According to a a blog on Edweek.org titled Make 1:1 Programs About the Learning & Not the Device, 1:1 initiatives in schools are becoming increasingly popular. One thing you do want to be sure to do as a district is to provide teachers with the same devices the students will be using a year before the rollout. I think this is important because it gives them time to experiment with the machine and it increases their overall level of comfort. Brady Venables points out that it's also important to provide professional development early on in the process. This gives teachers an opportunity to understand what the apps or programs can do, and how they can utilize them to their advantage in the classroom. Instead of just providing learning opportunities early on, it's imperative that professional development is carried on consistently throughout the year and into the future. Venables says, "Many schools cease professional learning opportunities after the first initial roll-out, but this leaves the teachers hanging." Next, excite the community. By exciting the community about the initiative, you're also communicating the purpose and intention behind the initiative. It's also educating the community on digital citizenship practices and providing resources for having a healthy relationship with technology at home.
One thing that is often overlooked in the process, according to what I've read here, is that investing the planning time and money in selecting and building the infrastructure is key. This consists of the switching, cabling, and Wifi access points. A school should be considered an enterprise and residential grade internet connectivity. If not, the technology won't support the goal of the initiative. And, just as it doesn't make any sense to invest money in a program that doesn't have adequate materials, it doesn't make sense to start a program like this without promoting a cultural shift. Boyd Adolfsson (Education Week Teacher), says, "Only with a shift to a student-centered learning environment can a 1:1 technology initiative truly reach its fullest potential."
In an article from Edutopia, the Main Learning and Technology initiative spent almost $120 million, but research has shown that not all schools had implemented the program to the same degree. The reason I mention this is because they did not see any significant increase in test scores. If the culture change is not there, and everyone is not on board, the program means nothing. Students need to utilize the technology correctly via authentic, meaningful learning experiences where collaboration, problem solving, learning through play, and innovation all meet in the middle.
https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/what-research-says-about-11
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2017/06/response_make_11_programs_about_the_learning_not_the_device.html
"Keeping students engaged in school in order to achieve meaningful, purposeful learning would be one of the items I think Edwards would rank highest in his evaluation of the change."
ReplyDeleteI hear a lot about 1:1. My school was supposed to go this direction first this year, and now next. We'll see what happens.
I already have classes of students that work in a computer lab. I'd like to find out more about how to really make the 1:1 work. I find that, often, students' access to a computer just means that they have one more thing to distract them...
The key element is engagement. Clearly I need to find out more!
I agree with you and Edwards. Being in a 1:1 school, with a supportive and forward thinking PTA, I have seen firsthand what Edwards speaks of when talking about infrastructure and student achievement.Our school had a 5 year plan to purchase SmartBoards for each classroom. They accomplished that goal in about 2 years. We then had to move on to address our computers and all the attachments to keep them in working order. As our school population increased, we had to re-evaluate if this was where our money should go. It wasn't. The computers were slow, were being shared and were plagued with batteries that wouldn't hold a charge. We trained as a staff and campaigned for 1:1 computers and then trained some more. The hard part was that not everyone got upgraded computers right away and teacher's lost any "extra" student computers in the building that were used as SB teacher stations or a back up when other classroom computers didn't work. Now about to start our third year of 1:1 computers, we are being outfitted again for wires to have ceiling mounted projectors. This will increase the classroom work space for more students and remove bulky furniture and cables on the floor. The downside, is that we are finding the building's infrastructure is still circa '86. We lost wattage in our lights. The newsroom went down and out elevator shorted for a time. To pay for upgrading the infrastructure, another improvement has to go. Again, some classrooms will not get newer computers. So, exploring the cost of moving into the 21st century in order to be 21st century learners is key. Training must also be there. Just having a computer doesn't mean you know how to use if efficiently or effectively. We went through 3 years of training in PBLs and it's time for us to revisit what we're doing or not doing yet.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, Tina.
DeleteMy school, like yours, had a Smartboard initiative, focusing on getting everyone (who would like one) a Smartboard. Some teachers liked them and are still using them, some just have an expensive white board! I just had my projector mounted on the wall this past year. It's been great having the bulky presentation station off the floor. Implementing this is still in process, since there are many teachers waiting for the wall or ceiling mount.
We're still waiting for 1:1. Hoping for the 2019/2020 school year. It sounds like training is going to be essential so, from the start, students' use can be "efficient and effective". Otherwise I'm concerned that they'll just become expensive distractions! I'm interested in hearing more about how teachers are making the 1:1 work.
I am at a school that has 1:1 computers for every student. It is great that students have a computer at their fingertips to use but I feel like some students totally rely on their computer to do everything. They aren't learning how to write in cursive anymore and when I do have time at the end of the school year I do teach cursive and most of them love it. Another thing is that students in my class need very strong boundaries with computer use. They are found toggling back and forth between where they are suppose to be working and a few games that they keep open to play when they feel like they need a break from their school work. I teach fourth grade and definitely have lots of boundaries when they work on their computers. They also need to learn how to take care of their computers and treat them like their own.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your post! At Belmont Ridge, we're going 1:1 this year. I'm excited for the opportunity, but I know it's going to be a huge learning curve! My CLT at school has been blowing each other's phones up all summer in the group text with ideas!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think it is important that the teacher gets some time to play around with the devices students are getting. Unfortunately, we didn't get that opportunity. So we'll just dive right in in a few weeks! I also agree about the importance of infrastructure, in the past when we were rolling out the BYOT concept, we had connectivity issues all the time because so many were accessing WiFi. That was fixed, but was a hinderance at times to our plans.