The state officials warned the schools that they would take over if their assessment test marks did not improve. This threat caused them to develop one of the most technologically advanced school districts in the United States. They equipped the schools and students" homes with computers. School officials have seen tremendous achievements as a result of their efforts. They report that students are more involved and are more excited about learning. Much of their time is now spent studying topics such as the Spanish-American war on the Internet. Last year, Union City topped all New Jersey cities on the state tests. Also, the number of students admitted to top institutions soared from eight in 1997 to 63 in 1999. Teachers at Mantua Elementary School in Fairfax, Va., have noticed that technology has made their students more interested in the subjects they are being taught. They say that textbooks cannot compete with the Library of Congress which is now at every students" fingertips. Teachers also report that technology is "helping kids do history, not just learn the facts" (Symonds, 2000, p. 126).
One 17-year-old from Seattle has recently become much more interested in learning due to the implementation of new technologies. He created a 67-slide project on the Civil War using his school's computers and software (Searcey, 1998). Janice Gordon, a teacher who started using the laptops at Mott Hall Middle School, noticed that, "the self-esteem of the children has increased dramatically, and when you have increased self-esteem, you"re going to have increased academic achievements" (Stoll, 1998). One 7th grade teacher at Kent Center School in Connecticut says that the computers they use in school make them feel like they are now "learning French in France rather than in Connecticut" and that "since the computers arrived, not one student has forgotten to bring his or her computer to school" (Guignon, 1998).