laptops in the Baltimore County Public Schools (“Four years in, Baltimore County schools’ $147M laptop program has produced little change in student achievement,” Dec. 13).
And so the pendulum swings back to the days when students were first allowed to use calculators (Horrors!). There was a fear students would not learn the basic facts. Once teachers learned how to teach pupils how to problem solve and use the calculator, the furor stopped. Any form of technology is important for our students as long as it is used properly and taught by teachers who have had training themselves.
In addition, perhaps curriculum should be aligned with technology also.
June Danaher, Bel Air
