I am technology coordinator at Osceola Middle School and we are finishing our 3rd year in a 1 to 1 laptop project. Our school has an enrollment of 1200 students and each one of them carries a laptop to classes. Because of insurance costs and the inability to filter the internet when students are home, laptops are stored in carts overnight located in the 7th period classrooms. We are very proud of the success of this monumental endeavor. There have been some challenges that, through teamwork, have been overcome. I would like to get your input, thoughts, experiences, and questions on 1 to 1 computing in the classroom. Include both negative and positive, please.
Here are some questions to consider when posting to this blog.
1) What do you see as the pros and cons of a 1 to 1 project?
2) How does 1 to 1 computing change methods of teaching?
3) Is the financial cost, including support, worth this 21st century student immersion into technology?
4) How do you measure program success? I find that many of the successes cannot be measured but are intrinsic.
5) If you have participated in a 1 to 1 laptop program, what would you tell someone who is anticipating the implementation of a similar program?
Thank you for participating in the blog. Here is a link for our school virtual tour iso you can visit us: Osceola Middle School Tour
Anne
A voice for 1 to 1 computing
You pose some very good questions on the topic of 1 to 1 computing. I recently just had a discussion with a colleague about this topic, as our district is starting to debate the pros and cons of integrating a 1 to 1 computing program for the 5th - 12th grade level. As I am always an advocate for the integration of technology in the classroom, I think students would greatly benefit from having their own computer. As with the acquisition of any new program, many are initially hesitant because of the amount of work it takes to get them running and obtaining the desired results.
The closest our school has come to adopting a 1 to 1 program is that one of our teachers has a desktop computer in his room for each student. With student accounts on moodle (a course management program) and gaggle (free filtered e-mail accounts for students), they are able to access all of their homework documents from home, create wikis with other classmates for assigned projects, and have even created their own videos and podcasts on topics ranging from weather forecasting, book reviews (shown to the entire school once a week), and news casting (on virtually any topic being studied in the classroom). They also use tools such as Audacity to take spelling pronunciation tests, and create audio clips for other projects. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with the teacher of this classroom, and am amazed at what he is able to accomplish with his students. Not only are they learning the content required for state tests and assessments, but they are doing so in ways that ultimately prepare them for life outside of the classroom. They leave with skills that they will need for virtually any profession in today's world. Many are also extremely motivated just by simply using the technology presented to them, and take on learning in a whole new mindset than they ever did before.
After observing and working in this type of classroom, I am convinced that each and every student would benefit from these types of classroom experiences. One important thing to note is that in order for 1 to 1 computing to be successful, teachers must be willing to take on the challenges of learning new programs and effective ways to implement technology in their classes. They can not just assume they are going to digitize all of their notes and tests, and see improved results. Dr. David Thornburg, of Thornburg Center: Pragmatic Visionaries, states "Today we clearly are in the realm where the question is not how technology should change to fit classroom practice, but rather how, given current technology, classroom practice could change. We live in a world where it is commonplace for technology to be used to do different things, not just old tasks differently" (Technology and Education, May 2004, p. 3). Instead of using 1 to 1 computing to allow all students to have access to word processing software, we need to use it to allow students interactive means for constructing knowledge with classmates in engaging and effective ways. This is when 1 to 1 computing will see the results that schools implementing it hope for.
For others considering 1 to 1 programs, here is a great guidebook:
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:VSeC3fFqwhwJ:download.microsoft.com/...
Does anyone have any personal success or failure stories of 1 to 1 computing programs?
A Vital Conversation
Thank you AnnieT for your blog post, and thank you Ksternquist for the thoughtful follow up. The questions raised by this topic are very interesting to me, as a technology specialist and a proponent of 1:1 computer:student education. I am not a regular classroom teacher and have not been exposed to a regular classroom environment which has a 1:1 computer to student ratio. I am however a computer lab teacher who integrates core content curriculum into the technology lessons. I'd like to see more research done with specific attention paid to the degree of student engagement, the quality of student output, and perhaps most importantly the level of student achievement. It would be nice to see some data. Though I think it goes without saying that the variables in any kind of study would be difficult to account for. I think I would like to continue to touch on this topic, but for now I'd like to answer the questions you asked.
1) Some of the potential cons I would be cautious of would be: a decrease in interpersonal communication skills, an over reliance on the computers at the expense of more tactile activities, decreased penmanship, and a potential for decreased classroom community. Some of the potential pros I see are: increased data collection and analyzation, the potential for adaptive/interactive educational software, increased student engagement, increased output options, a potential for increased classroom (virtual)community, more equal response opportunities / rapid feedback, and the potential for students who are more able to use and create the technologies of the future.
2) I think 1:1 computing in the classroom would change quite a bit about the way we teach. I see a tremendous opportunity for interactive / adaptive educational software which aligns with learning standards and objectives. As these tools become more available and better, a teachers job may be to help students use and understand technology as much as teach content. I see the teacher as utilizing the data produced by the software and able to target specific needs of individual students. The students may be able to direct and pace their own learning as long as they are meeting agreed upon goals with regards to content knowledge/exposure and performance expectations.
3) I think the financial cost is worth it. The software that will make this work (interactive/adaptive software aligned with learning objectives resulting in increased student achievement) will require a demand sufficient enough to warrant the expense of production. It is the transition that will be most difficult for those in the teaching profession and the public that will have to bear the cost. With the increases in technology and manufacturing efficiency there will surely be a decrease in the cost of the hardware. The majority of the cost is sure to come from software and training. At some point in the future 1:1 computing will be a reality for most in the U.S. The question is when and how.
4) I completely agree that a great deal of the benefit of 1:1 computing is intrinsic, though in our data driven society we must measure it. I think we should conduct as much research as possible. I truly believe that if implemented correctly 1:1 computing will not only result in increase intrinsic benefits, but also measurable student achievement.
5) I haven't participated in a 1:1 laptop program, but selfishly I would tell others to try it so that they could better inform our strategies for a more successful implementation and ultimately higher achieving students.