I don't remember making that comparison.
Honors' students will be honors' students, laptops or not, getting the same honor's courses taught in the manner the teacher feels is the best. No one's lowering any standards because of laptops, they're raising the standards.
Laptops aren't a tool that are on the entire day, for each teacher. Nor are they implemented in courses that they don't relate to, just for the laptop's sake.
Teachers have different teaching styles, and different goals. Some are competent with laptops, some aren't. The bottom line is getting the most information to the widest variety of students.
There is no way a laptop should affect a teacher's goals, and from what I see, they don't.
As a research tool, or as a report making tool they are unbeatable. For non-Honors students they often make the difference of whether a student can successfully complete work, or not.
Kids who aren't honor's students are quite capable of performing well in the working world. Any opportunity they have to pursue their studies successfully on a daily basis in the classroom, without constant teacher supervision, and which equates to conditions they will find in the working world is worth it's weight in gold. Laptops can provide that opportunity.
Unfortunately, teachers deal with kids on a variety of ability levels in the same classroom. They go to war with the army they have. Up-armoring their classrooms with laptops is a godsend for our students.
longjack