Major Concerns of Piloting a 1:1 Laptop Program at CA

Thank you all for contributing to the ongoing discussion of plans to implement a pilot study of 1:1 Computing at CA. The interest shown and the time taken to consider this innovative initiative is testament to the importance you place on the education of your child.

Concern 1

Laptops will replace traditional teaching and learning and offer little in the way of real improvement to teaching and learning.

· Laptops do not replace traditional teaching. The laptop is just another tool to facilitate effective teaching and learning. What I have seen personally over the last four years in a 1:1 classroom is that students become more productive and engaged in their studies. Given the demands on a student’s time, being more efficient both at home and at school is a definite advantage.

Students also become less reliant on the teacher to spoon feed them information. This is particularly important as the IB Course primarily assesses students on their ability to think independently and analyze information. Memorizing content in IB courses is rarely called upon. Though there can be little analysis without knowledge, the focus in upon students making sense of various theories and studies in economics. I have found that when students are engaged in this way, and use programs like Inspiration that help them map their ideas, they recall this information very well. Though they can use these applications at home, at school I can provide guidance and direction. By constantly helping them judge the value of sources found on the internet, they can become more discriminating in their use of the WWW. With a laptop students can learn anywhere and at anytime.

My own personal experiences are supported on a number of research studies. For example P. La  in a 2009 study of  one-to-one laptop programs found that

• Students relied on active learning and study strategies when reading and writing.
• Students improved their ability to collaborate with other students.
• Classrooms became student-centered, with students acting as active participants rather than passive learners.
• Teachers changed teaching styles to address the different learning modalities that students had.
• Students performed better in writing assessment.
• Students had more confidence with technology than those without laptops.
• Students had better school attendance rate than students not using laptops.

Concern 2

Laptops will be a source of distraction.

· The internet can be a distraction but students are responsible enough to keep their focus on the task at hand. In the classroom I will monitor what students are doing on their laptops and encourage them to develop enough self-discipline to stay on task. From personal experience I have not found this to be a problem once clear guidelines are set and adhered to. I  plan to have students discuss this issue and develop a contract that they will enter into so as not to waste their time off task.

Some students might become distracted and view sites not related to the task at hand. I would discuss this with them in the same way I would help any student who is off task.  I would  not overreact just because a computer was involved since the laptop is an integral part of the learning process.

Most students will use their laptops responsibly. A highly qualified teacher or parent nearby is the best filter and our emphasis on using computers will not be idle web surfing. We do not do our children any favor by insulating them from some of life’s less desirable elements, especially since they already spend so much time using computers.

Concern 3

Laptops are heavy especially for students who travel long distances.

Yes laptops are heavy but the good news in IB Economics is the adoption of an interactive textbook that students access on line that will largely replace a text that weighs more than a laptop.  They will no longer need to bring that book back and forwards from home to school. The interactive text book is published by Triple A Learning, a world leader in interactive textbook, and specifically designed for IB Economics. It includes current economic news and analysis, vital to a subject like Economics that is ever changing,

Concern 4

Laptops could be dropped, lost or stolen

· This is a real issue. Laptops are expensive and I will constantly hammer home to students that they must take care of their laptops. They should lock them in the lockers when not in use. They must not leave them unattended at any time. I believe that students will feel respected when they are trusted with such important device.

Concern 5

Laptops are expensive

Yes, laptops are expensive especially in these times of economic uncertainties. Some parents have recently purchased a desktop while other would prefer to buy a laptop before college.  CA is currently considering a range of option to ensure there will be no unnecessary financial burden placed on families. These options will be fully explain in the coming days.

Thank you once again for your frank and open discussion of the benefits and potential pitfalls on the pilot 1:1 laptop initiative. Your comments are always welcome and I will be communicating with you shortly to explain how CA will implement this trial.