One to One Initiative

What is a reasonable expectation for initiating a one-to-one program at your school? First, is it possible and if no then why? Second, what device would work best for your school, and if you answered no to the previous, what device do YOU think would be ideal for your school? Is BYOT an option? Third, what kind of feedback would you expect from teachers? Last, how would YOU best use one-to-one devices in your classroom?

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ISTE Wiki One to One

Launching an iPad 1-to-1 Program

Is BYOT Just a Bridge to 1-to-1?

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Permalink Reply by Danny O'Connor on February 18, 2013 at 6:25pm

It is a difficult position to be teacher and make decisions based on Economic Status. However, I think unfortunately we are put into that position more and more. Do we not do something because some students can't afford or do something or do we keep pushing students ahead. I believe we are put into a tough spot each day when making decisions. However, I would not want a teacher to not teach my child something because they thought other kids would or could not afford or understand something. As a parent I want my child's teacher to push them as far and hard as possible. I do not want their decisisons based on what other people can afford. My school is a school in which many student have access to technology that can benefit them on a daily basis, however, I have some students that can not have technology at their fingertips. What do you do?

Permalink Reply by samuel henry duncan on February 18, 2013 at 9:16pm

I agree Danny. Economic circumstances is a big proponent in teaching during this day and age. And it is a big problem teaching in schools that have such a diverse population. I teach in a school with a high population of free and reduced lunch, but other students come from families with high incomes that have the resources to provide their children with technology that they need for school. Instead of dwelling on this concept, I would like to embrace it. I would like to start a buddy system in schools that would partner students with the technology with other students that are not able to have such materials. This program would be initiated in each grade level, per homeroom class. Since I am an elementary school teacher, I see this working in this environment. I believe it would be hard to do this in the higher grades. Students who have the access to the technology would be buddied with a student that did have access and they would work on projects together using the devices. Student pairs could work everyday on projects and assignments throughout the year sharing the devices and using each others ideas to enhance their projects. This would be beneficial in many ways. First, students from different backgrounds would be able to interact with each other at school in ways that they might never do because of their economic statues. Also, it would be a learning experience for both kinds of students because they are working together on projects on a daily basis, which would encourage sharing and group work skills.

New ways of teaching is always going to be hard to start, but if you can find ways to work it out, and have an open mind anything is possible.

Permalink Reply by samuel henry duncan on February 18, 2013 at 8:53pm

I believe that a one to one initiative would be possible at my school because our district has taken a big initiative to incorporate technology into the classroom. Over the past two years Colonial School District has spent a lot of money for computer carts, Ipad Carts, smart-boards in every classroom, and in all, updating most of the teachers technology in the classrooms. Saying that, most teachers in my school our on board, like I would hope it is in every school in my district. BUT, many teachers are still resistant, and do not want to take the time to accept technology into their own classrooms. This is a big hurdle that is hard to defeat. If a teachers does not want to start something new, they are going to fight to the end or until others give up on trying to persuade them. That is the biggest challenge we face in our school. Which is not all the teachers are on board, and only a small percentage of us are willing to accept technology and try to learn as much as we can to help our students. Another problem we face is we do not have enough technology to facilitate a true BYOT program. We only have a few computer carts, that are passed around the school. So not every classroom has a class set of computers. And we only have a small amount of Ipad carts, 3 or 4 if I am correct. Obviously this is a problem because not every student is going to get a computer all the time to themselves. Saying this I have tried and hope that we can create some sort of technology schedule that would keep the computer carts and Ipad carts fluctuating throughout the school so students are getting consistent access to the technology. This would help also, because the more the students are interacting with the devices the better that they are going to get at it.

There are two devices that I like to use in the classroom. Obviously I like the Ipads because of the convenience and portability. But they are costly and hard for students to grasp. I would like to see everyone in my school and district to have the ability to use a smart notebook everyday. They are small computers with a small price tag. They are just like computers, so many of our students will be able to use them without being taught how to use them. These small computers would be great for each student to have in the classroom. They could have all of their textbooks downloaded on them, which would cut down on district spending. Also, I would like them to have access to many books that they could upload and read at anytime. I would also use google drive for every student, since every student in my district has a google account. I can have them create assignments at school and at home and they can submit work whenever possible.

Permalink Reply by Janine Conley on February 19, 2013 at 2:23pm

Hello! I believe the initiation of a one-to-one program in my school could have potential over the next five to seven years. I had to really think about this idea, and I have to admit, the thought of every students having a tablet or computing device almost seems unreal! It would be amazing to see how the students respond to this. Would they be more responsible and motivated in learning, or would it have a negative impact by having increased distractions tied to their learning? Although I would definitely find use for the devices in my science classroom, it would be difficult for me as a teacher to shy away from the notebook and pencil driven lessons. Science is about observing, collecting, organizing and analyzing data... all in which are done in the students lab notebooks. It holds a collection of their hypotheses, experimental designs, diagrams, and pictures all done from hand. How can these tablets replace that? Even as a younger teacher who seeks new opportunities to engage students in learning, or brings new technology into the classroom, I am hesitant with the thought of my students all with devices. I feel there would be many teachers that I work with that would have the same feelings. There would definitely need to be clear expectations and policies enforced to control the usage of laptops/tablets. It is evident our 21st century learners are driven by technology, and almost "can't live without it." I feel I would best incorporate the one-to-one initiative by having students view animations, online labs, or even notes at their desks through my instruction. This would differentiate my instruction to meet their diverse needs. The students can learn at their own pace, or go back and view a slide on their own.

