| Notes |
Governor King stressed that the program was about "learning, not about technology".[11] King was searching for initiatives that would lead to a dramatic improvement in education. He met with Seymour Papert, an educational technology guru to discuss an increase in student to computer ratios as a means of improving education and the future workforce. Papert is also currently one of the principals for the One Laptop Per Child initiative, which is a Miami-based initiative aiming to create affordable educational devices in the developing world. Papert’s advice was to create a 1-1 ratio of students to computers to maximize technological potential, and the budget surplus provided an avenue to attain that ratio.[13] King also stressed that these computers would address the "Digital Divide"—the divide between those with access to transformational informational technology and those without.[14] The Initiative was proposed as an "equity tool" aimed to service Maine’s diverse demographics—both geographically and socioeconomically.[15] |