Laptops in Schools
From WikEd
[edit] LAPTOPS IN SCHOOLS
[edit] Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
As computers and technology become more dominant in schools today, the more changes we see taking place. Computers in schools is not such a new concept. There have been computer labs in schools for years. What is constantly changing is what computers are being used for. For a while, it was games. They seemed to be somewhat educational, and they familiarized children with the machines. Then, word processing became very popular. Students are now expected to turn in typed essays and projects. Now, the curriculum for "Computer Class" is very advanced. Expanding from Power Point with third graders to web design with eighth graders. In order to keep up with the technological times, schools are now wanting to introduce the "Floating Lab" which is a cart of wireless laptops that travels from classroom to classroom for "Computer Class".
There are several forms of laptops being used in schools today.
- Slates - A type of Tablet PC without a dedicated keyboard. Slates are generally the more rugged type used in elementary levels where durability is important. Slates have a variety of ports that allow you to attach a keyboards, speakers, printers, etc. These units are designed for mobility, so the screen is small and the unit is lightweight. Slates also have digital ink capabilities which allows the student to write on the "slate" using a stylus and the computer converts the handwriting to text.
- Convertibles - are Tablet PCs that have a base body with an attached keyboard. They more closely resemble the typical laptop computer, with the keyboard attached on a swivel base so it can be used like a laptop or folded underneath allowing the user to work off the touchscreen. Convertibles are heavier and larger but provide more features. Convertibles also have digital ink capabilities.
- Laptops - are portable, mobile desktop computers. In 2006 there were more laptops sold in the United States than desktop computers, which indicates the mobile society that education must address. Laptops do not have digital ink capabilities.
[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings
"I'm here to report on the progress of the largest educational technology project in the history of the world, here in the state of Maine…" Governor King, June 10, 2002
Maine's government set out to make a deal with Apple to allow every seventh and eighth grader in the entire state to have their own laptop. And not just in school- but to take home every night and bring back to school each day. Governor King wanted Maine's students to be the most tech savvy students in the world. There is much controversy on the matter. The entire plan is expected thru 2008, but there are currently 34,000 seventh and eighth graders with their very own laptops.
The College of Education here at U of I actually had a grant going on called METER in which they partnered with my former school, Danville High School. The teachers in on the grant (two English teachers, two math teachers) had access to two wireless labs of laptops. Students learned how to do all sorts of things on the laptops, and teachers made instructional use of them in these classes. It was a lot of money, and students couldn't take them home, but i think a lot of good came out of it. I believe this could be an opportunity to help teach students about responsibility and communicate trust and value to them. It is one thing to give a student a 10 or 15 year old, boringly-written textbook and say that we value their education and they should too. It is another thing to give them the latest technology and then teach them how to use that technology to help grow their minds. I believe it can be powerfully both academically and psychologically, if done responsibly by student and teacher.
[edit] Evidence of effectiveness
"The schools benefit from having a great ability to teach students in a vast array of new ways. The children are becoming more tech-savvy than their parents and this all happens before the kids reach the fourth grade. On the other side of the table is the resellers providing the product to the schools. We utilize bulk pricing and education pricing to create a per PC cost that is several hundred dollars less than any of our competitors. If you develop a strong relationship with the school and utilize a solid warranty program, the school IT staff are not burdened with the breakdown and repair of these machines. We handle ALL repairs at no cost to the schools and offer next day onsite service. Everybody won, especially the children. I mainly wanted to highlight this because alot of negative discussion on these programs is aimed at the cost of ownership over time and the excess burden placed on already burdened IT personel. If done properly, the total cost of ownership dops dramatically and the IT staff only have to worry about picking up the phone and saying, "Hey, a machine in classroom 302 has a broken floppy drive door(common on education machines)." After that, a good reseller with a service department can handle the rest. It all boils down to one thing: If you do your homework on this, you will be amazed at how successful these programs are." (Chris Bailey, 2004)
[edit] Critics and their rationale
Cynthia Solomon and Seymour Papert wrote the following in 1971…
"...Only inertia and prejudice, not economics or lack of good educational ideas stand in the way of providing every child in the world with the kinds of experience of which we have tried to give you some glimpses. If every child were to be given access to a computer, computers would be cheap enough for every child to be given access to a computer."
Conservative former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich told Wired Magazine the following in 1995…
"I believe that every American child ought to be living in the 21st century... This is why I like laptops - you can take them home. I'm not very impressed with computers that schools have chained to desks. I'm very impressed when kids have their own computers because they are liberated from a failed bureaucracy ...
