District Administration - February 2009 - (Page 18)

supervisor’s opinion • eamonn o’Donovan Are one-to-one Laptop programs Worth the investment? Administrators are learning that a successful program requires more than financing. I opened the doors of a brand new, state-of-the-art K8 school in orange County, Calif., in september 2003. as principal, I spearheaded an initiative to place as many laptop computers in the hands of students in grades 3-8 as possible. The goal was to prepare these students for a technology-driven world in which innovation, creativity, autonomy, and individual and group research was prized along with the traditional accumulation of knowledge. The idea was to help them to become problem-solvers who could use an ever-expanding and ever-changing base of knowledge to apply learning in task-oriented scenarios. These are the skills prized by the U.s. economy. We did not have the funding to provide a computer for every student. California did not embrace this concept, as other states have done, and now does not have the resources, given the current state of school finances. Instead, the school provided as many computers as possible, up to five per classroom, and a number of roving laptop labs. The gap was filled by parents in a voluntary program in which students brought a laptop from home to use in class. Within two years, about 60 percent of students had brought a laptop from home to use at school. With an instructional focus on project-type group learning, students were using computers during day-to-day instruction and learning in a one-to-one computer environment. for example, seventh-grade science students conducted Internet research and made powerpoint presentations and iMovies on the genetic components of parkinson’s disease, adhd, and other conditions. students were motivated and engaged, and deep learning was taking place. 18 February 2009 as a site administrator, I was faced with a broad array of challenges, many unique to a school that had to convince teachers and parents that learning with laptops was a viable and effective way to improve learning and instruction. today these challenges have been amplified on two fronts, namely, spotty implementation of laptop programs in general and the attendant diminishing of support from teachers and parents, and a lack of hard data on the efficacy of the programs. With the substantial outlay of capital involved in these programs, policy makers are taking a harder look at laptop programs. no effect on Test scores When I first became involved in this project, the press for one-to-one computing was overwhelmingly positive. The initiative was often a matter of policy from state or district leaders hoping to prepare students for an information-driven global economy. It was in essence a way to keep america competitive. almost six years later, the tide has turned. a New York Times article from May 4, 2007, entitled “seeing no progress, some schools drop Laptops” quoted policy makers as follows: “The teachers were telling us when there’s a one-to-one relationship between the student and the laptop, the box gets in the way. It’s a distraction to the educational process.” additionally, parents were frustrated that their children were spending too much time on video games. In other words, policy and theory did not pan out in practice, as teachers, students, and parents expressed pretty typical concerns with one-to-one laptop programs in actual classrooms. The lack of data on the effect of laptop programs on standardized test scores is a significant achilles heel. simply stated, in my experience, laptop programs do not have a direct bearing on standardized test scores. This is borne out by research, scarce though it may be. for example, in a summary of the first-year implementation of the laptop program in fullerton, Calif., researchers concluded that “students in the laptop program improved District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - February 2009

District Administration - February 2009
Contents
Advertiser Index
Editor's Letter
News Update
Security
Curriculum
Crisis Response
Supervisor's Opinion
The Rise of the Virtual Teacher
Speaking Their Language
Alternate Transportation Routes
Opinion
The Aftermath of the New 403(b) Regulations
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Problem Solution
New Products
Product Focus
Professional Opinion

District Administration - February 2009