Permalink Reply by Gilbert Gonzalez on April 13, 2013 at 3:45pm

I think the answer to this question depends on the unique environment within each school district. Ultimately, it all revolves around finances and commitment. I believe that it is entirely possible for school districts to implement a 1:1 program if finances and commitment are going to remain stable. Unfortunately, this is most often not the case. My school district had a 1:1 program in place for grades 9-12 for two years. We were able to implement the program with creative financing by leasing equipment. The main device for the program was a netbook computer from HP. When the 2009 budget cuts hit New Jersey, we lost a significant portion of our funding. We were faced with a decision; lose the 1:1 program or lose teachers. Ultimately, we lost the 1:1 program and had to default on our lease and send 800 laptops back. In order to keep the technology infusion going that the 1:1 program had brought into our curriculum, we quickly had to change directions and implement a BYOD (or BYOT) program throughout the district. I think that the BYOD program has actually worked out better than the 1:1 program. We now treat our network just like a college campus and allow access from any device. The BYOD program has actually transformed our computing environment into a completely mobile environment, which has driven many advances in our productivity throughout the district. I believe that mobile devices such as the iPad are a more effective choice for educational organizations since they make technology simple and accessible. Our teachers have been slow to embrace this open access to technology in our district. Many of them still feel that it is a distraction. I personally feel that engaging students through the devices and exercising classroom management can address distractions. I see the best use of this kind of technology and access to be creating online learning environments that enable students to take control of their learning and enable them to have choice in how, when, and where they learn based on their individual needs.

Permalink Reply by Ashley Reynolds on April 17, 2013 at 7:51pm

Gilbert,

I agree with your statement of it depends on the school district and their own environment and financial status. I am sorry to here that your school district had the 1:1 program and had to lose it. However, it is the lesser of two evils if teachers were going to lose their jobs. I'm surprised to hear that the BYOT worked out better than the 1:1 program. What is it do you feel works better? I'm sure the students enjoy the freedom to use any time of device that they have. I also enjoyed the point you made about engaging students through the devices that it decreased behaviors and minimized need for classroom management. I agree with you that the idea of allowing students to have choices, and creating the online learning environments is important for student success.

Permalink Reply by Gilbert Gonzalez on April 20, 2013 at 11:00am

Ashley,

I feel that the BYOT program has worked out better for us because it gave us more flexibility and really forced us to reassess our priorities. The 1:1 program came along with a tremendous amount of overhead for a small school district such as my own. This caused the district to focus on the computers instead of the infrastructure problems that were becoming increasingly evident as the program expanded. With the change in direction to BYOT, the district has now been focusing on maintaining a robust infrastructure to handle the needs of the BYOT program and other programs such as the upcoming online testing through PARCC. I feel that students are more comfortable with their own devices and are more willing to use them and be creative with them. I like that our BYOT program creates more of a college atmosphere in our school district. I think that it better prepares students for the transition into that type of educational environment.

Permalink Reply by Ada Todd on April 14, 2013 at 6:51pm

I am not currently in a school, but in thinking about K-12, I believe it would be possible for laptops. With awesome funding, it would be possible with iPads as well, but that depends on the technology already utilized in the room. Also, it would depend on the infrastructure as well, Is the school internet framework capable of carrying that many devices at once? What device depends on what the school is already using. I have a personal affinity for the iPad, but many do not share that love. BYOT is an awesome idea, but there are so many issues. For example, much time will be spend getting everyone functioning and there is no way to tell if the student is playing on their toy or using it to work. Because it would be their technology, there would be such a fine line between personal freedom with their device and educational purposes. And lovely feedback. I feel for any person responsible for keeping a growing technology program rolling. I would assume at first the feedback would be HELP! and WHY ME! but then it would change to Hmm, look at that followed by WOW...I can do that?. After a while, the teachers would be more capable, the students would be capable, and everyone would be learning with technology.

Reading back, this seems like such a negative post, but don't get me wrong. I really believe that technology is our key to a more individualized education for our students. We can reach people and experiences that could never be reached without technology. But that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. It won't be easy affording the equipment, getting it going, keeping it going, training teachers and students on it's use, then keeping it up to date. But it will be worth it in the gains in the learning of our students and teachers.

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Miller on April 16, 2013 at 3:37pm

Hi Ada! Great post! I agree that there are a number of terrific technologies available that can improve the learning process. I also agree that implementing these technologies, let alone a 1:1 program, can be challenging. Nevertheless, as instructors, we are tasked with graduating 21st century learners. It is essential that our students learn the skills that are now necessary for success in the workplace and in life. Technology know-how is a big part of that. Budgetary constraints are a real concern and I hear they are preventing many K-12 schools from purchasing textbooks, so technology purchases, I'm sure, are also being limited. I think that, even if we can't expose our students to every technology out there, we can at least teach them "how" to learn new technologies and skillsets. I think the "how" is the most important. What are your thoughts on this?