You can't do any single thing and solve the problem. You have to change the incentives; you've got to restructure the interface between human beings. If you start redesigning a learning system rather than an educational bureaucracy, if you have incentives for kids to learn, and if you have 24-hour-a-day, 7-day a week free standing opportunities for learning, you're going to make a bigger breakthrough than the current bureaucracy. The current bureaucracy is a dying institution. "
"These days, computers are popularly thought of as multimedia devices, capable of incorporating and combining all previous forms of media - text, graphics, moving pictures, sound. I think this point of view leads to an underestimation of the computer's potential. It is certainly true that a computer can incorporate and manipulate all other media, but the true power of the computer is that it is capable of manipulating not just the expression of ideas but also the ideas themselves. The amazing thing to me is not that a computer can hold the contents of all the books in a library but that it can notice relationships between the concepts described in the books - not that it can display a picture of a bird in flight or a galaxy spinning but that it can imagine and predict the consequences of the physical laws that create these wonders. The computer is not just an advanced calculator or camera or paintbrush; rather, it is a device that accelerates and extends our processes of thought. It is an imagination machine, which starts with the ideas we put into it and takes them farther than we ever could have taken them on our own." (Daniel Hillis, 1998)
"Kids need better computers than most adults. Few adults need to control robots, create animations, build models of complex phenomena, compose music or edit video while away from the office." (Gary S. Stager, 2000)
[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
"Laptops in Schools" is a broad and vague topic. Of course, it will never be uniform in every school across the nation: similar to that of any branch of academia. It is a goal. Since it is a fairly new goal, there is much to be learned. We can gather that since the introduction of computer labs and computer software in schools, our children are more fluent with technology. We can only hope that with the introduction of laptops in schools, we will see a new frontier. We hope to see an increase in responsibility and fluency of computers.
A story out of the Chicago Sun Times discusses a government budget to spend $6.6 million dollars on technology for the school system of Schaumburg, IL. This plan includes purchasing laptops for 6th graders that they use in school and take home to use. This is all well and good and as a technology coordinator I am all for pushing ahead with technology, but in the story an 11-year boy is quote in a sunny 70-degree day "I'd rather be in here," said Aaron Henderson, 11. "It's a new computer." This is a definite reason for that amount of money to be put to use in other ways. Unfortunately this story is no longer available on the Sun-Times web-site. The article mentioned was “Schaumburg schools buying thousands of laptops for kids” Chicago Sun-Times, September 8, 2003.
[edit] One Laptop per Child association
The One Laptop per Child association (OLPC) is a Delaware based, non-profit organization set up to oversee The Children's Machine project and the construction of the XO-1 "$100 laptop". Both the project and the organization were announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2005.
OLPC is funded by a number of sponsor organizations, including AMD, Brightstar Corporation, eBay, Google, Marvell, News Corporation, SES Global, Nortel Networks, and Red Hat. Each company has donated two million dollars.[1]
The organization is chaired by Nicholas Negroponte and its CTO is Mary Lou Jepsen. Other principals of the company include former MIT Media Lab director Walter Bender, who is President of OLPC Software and Content, and Jim Gettys, Vice-President of Software Engineering.[2]
[edit] Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories
The school in which I teach in has received an amazing grant over the last two years. Last year, the entire class of 6th grade each received laptops. This year, the new 6th grade students received laptops. The computers follow the students all the way to 8th grade. The are allowed to take them home except during the summer. Once the students leave the school, the laptops recycle back to the new incoming 6th graders if they are still in good enough condition. A lot of teachers have really had a difficult time with the laptops because they will explain their rules and then not follow through with them. It is important that the teachers keep control over their students when they are using these laptops with the Internet. If the students are not specifically instructed where to go on the Internet, then they can see a lot of things that kids at that age should not see. I have truly enjoyed the laptops myself, but that is because I love working to integrate technology into my classroom. Hopefully, any teachers that have such an amazing oppotunity will learn to use it to the best of their ability. If this happens, the teachers will be amazed at what the students will learn and produce. (Robert Hayes, 2008)
I see that technology has a place in education and that students having laptops can be very beneficial for their education. At the same time it can be very expensive to school districts; especially ones that are in small and rural school districts where their tax base is not as large. Often the government may or may not always pick up the expense. This includes the fact that after five years computers are out of date and it is time to get another one. What about the teachers ability to tap into different types of technology ( i.e., programs). This can involve money and time as technology keeps evolving to meet the students changing needs. Another thing to think about is the landfills. The old laptops have to go somewhere and often this is their final resting place. There are materials that will break down and seep into the ground. I'm all for technology but its important to look at these areas also and the impact this can have on education for the student. Camille Unzicker
