Toshiba's Notebooks for Schools program provides specially configured portable personal computers to students and teachers to augment the delivery of education curricula in American K-12 public and private schools.

Originally developed in 1989 at Methodist Ladies College in Queensland, Australia, its early successes attracted the attention of Toshiba Australia which created SNAP (the Student Notebook Access Program) to help market and support the concept of 'laptop learning'. An unqualified success, Toshiba now has a 50% market share in Australian K-12 schools.

The fundamental premise of the Notebooks for Schools program is that the educational experience can be significantly enhanced by using computers as a integral part of the educational process - to collect, assimilate, refine, and communicate knowledge. This goal can be accomplished with individual student ownership of mobile personal computers.

The US program began in the spring of 1996, with an educator's Summit hosted by Microsoft Corporation. Twenty-five schools and districts, representing 55 school sites, agreed to be part of a one-year pilot to test the program's effectiveness in American schools.

Microsoft introduced 'Anytime, Anywhere Learning' and Toshiba its Notebooks for Schools program to national audiences at Summit '97 in April, 1997. District supervisors, principals, technology coordinators and teachers representing nearly 900 K-12 schools from across the nation have now learned more about the overall concept and what it takes to become a participating school.

To prepare for implementation, schools must carefully consider a number of issues including:

• Why they wish to implement such a program,
• Staff training and curriculum development,
• Curriculum management,
• Implementation strategies,
• Equity,
• Acquisition options,
• Infrastructure planning,
• Order management and delivery logistics,
• And development of critical partnerships with resellers, service providers and parents.

The NFS program offers qualified schools with implementation support, special pricing on quality Toshiba notebooks that include special software bundles, custom carry cases, custom technical support, and finance plans offered through Toshiba Financial Services.

For additional information, continue your exploration of this Web site or call the Toshiba Education Center at 1-888-62-LEARN, Option 1/1.

Click here to see the first and second year independent evaluations of the program.

Click here to read and see Case Studies of participating schools.