Ujicoba Laptop Pengganti Buku

Para murid di sebuah sekolah di Italia mulai mengikuti ujicoba untuk menggantikan seluruh buku dengan komputer laptop. Masing-masing anak-anak yang mengikuti eksperimen ini memperoleh sebuah laptop khusus yang memuat seluruh isi kurikulum sekolah. Berikut laporan wartawan BBC Duncan Kennedy dari Roma:

Until today, the Don Milani di Rivoli elementary school in central Turin was like any other. Children turned up, got out their books and pens and began the process of learning. But now, in what's being described as a unique experiment, 60 fifth-grade pupils and a number of third-graders, will start using computers only.

The mini-laptops, which run Windows software, all have a full curriculum programmed into them. The pupils will use the computers to do all their reading and writing. Security systems within the laptops mean the children's access to the internet is strictly controlled. The machines weigh less than a kilogram, can be dropped from a height of 1.5 metres and are waterproof.

Instead of spending the equivalent of 700 dollars a year on books, the laptops, built by the Italian company Olidata, cost less than 400 dollars. One of the teachers involved in the scheme says that, for the first time, schools will be able to verify in a scientific way how a computer alone can improve the learning process. The experiment, which has the backing of parents, is due to last a year.

Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, Rome

elementary school
sekolah dasar, sekolah yang memberikan jenjang pendidikan pertama bagi anak-anak (biasanya usia 5 hingga 11 tahun)

turned up
di sini, hadir, datang ke sekolah

grade
kelas, tingkat kelompok pengajaran di suatu sekolah tempat semua anak memiliki usia dan/atau kemampuan yang kurang lebih sama

curriculum
semua mata pelajaran yang diajarkan di sekolah, kolese, perguruan tinggi, dsb. Istilah 'kurikulum' terkadang berarti 'silabus', yaitu, topik atau buku yang dipelajari dalam suatu mata pelajaran atau kuliah

access to
di sini, kemampuan untuk berselancar, mencari informasi dan menggunakan internet

are waterproof
tahan air, tidak mudah rusak akibat air

the equivalent of
jumlah dana yang setara atau senilai dengan

involved in the scheme
ikut serta dalam ujicoba

to verify
membuktikan bahwa sesuatu itu benar atau tidak

backing
dukungan, dorongan