Permalink Reply by Ada Todd on April 16, 2013 at 6:41pm

I agree! It is so important that our students have the ability to use all technology and to use it for more than facebooking and texting. But buget constraints are a real issue. This article, http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/tea... seems to really hit on the issue well. After reading it I wonder why I wasn't thinking this way as well. The article is talking about how it really isin't the device (as far as which type) but HOW the 1:1 devices are used. So, because we know that 1:1 is not an if, but when, the next question (or maybe the first should be) how are we going to utilize it to ensure that students CAN use it for learning by participating in a world, instead of a network. For example, if there are limits that keep a student from posting blogs that other children can read, how can they truly blog?

Permalink Reply by Gilbert Gonzalez on April 20, 2013 at 11:19am

Ada,

I have been involved in both 1:1 and BYOT initiatives in my school district. I am that person responsible for keeping our growing technology program rolling that you refer to. In my experience, the key to being successful on both a technical and educational level is to make technology simple and inviting to use. So many school districts lock down their networks and devices to the point where they can only be used for certain basic functions. I fundamentally disagree with this approach. This ultimately makes technology harder to manage and harder to use. I have seen the frustration that results from a poor user experience turn people off and eliminate opportunities for creativity and exploration through the use of technology. Im my school district, there is open access to our wireless network for anyone to easily utilize. All of our teachers have administrative access to their computers so they can install any software that they want to utilize with their classes. I really believe that letting people use technology in their own creative ways leads to a higher quality educational experience. As for student BYOT use in the classroom and concerns about freedom and educational use, we treat this as a classroom management issue in my school district. If the students are engaged through the technology and are using it for activities and educational purposes, it doesn't leave much time for them to stray away from the lesson.

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Miller on April 16, 2013 at 3:08pm

What is a reasonable expectation for initiating a one-to-one program at your school? Is it possible? If not, why?

I am not sure if this is really relevant to the university setting. The majority of our students already have a device of their own and those who do not have a device of their own can make use of open computer labs. I think that if we were to initiate a one-to-one program, we would have to raise tuition. In today's economic climate, I do not think that would go over well. I do recall a number of universities doing this several years ago, but it seems as though the onus has been returned to the student.

What device do you think would be ideal for your school?

Laptop carts. We have a number of computer labs in which each student can have access to a system, but we also have several rooms that have only an instructor station. Our solution has been laptop carts. Each cart has 21 laptops. The laptops connect to our open wireless. Instructors who need their students to have computer access every week of the block are assigned to computer labs. Instructors who need their students to have only occasional computer access are scheduled in regular rooms and are then given access to the laptop carts as needed. Student/instructor feedback has been positive thus far.

Is BYOT an option?

As a university, we do not currently regulate what devices students, faculty and staff can or cannot use. The result has been a BYOT environment with few restrictions. We even have an open wireless network that people can connect to. While this open access is favored by students, faculty and staff, it has resulted in some problems due to high traffic. For instance, a few blocks ago, we had a class that was using one of our laptop carts. Only a few of the students could connect to the open wireless because the access point was saturated. How did this happen? Well, with each student connecting two or three devices (i.e., cell phone, iPad, laptop, etc.) at the same time, we literally had thousands of devices trying to connect to one or two access points. In this case, our network infrastructure was simply not capable of accommodating the level of saturation encountered. The result was that we had to upgrade our network hardware. A second big concern with BYOT has been security. This is something we are still addressing. I think it is really hard to regulate what devices students, faculty and staff can or cannot use in the university setting. Open access has become the norm. For K-12 schools considering BYOT, I think they need to carefully consider what level of BYOT their network infrastructures can accommodate as well as whether or not they can truly afford the hidden costs (i.e., hardware/software upgrades, increased bandwidth, etc.) associated with BYOT.

What kind of feedback can you expect from teachers?

As increasing numbers of adjunct faculty are encountering BYOT at their places of employment, the Classroom Technology department at the university has been receiving related requests. The most recent request was for Apple TVs so that instructors can project their iPad displays without having to be tethered to the instructor desk. Like I said before, we already have an open wireless network that users can connect their devices to. BYOT has become the norm where I work. People definitely let us know when they have a personal device that they cannot use and, for the most part, it is expected that we accommodate such devices. Instructors have told us that they find this open access/BYOT environment beneficial in the classroom and that student feedback has also been very positive.

How would you best use one-to-one devices in your classroom?

I actually teach in a computer lab. Also, students who do not have a device of their own can make use of the university's open computer lab outside of class. I like knowing that all of my students have access. This allows me to employ the use of a number of educational techniques (i.e., flipping the classroom) and tools (i.e., blogs, wikis, online games) that I would otherwise need to eliminate because of access issues. I think the learning environment is greatly enhanced with 1:1.

Helpful Resources

As I was composing my response to this thread, I came across a number of excellent online resources pertaining to one-to-one initiatives and BYOT. The titles and links are included below. I hope that you find them as interesting and helpful as I did.