At Oak Prairie Junior High School in Homer Glen, we have a Apple mobile computer cart that is strictly dedicated to Digital Art and Music Technology. While I would love to have a classroom someday that was specifically designed for these curricula, using the mobile cart has been a great alternative. Students can easily take computers and instruments to various locations and get help from other students without the limitations of stand alone computers. The issue that I have is that with the rate at which technology changes, it will be very difficult (not to mention expensive) for us to keep on the cutting edge of technology. Computers that are 5 years old are basically useless to students and teachers. Computer classrooms will probably replace textbooks as the most expensive curricular materials in schools. - W. Rank
In Hilliard Weaver Middle School we have had 2 mobile laptop labs in addition to 2 stationary computer labs. The mobile labs were purchased with grant money. The grant had language that indicated that the money should be spent to benefit all of the students. Our prinicpal wrote a plan in which each teacher would have the laptop lab in their room for 2 one-week periods. The teachers were expected to write and share plans for lessons that required computer time. At first I, like many other teachers, thought that this was one more way to take up our time, and planning was slow. As we began to see the possibilites, plans for the laptop labs came more easily and were more exiting to the students. In math we use the computer lab for experiments with virtual manipulatives, graphing data gathered, and exploring various functions. In language arts the students do research for research papers. In science, the students build and test bridge designs before constructing balsa-wood bridges. In social studies, students film and edit video projects. The students benefit from the quality lessons and learning experiences because the teachers were required to make it work. (Lee Wilkinson, Hilliard Weaver M.S.)
For more information about why laptops in schools are so important, see Information Literacy. Just as with other subject areas such as math and science, there are information literacy standards. Laptops in schools will help teach students these standards. I would highly recommend these programs. Be sure to ask the school librarian if he/she wants to get involved. Many school librarians are excited about information literacy. -L. Weinstein
Our district has a portable labtop lab but it is outdated and doesnot work well as a result the teachers do not use it as much as they should. I have heard numerous people talk about the idea of all students haveing labtops at school. I wonder what the financial implications of trying to do that would be especially in the states with the largest populations. While I think computers are a wonderful tool we must remember that they are only a tool. I worry sometimes that we are becoming to reliant on computers doing our work to some degree for us. Maybe that is a good thing and not a problem but it does concern me. Also as computers in general are becoming more important it seems we are creating a greater education gap between the haves and the havenots in our school districts. A wealthy suburban district might be able to give students labtops without state support where a poorer rural district certainly could not. I think the introduction of labtops into education is a wonderful development. We just need to make sure it is handled in a way that benefits all students and school districts. Craig Johnson
"I work in the computer lab in an elementary (K-4) school. We have a fully equip iMac lab with all of the amenities. About six months ago, we adopted a "floating lab" as we like to call it. It is a cart containing 30, 12", wireless iBooks. Since the introduction, students have been delighted. Most of the students see their moms or dads using laptops at home, but many of them claim to not be allowed to touch them- they are only allowed to use the big desktop. Laptops have the reputation of being fragile and vulnerable. In allowing our students to use these iBooks, and at their leisure, empowers them in such a profound way. We, as tech teachers, know that they are no more fragile than the desktop machines, but let the students explore them however they are inclined to do so. These past six months, and the remaining months of the school year, have been an experiment- for lack of better terms. What we have found is that the students are enthusiastic to manipulate the laptops as often as they can, but it is the teachers that need the extra boost. The teachers are scared and intimidated by the cart and may need seminars or workshops to help diminish their fears. This is the only way I see the cart succeeding in our school." (Alex Vavouliotis)
At the middle school where I work, each core academic team has a cart with 15 laptops on it. It has been great being able to utilize this resource. We don't have to sign up months in advance, and it is possible just to have the students do quick web serches. Overall, it seems as though the students have become much more profiecient in the use of word processing programs, and have attained a good comfort level. Warner Ferratier
We have had a mobile computer lab program in our middle school for the last three years. It has been a great help to alleviate the congestion and scheduling problems with our stationary computer lab. The only drawbacks that we have experienced are the constant maintenance, safety concerns, and the need for expertise technicians. H. Ro
I find there has to be a balance in regards to our encroaching and somewhat utopian desire to put a laptop in the backpack of every student. I teach technology and while I agree with Alex's point that they are no less fragile than a desktop, we don't allow our students to carry a desktop in their backpacks.
The story of "I forgot my homework" converts very easily into "The laptop crashed as I was finishing the assignment." Losing a schoolbook is bothersome but the cost of replacing it is a mere fraction of that involved in a piece of hardware. In addition, I can't remember recall any instances where I have had to remove viruses, spyware or trojan horses from a textbook. K Darche.
