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 Brooks Twilley on February 13, 2013 at 9:21pm

I have the unique perspective on 1:1 deployment as a pilot for an iPad classroom. I teach 7th grade Integrated STEM. From a feasibility standpoint, the greatest opposition to implementing a 1:1 of iPads were the financial considerations of the district, and committing to a secondary operating system for a resistant IT department to support. At the onset of the pilot, both of these concerns were major roadblocks. The district saw capital expense, where I saw an opportunity for cost savings. IT saw a system their aging staff would have to learn and support, I saw a device that made IT obsolete. Towards the end of the pilot, a referendum and some personnel changes have eliminated both of these concerns, and I am now actively engaged with our new Instructional Technology Director in developing long term, sustainable 1:1 deployment schema.

At the time of my pilot, the Apple iPad 2 was chosen for its ease of use and robust design. Its market popularity also ensured student engagement. Since, Apple has released a third and fourth generation iPad as well as a miniature version. All things considered, the iPad 2 is still my preferred device for the classroom. Cost, weight and profile give the older, slighter design the advantage. As all things Apple, there will come a day when the iPad 2 will fall on the wrong side of the proverbial line in the sand, and will not be compatible with newer systems, i.e. pre-spring 2011 iMacs are not compatible with Apple TV - another classroom instructional tool. From the students perspective, a BYOD environment survey yielded 95% interested in such an approach, with the hold outs having concerns over equity, device inadequacy and theft.

Having piloted a 1:1, and collaborated with the district on future deployments, I am aware of concerns on the educators standpoint. Training is a very real issue. Teaching staff that are closer to retirement have indicated a reluctance to adopt new ways of doing things, elementary teachers - already over-burdened - retract at the thought of one more new initiative. The district, accountable to the public who expects equity, approaches any new capital investment with a Same-For-All atitude, often whether the classroom teachers want it or not. I think it is reasonable to expect certain content areas to field 1:1 devices, integrating them into their students' learning. I see these devices making connections between the Science-Technology-Engineering-Math classes the students are taking. Unless the district can provide devices for all students, I recommend that at a minimum these content areas are prioritized in deployment.

On the iPads this week, my students are co-constructing a knowledge base on a famous black chemist - Percy Julian. After compiling notes on his background, education, experiences and skills - they will together create a resume for Percy Julian. I have integrated Google Drive heavily into my 1:1 program. By sharing and working off of the same file, my teams can create and collaborate in real time.

Permalink Reply by Elena Guyer on February 14, 2013 at 5:01pm

I have a completely different perspective regarding the one to one initiative. I teach in a community college, and having current technology is a must. Many students do own their own laptops or tablets, but I would guess that the number of students who do not is greater. The college is constantly trying to fulfill the need to have more computers available to the students, but there never seems to be enough computers to go around.

One solution we have considered is to research having laptops and tablets for sale in our bookstore that students could purchase, using their financial aid award. I have heard of other colleges and universities that allow students to rent laptops with an option to purchase them upon graduation at a reduced cost. I think both of these options would be something that students would find acceptable.

The college uses BlackBoard as an online learning environment, and it is the expectation that students not only have access to a computer, but check the course site and their email regularly. If students do not have access to a computer outside of the college, it may hinder their ability to be successful in the course.

Permalink Reply by Brian Gillespie on February 14, 2013 at 7:37pm

I took a course here at Wilmington that required a lot of online research and tools. Our instructor reserved the only lab available, which was a bit cramped. Having my own laptop was a huge advantage. I could carve out a little space and go to work.

Rent to own is a great idea. I would propose something similar for school districts. Technology is a must for anyone in society. We are reaching a point where technology literacy will become more powerful than formal education.

Permalink Reply by Erin Bailey on February 16, 2013 at 6:14am

Your discussion is interesting because you already use a form of One-To-One technology. It is amazing the amount of college students that do not own their own laptops, when this is such a necessity in college. I feel that the renting would be a great option for the students. I agree that in order to be successful on a course through Blackboard, it is a must to have access to a computer outside of the college.

Permalink Reply by Diana North on February 22, 2013 at 6:44pm

This surprises me. How can you attend college without a device? Interesting.

Permalink Reply by Kim Cross on February 16, 2013 at 9:04pm

The number of college students that do not have their own laptops or tablets surprises me, I don't know how I would've made it though college if I did not have my own. The idea of allowing students to rent a laptop is great. When I was receiving my undergrad degree, one of my friends was given a laptop by his school (the money was included with the tuition costs) to ensure that all students had a laptop.

