I read a research article on the 1:1 laptop initiative. I found a few things that stood out to me as suprising, and a few things that I totally agree with and that back up my thoughts on the idea.
Suprising:
"Claims have been made that 1:1 laptop initiatives do not have a positive impact on student achievement at school."
Some schools even cancelled the program because they weren't seeing any improvement, or not enough to make a difference. (Makes me wonder if the teachers had the support they needed to know how to implement the program effectively.)
The 1:1 laptop initiative doesn't really increase scored much in science and math in elementary, but would dramatically help in High Schools. In elementary laptops just enhance the knowledge and provide practice with concepts versus teaching the concept itself.
"A state report from Michigan indicated that student engagement was at an all-time high." This wasn't the state that reported students engagement increase! Many more have reported the same effect!
Back-up my Thoughts:
"Improvements in writing, literacy, science, exam scores, and GPAs all have been noted in various research studies."
"the more extensively students used their laptops, the better they scored."
"Research reported a marginally-significant increase in students GPA...and significant gains in studenst technological proficiency."
The article says that the 1:1 initiative has shown an increase in teacher collaboration in 1:1 schools. This makes me glad to know because I think it's important for teachers using a new tool to share how they are using it and collaborating. Sharing ideas and other tools can open a new door to knowledge at your fingertips.
Extra:
One study compared two groups of students from the same grade, and same school. One group of students did not recieve laptops, and the other had 24-hour access to a laptop. The study showed that the group with laptops "demonstrated superior writing skills."
I remember hearing about the 'fourth grade slump' when i was in middle school. It's when the students go from 'learning to read' to 'reading to learn' which can be complicated. Students in a 4th grade were observed and they showed that they could outperform their peer with laptops. They outperformed in the literacy response and analysis, along with their writing skills.
Not only is having a 1:1 initiative new and exciting for a teacher, the students would be more satisfied with school and the content they learn. They would less likely be messing around, getting sent into the hall, disruptive during a lesson, and they probably wouldn't slack on their work as much.
Professional development would have a direct impact on the program and it's effectiveness.
1:1 is still a new implementation and there are bound to be new pros and concerns with the program.
Question:
I wonder how it works when a student forgets their laptop at home after having it for the weekend or overnight...
McLeod, Scott and Sauers, Nicholas J. Castle Brief: What does the research say about school one-to-one computing initiatives?. UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. University of Kentucky. Posted: Novemeber 4, 2011.
http://schooltechleadership.org/
Thanks for sharing this article, but I have a question here. How did this research conclude that students with laptops would increase their writing skills?
ReplyDeleteDo the teacher be afraid that students would use the laptops for another usage, don't they?
I agree with your point that students would be more satisfied with school if they have laptops in school. It would bring so many fun in school not only boring lectures which students don't interested in.
Great choice in terms of finding out what we know about 1:1 programs. Although, not new in some states, Iowa seems to be jumping on board with this innovation at a high rate of speed. So, what does that mean for teachers and students? You bring up some great points - mostly I think directly related to how well are teachers prepared to use laptops in their classrooms when you do have access? I hope to spend some time tonight discussing you entry! I think others need to think about it too!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think 1:1 programs are definitely something to think about, as it is a good possibility that we, as teachers, may end up working in a school with a 1:1 program. As far as your concern over the programs that reportedly failed or were abandoned. I think you may be on the right track as far as wondering if those schools did not either give the program enough time to have an impact or did not give their teachers adequate training in effectively implementing the program. Nowadays, it seems school districts, and even the public itself, want to see results immediately and don't have the patience to allow something to take effect. I think if a school decides to go 1:1, they should begin training their staff several months in advance over how to implement the program effectively. They should also look into how much time it takes before the program begins to have an effect and improve student learning and scores.
ReplyDeleteCool article. Everyone said what I would say already, but I too have thought about the typical "forgot my laptop at home" scenario. My guess would be that schools would have some just-in-case laptops on hand to lend to students who forget. Of course, there should be appropriate consequences for those who continually forget there laptops. I've always thought about how to teach students accountability, without the consequence of directly hurting their productivity during instruction and activities.
ReplyDelete