Pods of laptops are given to each department in our high school. Wireless internet is the biggie. Teachers are extremely cautious about using them, however, as they know how students can be with things that do not belong to them. It's like this - when my sons learned to drive, I couldn't count how many times that squealed the tires out of the driveway. Once they purchased their own vehicles (and tires) the squealing stopped. Coincidence? I think not! This is how it is with the laptops. How much more would a teacher use laptops in the classroom if all the students provided their own, hmmmm? M. Uhls
I teach special education and find that laptops are very useful. I can load adaptive technologies and can accommodate many adaptations for students. For example, there are programs where students can speak into a computer and the program will write it down in a word program. Laptops enable students to succeed and help them to function and be included into the regular classroom settings. P Graham
In a world that is relying more and more on technology I wish legislators would realize the implications that laptops have in education. Every part of everyday life is somehow touched by technology. We need to do a better job at moving our students into the age of technology if we want them to be global consumers. Many of them already know more than we do about the computers that we use. I can only imagine the learning exchange that could happen between teachers and students if they only had laptops. C. Yeoman
While I think it is valuable to expose students to computer use, over-utilizing technology, especially at a young age can have negative effects as well, for example, a reduced emphasis on problem solving (calculators), understanding graphs (spreadsheets) and even writing (word processors). M. Cornell
I think the idea of a laptop for every student is a wonderful thought. I just see alot of obstacles to overcome such as damaged,lost, and stolen lap tops. I think the theory is fantastic but unrealistic. I think a much more realistic approach would be to have more floating labs. I think that would be a huge asset to our school as we are constantly struggling to schedule lab time for our entire high school with only two available labs. L. Gowler
I wish that we had a computer lab that was made of Labtops to accompany the computer lab we currently have. I have worked with the University of Illinois and we have used labtops and palm pilots and other technology that is portable and it is wonderful. Scheduling is the difficulty with the computer lab and having a certain number of labtops would be helpful in my science class. B McArthur
Several of our buildings have "COWs" (Computers On Wheels) and they are used for many purposes including MAP testing. MAP testing is an adaptive assessment that is given twice a year to grades 2 through 9. The laptops allow the computers to be taken to the students rather than the students leaving their classroom and coming to the lab. We also have wireless access points so that the laptops can access the network. This provides flexibility for research in the classroom using the laptops. Most buildings like having COWs in addition to their regular computer labs. It gives the students more access to the technology. ~RSmall
Beginning next school year, my school may be getting a mobile wireless lab to share amongst the junior high classes. I think this would be an incredibly valuable asset. Currently, we have one computer lab that is used solely for computer classes all day long throughout the year. If we want to take our students to use the computers we need to switch rooms with either of the two science teachers whose rooms are equipped with about twenty computers each. This makes it inconvenient for both teachers and students due to the change in rooms and whatnot. Just recently I was given four laptops with Internet access for my classroom because some of my end of the year projects I am having my students do involve technology. When the students saw these in the room they were so excited and couldn't wait to start using them. I couldn't wait to start using them either! Although there are only four, this is better than having none at all. If we could have a mobile laptop lab next year I think it would be so beneficial to everyone involved and it would make us teachers more willing and able to use technology more often than we are now. ~K. Kleckauskas, Middle School Language Arts and Spanish Teacher, 3 years
My school has two carts of wireless laptops, each with 30 machines. They are underused as a resource, partly because of problems with the wireless connections. They also do require a lot of management, while in use and to control losses and repairs. This past fall, our school was visited by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as part of his "I-Connect" campaign- a proposal to provide laptops to every 7th grade student in Illinois, which the student would keep with them throughout high school. School districts would decide how the laptop computer will be utilized in the classroom. Teachers would also receive professional training on how to integrate laptop computers into everyday curriculum. For more information about the I-Connect Initiative, visit www.IllinoisConnect.org -S. Yunker
Yunker (above) bring up a good point. I've worked in a school with two laptop carts and these presented two major issues: 1. Wireless connections 2. Charging The carts were designed to have the laptops change by having a master plug/surge protector plugged in. This works if the laptops aren't being used - but anytime back-to-back periods were needed, power became a major issue. Naturally, students can remove the chargers from the cart - but most classrooms are not properly designed to provide an outlet for 18+ students. We often had to only take out half the laptops in the cart and do partners or groups of three so the next period could alternate with the other set. -C. Liang CTER 9
