1+to+1+Computing

There is a revolution in education occurring! Our youth today is called the digital generation, and they feel extremely comfortable with technology. How are we, teachers, going to transform our way of classroom instruction into a world that our students can relate to, and thrive from? One way is what we now call 1:1 Computing.



The ongoing theme is to push for more technology in the classroom. We are led to believe that this introduction to technology will result in better teaching, increased motivation, and ultimately a more effective student learning experience. This is unfortunately not always the case, at least not right away. Any new innovation has complexities that need to be explored before any type of mastery takes place. So the Question arises is a 1:1 computing system necessarily the way to go?

Or will it just become another distraction for our students?



What is 1:1 Computing?

One to One computing is one way which schools are bridging the gap between students need and the classroom environment. Each student in the class will have a laptop, tablet, or handheld computer at their fingertips, hence one computer to one student. When students have the computer devise at their fingertips, a whole new world of possibilities occur. With any new technology, there are positives, negatives, and everything in between. But if it is used effectively the possibilities are endless.

For example, the table below shows the differences between Learning from Technology vs. Learning with Technology. __Source:Florida Department of Education__
 * Learning from Technology || Learning with Technology ||
 * teacher centered || student centered ||
 * provide/deliver instruction || produce learning ||
 * transfer knowledge from faculty to students || elicit students' discovery and construction of knowledge ||
 * single sense stimulation || multi-sensory stimulation ||
 * single-path progression || multi-path progression ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">single media || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">multimedia ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">isolated work || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">collaborative work ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">information delivery || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">information exchange ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">passive learning || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">active learning ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">factual, knowledge-based || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">critical thinking and decision-making ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">reactive response || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">proactive-planned action ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">isolated, artificial context || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">authentic, real world context ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">This video shows the results of the 1:1 computer program in a New Jersey school that has been established for seven years. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|1:1 Initiative]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">This video discusses some of the pros and cons of the 1:1 computer program. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|Pros and Cons]

**__Here is some food for thought! Can the laptop program be successful?__**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"One-to-one computing programs only as effective as their teachers"By Meris Stansbury

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"Students who have access to technology outside of school will find schools without access to and integration of technology into their coursework to be antiquated and irrelevant to their world."

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"Laptop hardware and software must be sufficient to allow students to be creators of content, not merely passive receivers of content. The laptop must be available to use as a cognitive tool wherever and whenever the student is working." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Successful professional development:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">must be held on a continuous basis
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">provides mentors, coaches, or peer teammates to model appropriate integration strategies in actual classrooms
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">gives teachers feedback on their own <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> performance
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">holds teachers accountable for implementing instructional strategies and student learning

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students and teachers must have access to rich multimedia resources to:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">extend their world and life experiences
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">engage their senses
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">incorporate into their own multimedia projects
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">provide building blocks of instruction

“One of the most commonly reported impacts of K-12 one-to-one computing access in the literature refers to pedagogy: teacher actions become more constructivist in or the existence of a constructivist perspective is a key factor in successful one-to-one computing initiatives.”

For Example one teacher found “that teachers in one-to-one classrooms created student-centered environments for learning”. []

Here are some more **__pros__** to the 1:1 Computing system:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Learning environments are transformed.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Assessment techniques change.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Teachers look to a variety of sources for training.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Mastery is no longer solely the province of technology gurus
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Students are highly engaged.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Productivity increases.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Attitudes toward writing improve.


 * __Cons__**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Students will be distracted from class
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Students will steer away from instruction, and focus on playing with the computers
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teachers will not adapt to the new program, and will hurt both the teachers instruction, and student understanding
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Less peer interaction
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Attitudes of students are of empowerment.