2,900 Students to have Notebook Computer in Fall 2006

About 2,900 grades 7, 8 and 9 students at 27 New Brunswick schools will have a notebook computer in the fall of 2006, Premier Bernard Lord announced today.

Lord made the announcement during visits to École Place-des-Jeunes in Bathurst and to Harold Peterson Middle School in Oromocto. He was accompanied by Education Minister Claude Williams.

“The preliminary results of our research on the use of notebook computers in the classroom are very positive,” Lord said. “In particular we see greater motivation on the part of students and an improvement in the quality of their work. These results have convinced us to extend the use of notebook computers in schools as of this fall.”

In addition to enriching teaching practices, the use of notebook computers by teachers and students helps to diversify teaching and learning strategies, and better meet the varied needs of the students.

“Incorporating technology into the classroom supports the objectives of the Quality Learning Agenda and our Five in Five Initiative, which is designed to make New Brunswick the smart province,” Lord said.

As part of a recent budget initiative, a majority of the province’s 7,500 teachers applied for a notebook computer under the Dedicated Notebook Research Project.