The county where I teach (Cobb County, Georgia) is beginning the first phase of laptop distribution in the schools. The teachers have all received our laptops, and in the coming years students will be receiving them as well. I for one am incredibly excited about students with laptops in the classroom. I think technology is moving at such a fast pace that the only way to keep up is to allow students the tecnology they need to have inside the learning environment. --David Roth
I work in a school where the certain programs are put into closets or hallways. We have one whole room devoted to a computer lab. Most teachers only use the computer lab one hour a week, so the computer lab is often sitting empty. I think a floating lab would be a great alternative to a stationary lab in a school that is always searching for more space. E. Kilroy
As a technology instructor, and a technology advisor to our college, I have attended many conferences and seminars talking to educators about their technology programs. In fact, I met the lady responsible for the I-Connect Initiative pilot program being done in Cook County. In theory the one-to-one theory of placing a labtop in the hands of every 7th grader is admirable and supports our state's educational goals. However, there are several factors that many times are overlooked. First is the knowledge of how to use and care for the unit which many students and families do not possess. The lady directing the Cook county pilot program discussed the many problems they are experiencing with laptops being damaged by misuse and lack of technical knowledge. The cost of repairing units, or replacing units that have been stolen has created a major obstacle. For those schools that have decided to keep the labtops in the classroom, there are still two major issues. First, the school must have the infrastructure in place to handle the technology. Wireless technology isn't as easy as many try to make it sound. This requires trained technicians that can maintain and upgrade the system. The second issue that I hear all the time is the lack of professional development. A couple of one-hour workshops is not enough time to teach teachers how to use the technology and integrate it into their lessons plans. Teacher's need time to learn and become comfortable with the technology or they are not going to use it. If a school makes the decision to invest in laptops, then they must also budget for the repairs/replacement costs, technology infrastructure costs, technical support costs, and last but definately not lease, the professional development to adequately prepare their teachers for using the technology. J. Adwell
For the past two years the high school I teach at has been phasing in a 1-to-1 laptop inititive. As a member of the technology committee, I have had the opportunity to help pick out the laptops, train teachers, and participate in a pilot program. The first phase of the laptop inititive included giving teachers laptops, starting to train teachers on instructional technology, and set up the school with wireless. The next phase began the following year, and a group of thirteen teachers participated in a pilot program. The last phase will begin in the fall of 2007 with all students being outfitted with a laptop. This last phase has been two years in the making to ensure the success and readiness of this inititiave. Teachers feel more prepared because they have had training and time to prepare. Overall, the students and most of our staff are looking forward to the rollout in the Fall 07. J. Delaney
We have just moved into a new school and we currently have two computer labs and a traveling laptop lab. I wish my district had a laptop for every student. My students learn so much better when we are on the laptops or in the lab. Teachers can make great assignments and the learning can be much more meaningful to the students. One drawback I have seen is that a lot of teachers are afraid to make computer lessons because the feel the students know more than they do. I think there needs to be more teacher training if laptops are to be used by all students. B. Moore
I teach in the same district as S. Yunker (above). The concept of every student having a laptop is great. The benefits would be enormous. The reality is awful.
We currently have only 6 technicians serving our district of 18 campuses and numerous adminstrative buildings with over 3,000 machines. Laptops, on the whole, tend to be more susceptible to problems just by virtue of the fact that they are being transported constantly, leading to being dropped, bumped, left outside, etc. Add to this that batteries eventually need to be replaced, and at a cost of $200 each at the bare minimum, this becomes an expensive proposition. There is also the factor of exposing the school network to a host of viruses as hundreds of students log on at home, then reconnect at school. This process allows many viruses, trojans, worms, etc., to bypass the network filters. As the icing on the cake, our current infrastructure, both of the network and individual schools would need an inordinate amount of updating to be able to handle the electrical and internet needs for a one-to-one initiative.
So,as I said, it sounds great in theory. Unfortunately, the reality, at least for our district, is that this would be an impossibility. -S. Sheahan
[edit] References and other links of interest
http://www.stager.org/articles/laptopbookchapter.html
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20040304/156204_F.shtml
http://www.apple.com/education/k12/onetoone/
http://www2.edweek.org/ads/advertorials04/Gateway.pdf
http://lgfpms.classdrive.net/29499 One-to-One Resource Site
Links to One-to-One Programs throughout the country
- One-to-One in Ten New York City's Region 10 One-to-One Laptop program.
- New Trier High School is experimenting with laptops and wireless internet as classroom tools. Department :Chairs can be contacted for more information on their program.
- Alaska's One-to-One Danali Borough School District in Alaska has 300 :students in three school buildings located 40 miles apart. (2007)
- Great Maine Schools Project February 2004 Final Report.
- Fullerton, California 2004 First and second year reports on program outcomes.
- Irving, Texas Irving High School Laptop Initiative 2002-2004