Permalink Reply by Geina Roti on February 14, 2013 at 9:38pm

I think that this would be a great program! I know that in Florida and I think 27 other states they are switching to a different testing method. With this method students will need to complete their assessments on the computer. It is important for students to be comfortable with the computer in order to be successful with this high risk testing. Not everyone will agree but that is what it is turning into. Teacher may not understand the technology but it is going to keep growing. Many of my text I teach with everyday are located on the computer. My district is also turning to Common Core Standards. By having the students test on line it will break up each individual benchmark they are tested on and clearly state if they have mastered it. For a classroom teacher I think the most ideal one-to-one program would be an Ipad. Their are so many education apps, videos, and websites that could be put into and shaped into exactly what that student needs. I do not think that all teachers would agree but they fear the technology. I would use these to implement lessons such as creating them on educreations. It would be a review for students and almost like an interactive anchor chart that these students could replay, pause, and go over and over for their understanding. I see this happening in the near future for many schools.

Permalink Reply by Jeanine Kersch on February 15, 2013 at 6:05pm

I am a middle school teacher who loves to play with new devices when I can get my hands on them. However, I can see how difficult the implementation of a one to one iPad program will be. We currently have bandwidth problems in our building with just the teachers and labs accessing the internet. I cannot imagine how frustrating it would be without an upgrade of this system! As far as connectivity is concerned, the district does not give access to the wireless network to the teachers for their own personal devices, so it would be hard to see how they would allow each child to have their own machine. We also have a lot of teachers who are resistant to new technologies. Sometimes it is due to a lack of time and irritation with another new initiative with little time to prepare for the change and other times it is just due to fear about not being able to manage a classroom of technical difficulties. In a private school environment you can ask/demand that the students purchase the technology the school wants them to have but in public school we must not allow one group of students to have any obvious advantages over another. So if we were to start a new technology project it would mean the purchase of a machine for each student. That is a major investment, not including the infrastructure and teacher training. It sounds as if I am against the idea of one to one, but I am not. I am just a realist and cannot see how it could work without draining resources from other sectors of the educational system. If it means we can spend state testing money on iPads instead, then I am all for it! It is easy to see how important it is to integrate technological skills for our techno-savy students but I do not think that the bugs have been worked out of the system yet. Plus the technology is not yet cheap enough for it to be handed out like a new textbook.

Permalink Reply by Brooks Twilley on February 15, 2013 at 8:21pm

Hi Jeanine,

I think your concerns regarding connectivity and bandwidth are real. I am helping our instructional technology team develop a deployment strategy across the district, and the things you mention are real stumbling blocks for us. It turns out that providing wireless service to 100s of devices is a complicated endeavor when they're all drinking from the same straw. Routers and switches specifically designed to manage such traffic are upwards of $500 - $700 and would be required almost in every room. In my iPad 1:1 pilot, i do run into bandwidth problems, especially when streaming video content. I took to loading the content locally on the devices, and utilizing cloud collaboration so that student work wasn't occupying the data pipe, only simple html data.

Permalink Reply by Jeanine Kersch on February 16, 2013 at 8:53am

It is exciting to know that there is a pilot 1:1 out there. It makes me hopeful for the future. I originally was not a big iPad proponent because of my Apple-hating family members, but after taking these educational technology courses I can see how iPads are so far ahead of the curve. Using anything else just breeds more technology headaches. Example: My youngest son was part of a tablet trial (not iPad) during his senior year, but the machine was so limited and had lots of issues so he did not find it to be very useful. He ended up abandoning that tablet by December and started using another one that his brother got him for $99 where he could run a different Android operating system.

From what I have seen about iOS6, there are even management systems to limit student activities to just the lesson at hand and load content to all of the student devices at the same time, too! It seems the beauty of the iPad is that since it has been adopted so widely and quickly, the world has been solving its technology issues and creating great content. Now our problem is the infrastructure and teacher buy-in which will only come if the technical glitches are solved first! Thanks for the info. I would love to see your class in action!

Permalink Reply by Diana North on February 22, 2013 at 6:50pm

Streaming video really clogs up that poor straw! Each of the access points at my school allow 25 devices at a time. My COW router allows 30 devices. I've used it for almost 3 years...not one problem. A good router...for traveling from room to room. I've been very happy with the quality.

Permalink Reply by Diana North on February 22, 2013 at 6:47pm

You are exactly correct. Bandwidth is crucial. We just upgraded, and I have a feeling we will be upgrading again soon. We also need a few more access points. Poor infrastructure would kill a 1v1 program.