How to Start a Mobile Learning Program in Your School

On the eSchool News site you can access the Webinar archive, “Launching a Mobile Learning Program: What Every School Leader Should Know”.  Using the archive you’ll learn about Lake Tahoe’s Netbook program and how it saved the district money and saved teachers time in addition to increasing “student engagement and enthusiasm.” Leading the session are Dr. Jim Tarwater, Superintendent of Lake Tahoe School District and Linda Uhrenholt, Regional Education Director, AT&T.  Tahoe’s plan is for all students, Grades 3-12, to have Netbooks with cellular connections by the end of 2012. Uhrenholt says that we are at a tipping point with mobile learning in our schools both for students and for faculties. Students envision learning at their fingertips, not waiting to use computers during a scheduled period. That vision can be achieved with mobile technologies like Netbooks. No longer will students at Tahoe carry heavy backpacks, for their books and their homework will be on their Netbooks. To make the mobile computing happen, the district is partnering with AT&T, Cisco, and Microsoft Live at Edu.  Tarwaters says when you look at the cost of Netbooks compared to the cost of textbooks and laptops, you’ll see great savings. Tahoe will not purchase textbooks in the future except for special needs students. In the Webinar, one of the district’s two IT specialists explains how the program works.