Fall 2003 marks the beginning of Independence County's (AK) venture into textbook-less teaching and learning. The school district will be implementing usage of a $450 FreePad -- a three-pound wireless touch-screen computer--in lieu of texts, and the Institute for Learning Technology's Bruce Lincoln will be monitoring the project. More than 7,000 Independence students in grades K-12 as well as a select number of schools in New York, Hawaii, California and Utah will participate in this large-scale experiment to determine the outcomes of computer-aided learning for children.

Lincoln, manager of community outreach for ILT, will be in charge of answering questions such as the impact of this form of technology on student achievement, its cost effectiveness, and its effect on parental involvement. KidzTel, Inc. is coordinating the pilot project in collaboration with Screen Media AS of Oslo, Norway, the developer of the FreePad.

The article, entitled "'Wi-Fi Dome' Coming to Northeast Arkansas" appeared in the July 21 edition of the Arkansas Business .

Published Monday, Jul. 28, 2003