At What Class Level Should Laptops Be Allowed in Schools?

As an elementary school teacher for 36 years I can tell you that elementary students do just fine with laptops. If they are taught HOW to care for them and treat them properly they are an asset to learning. I have several laptops in my classroom and we do project based learning with them. I also did lessons using laptops and a smart board with a classroom in London last year via skype and the children in my class and in London made flipcharts ( powerpoint type presentations) and shared them with one another on a variety of subjects. The students researched topics, presented their findings, and created animation programs, movies, keynote presentations etc. using the iLife series on macbooks. We also received a grant and did an amazing interactive presentation for the entire county. My students made movies on endangered animals, created websites....they were fabulous. Elementary students can do this. My two year old grandson even knows how to use an ipad and go to the preschool sites. He is only two and reading and writing already. technology is a wonderful tool if it is monitored and used properly. If parents let children do whatever they want with it and don't give limits and restrictions they are wrong. Then children aren't using technology correctly. It should never be a baby sitter. But a learning tool. Teachers set boundaries and give specific rules on when and how to use all technology and because of that, it is a wonderful tool in the classroom. It has also been found extremely effective in teaching the autistic students in our school. They are learning to read through laptops. Don't under estimate the abilities of young children. Students need to learn everything in school. This is just one more aspect to learning the basics. We don't throw away the old tried and true stuff...but add to it if we want to raise an educated society.