of Southern Maine Office. Feb. 2004.
I chose to do one of my research blogs on a laptop program because we talked a lot about United Community's program that they just began. I was curious to see the effects that other research found on student achievement and engagement due to a laptop program.
This particular research was done in Maine (2002-2004) at a middle school where all 7th and 8th grade students were provided with laptops and teachers were also provided with training opportunities on how to incorporate laptops into their curriculum. Some highlights of the research was that over 70% of teachers said it helped them to meet students' needs by providing individualized curriculum and 4 out of 5 teachers said it improved students' motivation and engagement. In fact, teachers said students prepared better quality of work. Students reported that the laptops helped them to stay organized, get work done faster, and produce better quality work and ninth graders who no longer have laptops said their work quality has declined. This is very interesting and what I would expect.
The program started as the idea of former Gov. Angus King. He wanted Maine to move beyond what education had traditionally been doing to shift into the age of technology.In 2002, 17,000 seventh graders and their teachers received laptops. Wow! That is a huge number compared to United. When we were talking about bigger schools not being able to do provide this program, I thought that was definitely true. But 17,000 students getting laptops? That is amazing!
Of course teachers were found to use the laptops mainly for producing instructional materials, but interestingly, they were underusing them for handling student information and assessments. One teacher said that they are still "paper-based" when it came to that. Students used their laptops most for finding information, then organizing information, and finally for taking notes. The lowest use is for taking tests/quizzes using laptops. Some teachers no longer used textbooks because of the up-to-date information they could find using their laptops. Many teachers reported that they were better able to meet the learning standards for their school.
Overall, this research shows that a one-to-one laptop program has significant benefits for student work and teacher quality. I am excited to see how the program at United turns out. I wish there was enough money out there to provide more schools with this opportunity. It is a great step toward changing the mentality of the past and turning students into successful citizens in the 21st century.
I posted this blog on Oct. 1 even though it says Sept. 28. Just to be clear. :-)
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, I have chosen one article exploring the use of laptop, with different learners. It was used both for instruction as well as for students and it involves interaction and collaboration among teacher and learners. They even bring the laptop home for out of classroom learning, which I think is the critical part when it comes to learning. Learning should be part of life, not limited to classroom. However, I think it involves one critical issue, funds and if learners have access to internet at home. So, hurray to the 17000 laptops! Another critical issue you have mentioned is the teachers' attitude and motivation of using technology. I believe more teachers will be inclined to use technology in their classrooms should there be effective training provided! I believe we are on the right track and just have to continue pushing forward!
ReplyDeleteI think there is a wealth of opportunity for researching 1:1 programs and right here in Iowa. Couple really quick comments - why 17,000 laptops - that is because Maine was considered a statewide initiative. That funding, I believe, came through the legislature, so that is why that worked. Large schools can do it, they just need to rethink their budget. If you think that small schools are the only ones that can do it, that is really not correct. Proportionately, they have the same budget as larger schools - they are just choosing to spend and budget their money differently.
ReplyDeleteI found this finding interesting, "Students used their laptops most for finding information, then organizing information, and finally for taking notes." When we think about compelling and engaging uses of the internet - is this what we mean? Is this TPACK? Something to think about....
What great findings! I can't even imagine 17,000 students getting laptops, but it's great! It's exciting to see that at least steps are being taken to take the classroom to another level with technology. While I was interested to see that students' work quality improved when using the computer, it was disheartening to see that they acknowledged their quality of work went back down when not using a laptop. Hopefully they see technology as a tool and not a crutch.
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