One R.I. School Goes Paperless in 2013

Students in Rhode Island may soon be able to trade in their heavy-duty backpacks for an iPad cover or laptop bag. The state Department of Education is now accepting applications from public and charter schools for its first “paperless classroom,” according to WPRI. The winning school will get one electronic device for each of its students in the 2013-2014 school year. The pilot program, which is a result of a special legislative commission’s report, is meant to decrease the cost of textbooks that “once in print can become almost immediately outdated,” according to the commission’s co-chairs in a press release. The program will also lighten students’ physical load and conserve natural resources. The Special Legislative Commission to Study the Purchase and Use of Textbooks in Public Schools looked to Maine, which gives Apple MacBooks to every middle and high school student, for guidance, but admits that statewide implementation would be difficult in Rhode Island because of costs.