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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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lindsey Williams on February 12, 2013 at 4:00pm

I agree Brittany. I think my school is in the same situation as yours is as far as funds. We are lucky to have paper to make copies. Some of us do not have ink cartridges to print documents in our rooms. I think some kind of grant would have to be written in order to get the ipads for every student. I agree, a lot of people fear technology and would be hesitant to change their teaching style. A lot of professional development would have to be held to make teachers more comfortable in using this new device.

Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Jacobs on February 13, 2013 at 8:10pm

Dear Brittany,

I agree that the veteran teachers would have be resistant to learning and incorporating the new technology. Teachers that are near retirement don't want new challenges. I've seen teachers complain when they go to these technology workshops. Yes, this is scary for veteran teachers. I have one Ipad and I only see the kids for 45 minutes and they are mainly doing hands-on art projects that I direct. I want to start rotating them onto the Ipad when they finish the art work. It is a challenge to incorporate just one. I use the Ipad to show examples and visit informational sites. When I use it their eyes light up. I agree that once the teachers get training on Ipads they will realize how powerful it is for education and get on board.

Permalink Reply by Elena Guyer on February 14, 2013 at 5:28pm

I agree that some of the veteran teachers may resist incorporating technology into the classroom. I think if the school district provided plenty of training and support, the teachers may find that things are much easier! Once teachers become comfortable using technology, it becomes second nature, and they will wonder how they got along without it. Part of it may be generational, as well. Many veteran teachers didn't grow up using technology the way newer teachers and today's students have. It's that whole "fear of the unknown"!

Using iPads in the classroom increases student engagement and makes learning more fun. There are so many ways teachers could incorporate them into a lesson, and with all of the Web 2.0 technologies like educreations and available to educators, it gives them the opportunity to be more creative as well.

Permalink Reply by Lindsey Williams on February 15, 2013 at 7:22pm

Elena,

I agree as long as much training and practice is given, I think everyone would see the benefits of using the Ipad. I myself have not used it a whole lot just because I have not found the time to sit down and teach myself the tools. We use the Ipad in elementary school for dibels testing. This is a reading assessment that tests reading fluency. It is so much easier using the Ipad to do this, rather than doing it by hand. This is one benefit I have witnessed with using the Ipad.

Permalink Reply by Erin Bailey on February 16, 2013 at 6:23am

I feel that everyone in our class has agreed that funds would not be an option in the middle and elementary schools. I also stated in my discussion that some teachers would be hesitant in changing their styles. These are the veteran teaches that you also talk about. When thinking of the schools creating the funding for the devices, they would also have to create the funding to conduct professional developments on implementing the new devices. The kidbogs seem like an awesome thing to have the students use in the classroom. I recently viewed Matt Hardy's presentation of the KidBlogs and i feel that it would provide a great way for the students to present their knowledge and collaborate with their peers through the guidance of their teachers.

Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Jacobs on February 13, 2013 at 6:59pm

Hi Diana,

It would be difficult to initiate a one-to-one program at my school. I teach in a private school that goes from PK to 8th grade. One-to-one sounds so extreme. The parents might not be in agreement that technology is the way to go. All parents would have to be in agreement to implement this initiative. The school is a small, family-friendly environment. I think there may be resistance. Teachers and staff are set in there ways. Some might feel that this will create more work for them. Like Gwen mentioned in her post, it might be better to start with a class set that all teachers could share and gradually ease more Ipads into the school. Or, purchase one Ipad for each class. Then teachers and staff could be trained and there would be less pressure on those that are not tech savvy. When everyone realizes that technology is the “Bomb”, and that Ipads are a kids magnet to learning and a teacher’s key to success, then maybe they’ll buy one for each student. The BYOT would never work. It’s too complicated for all. The school's ipads can be set up with restrictions to keep kids off certain sites and equipped with educational apps that are carefully chosen by the staff.

Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Jacobs on February 13, 2013 at 7:53pm

Oops … my edits did not go through, so I’m adding this to my post…

I would choose Ipad over any other device because of its user-friendly interface and vast selection of apps. Ipads in my art room would enable students to create art, do digital storytelling, visit virtual art galleries, play art games, and post art on social networking/gallery sites like "Artsonia" for exposure to a larger audience. It would enhance my teaching by enabling me to show presentations, videos, demonstrate techniques and view famous artists’ work.

Permalink Reply by Diana North on February 15, 2013 at 8:55am

Yes, our school is working with parents to move towards our one to one goal. It has been a process. I hope to apply for a grant for an iPad cart!!

Permalink Reply by Kristin Gillespie on February 13, 2013 at 7:30pm

I think 1 to 1 is a great way to engage all learners and embrace all the technology that we have out there! However, in my school, there is no way we could ever afford this. We have between 12-15 iPads in each grade level (3 classrooms per grade level) and we are absolutely thrilled with that for right now. The district has plans to phase in more and more of these iPads until each class has a full class set. The problem is, this could take quite a few years and by then - will iPads be the latest and greatest? With technology, it is so hard to stay up-to-date! The three classroom computers in my room are dinosaurs and the kids hate using them because they are so slow! I would love to have a classroom set of iPads in my room. I use the three that I do have each day. We have a cycle where students rotate them while practicing and reinforcing skills on their instructional level. I do not think that the BYOT program would work whatsoever in my school or district. We have students coming to school without pencils, paper, etc. So many families are struggling to make ends meet. In a more affluent district, I'm sure this may be a considerable answer. I would support increasing technology in the classroom by using 1 to 1. The biggest issue (as with many things in education) is money. Where is the money coming from?

Permalink Reply by Andrea Bonacasa on February 14, 2013 at 7:33pm

Kristin,

I like how you are questioning if iPads are going to be the latest and greatest tool by the time your school is fully equipped with them. You never can tell in this day in age. It seems like things become obsolete a year after they are put on the market. I also think funding is a problem that we are all familiar with. If only the schools had the money to provide these wonderful tools. In my perfect world every student would have an iPad that they took home and brought back to school every day. They would submit homework and class work assignments thought them, take tests that would automatically produce a score, and keep track of everything so the parents and teachers can make sure the students are doing what they are supposed to. Just think of it. Students would not have to carry around book bags because their text books would be stored on their iPads and everything they needed at any given time would be right in front of them. Now I know this is a dream and there are so many things that can go wrong, but I would love for this to be a reality one day.

Permalink Reply by Brooks Twilley on February 16, 2013 at 8:49am

Kristin and Andrea,

I think the same obsolescence concerns exist even with brands. My district is struggling with buying enough devices at once for every school. They are now considering implementing it in waves. Even if we end up buying Apple devices, like an iPad or Mac Book Air, over the course of a 5 year deployment, there is going to be incompatibilities. From charging cables to Apple TV, to ethernet and optical drives, technology changes rapidly. By selecting a leader in development like Apple, we are inviting these challenges upon ourselves.

Permalink Reply by Diana North on February 22, 2013 at 6:26pm

We will refurbish every 3 years. MacBook Air - adapters are required for the SMARTboard and Ethernet. 29.99 is the magical price.