Apologies: This is being live blogged, so there may be some awkward wording and grammatical errors. Italicized text are my comments and ideas.
I’m sitting in the audience of the school auditorium, waiting for the second keynote address, Pamela Livingston, who has just published a book about 1:1 initiatives for ISTE. The book is not yet available, but I am looking forward to her presentation. I’ve learned so much at this conference from all of the various perspectives.
I was especially intrigued by a conversation I had with an tech director of an independent school in San Jose. They require students to come to their school with a laptop. However, they do not specify a platform. He said that they have about 90% Windows machines, about 9.5% Macs and three students using Linux laptops. The only specifications were that the students be able to word process, build web pages, produce video, and many other information processing abilities.
It seems to me that a school that can make this work, is doing what they should be doing. Perhaps more conversation about this later. Right now, the keynote is about to start. I’ll post comments here.
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Keynotes by Pamela Livingston Pamela is at an independent school in Morristown, New Jersey. She is a regular at the Laptop Institute. She said that writing her book was like refurbishing your kitchen, and having to redo it three times. I can identify with that.
Her book is based on a masters thesis, which was an examination of the laptop programs at her school. It includes interviews with Seymour Papert, Alan November, and leaders in Main, Michigan, Denver School of Sci & Tech, and Henrico. She starts off making a case by describing the millennials. Today’s children do not know a time before computers. She distinguishes between multitaskers and unitaskers. She says that there is some controversy about this. My observation is that students are not so much multitasking, but that the are able to shift-task very easily. She suggests that laptops are “about to tip” from Gladwell’s The Tipping Point concepts. According the Livingson, school are now buying more laptops than desktops. This is important. Livingston sais that basic trends in 1:1 are that:
- Allows students to get to the thinking faster
- Supports constructivist instruction and self-directed learning, and
- Helps students stay organized
She says that for teachers, 1:1 increases tech comfort for teachers, provides a wealth of curricular resources, and allows more frequent and effective communication with all classroom stakeholders. I agree with Pamela that this is obvious. These advantages are huge for teachers in the twenty-first century. Again and again, the fact that laptop programs increase attendance has emerged in their research. In fact families are moving to neighborhoods because they have 1:1 schools. Writing is also improved, as evidenced by research. Some new studies may indicate some improvement in test schools, but it is far out weighed by all of the research that indicates that the single most determining factor for test scores is the teacher. This was cool. She passed out pipe cleaners, had to fashion a crank, and we turned our cranks thiry times. She then said that we just provided five minutes of computing power for a third-world laptop (Negroponte’s $100 laptop). Livingston says that there are four elements for success:
Planning:
- Professional Development
- Logistics (infrastructure, transporting laptops, storing laptops)
- Technology Support
She lists some successful programs:
- Maine
- Michigan
- Forney ISD
- The Peck School
- St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School
- Henrico
David, in a moment of pique, I would argue that laptops–as opposed to desktops–are more popular in schools because they are easier to lock away. “Out of sight, out of mind” is appropriate when it comes to technology in schools today.
Isn’t that terrible? We need increased access, but we’re trying to graft a new branch onto a dead tree. The new story is simple. Burn the tree, scatter the ashes, and plant some saplings.
Slash and burn will work here…won’t it?
;->
I am so saddened when I hear of schools that can’t even consider laptop programs because of the theft that is so prevalent in their neighborhoods. I agree with your desire to rebuild the institution. But I’d rather chop down the tree, run it through a saw mill, and then build a new school from the lumber 😉
Hi Dave…
Your 1:1 entry (is there a better word for blog entry? article? report?) pretty much emphasizes the fact that if everyone could do a 1:1 we would. There are no disadvantages when it comes to student learning and providing every student with a laptop. However, as I begin working with our principals on their vision for technology integration at their sites I can not stress enough the idea that teachers are the gatekeepers in terms of the use of technology in class. The students can bring their laptops to school all they want, but if the teachers in their classrooms are not designing their instruction to accommodate the tools they won’t be used to address the “necessary” concepts/standards. Given the chance, the students will still use them, but not for what the teacher had in mind.
I know that one computer to one student is the direction we are going, actually it will probably be more like 5 “computers” to one student. However, if money were not an issue, I’d be almost willing not go 1:1 because I don’t feel we (royal we) haven’t done enough in the area of PD for teachers to be able to take advantage of the power this tool. (Actually, If given the opportunity to go 1:1 I’d take it and just work harder, faster, and longer! 🙂
In any case, your post actually allowed me to recognize that in the web(vision) I am developing to help broaden understanding of the benefits technology use, the direction points to implementation of a 1:1 computing. I didn’t have that in the web, but now that I think about it, it is a logical next step in my diagram. I’m going to include it.
I think by laying out the foundation, providing the necessary professional development (designing instruction to accommodate the tool), the justification for 1:1 becomes clear and desirable to further student learning.
Thanks for the thoughts!