If Every Child has their own laptop, what are the implications for the New Face of

Education? Bruce Dixon & Sean Tierney

School of the Future Summit, Helsinki, Finland

A vision of learning built around a very powerful idea...

“More and more I was thinking of the computer not just as hardware and software but as a medium through which you could communicate important things. ….an instrument whose music is ideas.

The best thing a teacher can do is to set up the best conditions for each kid to learn. Once you have that, then the computer can help immeasurably. Conversely, just putting computers in the schools without creating a rich learning environment is useless -- worse than useless!”

http://www.honco.net/os/kay.html

eLearningEnvironments

21st Century Learning Ingredients

Technology Connectivity

Professional Development

Digital Curriculum

Improved Learning Methods

Technology

Connectivity

Professional Development

Improved Learning Methods

Digital Curriculum

Digital Curriculum

Professional Development

Connectivity

Improved Learning Methods

eLearning Ingredients

Technology

Basic ICT

PC Labs

Classroom eLearning

1:1 eLearning

Technology

Connectivity

Professional Development

Improved Learning Methods

Digital Curriculum

> 25:1

Broad, fast coverage (WiFi,

WiMAX)Lab instructor only

Student-centred learning

Complete digital curriculum

integration

~ 10:1Computers-on-wheels or

shared desktops

(~ 5:1)

Laptops (1:1)

Wireless in classroom

Dialup

More people,

deeper instruction

Most people,

thorough instructionProject-based learning

Group

collaboration

Some digital curriculum

integration

Focus on

learning PCs

Wired, lab only

Learn

ing

Valu

e

eLearning Environments

Why consider One-to-One? Equity-Narrows the Digital Divide?

Economic-budget imperatives? Unlocks the possibility of personalised learning? Improves assessment alternatives? Provides opportunity for textbook replacement? Marketing-competitive advantage? Expanded pedagogical opportunities? Research on the impact on learning? Offers 21st Century Learning opportunities

-extends formal learning communities and expand global communication and collaboration, and develop creative expression

..offering more compelling learning experiences for all students.

..build equity not inequality!

Where will the funding come?

…every student with their own laptop..why not?

A one-to-one initiative A one-to-one initiative

A simple idea that just might

work!

Why is it important for each child to have a computer? What's wrong with community-access centers?“One does not think of community pencils—kids have their own. They are tools to think with, sufficiently inexpensive to be used for work and play, drawing, writing, and mathematics. A computer can be the same, but far more powerful. ….and these belongings will be well-maintained through love and care.”

Nicholas Negroponte 2005

How can we make it happen?

Learning will not take place only inside schools and colleges, but in communities, workplaces and families. The shift to thinking about learning beyond the classroom requires a shift in our thinking about the fundamental organizational unit of education…from the school, an institution where learning is organized, defined and contained……to the learner, an intelligent agent with the potential to learn from any and all of her encounters with the world around her.

Tom Bentley, 1998

a shift in focus..

•Assists in creating collaborative learning communities connected in unique and exciting ways.

•Allows us to build compelling models for using technology to improve the learning experiences of students.

•Allows us to explore new directions and more challenging and rigorous concepts:

•Integrates a range of teaching tools providing an effective learning support and accountability framework

•Allows us to offer true differentiated instruction to individual students, to teach one student, at a time, and provide a more effective, powerful learning experience for all.

Transformative Teaching & Learning…

44

A different view of the nature of learning

• Anyone can now learn anytime, throughout their life

• Anyone can now learn anywhere, wherever one has access to the Internet

• Anyone can now learn anyhow, in tacit, non-formal and formal ways

• So, learning need not, and perhaps even should not, be concentrated in a given period of life (school age) and in a particular place (the school) nor ought it to be “standardized”, “one size fits all”

19

What does the research What does the research tells us about how tells us about how technology enables technology enables improved learning improved learning opportunities for our opportunities for our students?…students?…

What the research tells us…• Student attendance increases and students

are more motivated and more engaged (Russell, 2004, New Brunswick, 2004-06)

• Students write more, more often and better. (Silvernail, 2004, Warschauer, 2005)

• Overall improvement in test scores (New

Brunswick, 2004-06 +)

• Students engagement in critical thinking, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking on a task increased with 1-to-1 students; more willing to address/assess controversy within an assignment (Rockman, 1998)

• Increase in 21st century learning skills – including multimedia engagement, greater quality/quantity of writing, multiple/deeper investigation of information (Warschauer, 2005)

• Motivation, engagement, independent work, interaction, and class preparation/participation of students with disabilities improved (Harris, 2004)

• Access to a laptop for teachers and their students often forced a change in teachers’ level of risk and openness to learning (Rockman, 1997)

• As digital confidence grows, and teachers are more ambitious…

• More students are accessing more mathematics in deeper ways.• Students explore new dimensions of accessing new knowledge• Students are more engaged in in-depth research (Warschauer, 2004)

What the research also tells us…

• Teachers perceive that students exhibit a range of learning behaviors that are better because of the laptops (Silvernail, 2004)

• There is a greater level of effective delivery to students with special needs and individualized learning programs. (New Brunswick, 2004-06)

• There is a statistically significant change towards a constructivist teaching practice; teachers indicated the laptops were important in making these changes (Rockman, 2000)

• Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs significantly affect implementation and success (Penuel, 2005)

What the research tells also us…

The research we (very much) look forward to…

• More evidence of how 21st Century/digital pedagogy will improve learning outcomes for all students

• What attributes of leadership best enable the development of a contemporary learning culture within a school

• What is Assessment 2.0 ? -new metrics for learning that better reflect the needs of the 21st Century.

• Detail on the most effective programs that build significant change in teaching practice

…and, just how far student’s learning can go… when they are given the Freedom to Learn!

“Our school wants to start a student laptop program.. Which ones should we get?”

Standard Question 1

What data do you have that will help us convince the staff / admin we need a laptop program?

Standard Question 2

What do you mean

“What is our VISION for our student laptop program?”

Standard question 3

May 4, 2007Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops

Scores of the leased laptops break down each month, and every other morning, when the entire school has study hall, the network inevitably freezes because of the sheer number of students roaming the Internet instead of getting help from teachers.

So the Liverpool Central School District, just outside Syracuse, has decided to phase out laptops starting this fall, joining a handful of other schools around the country that adopted one-to-one computing programs and are now abandoning them as educationally empty — and worse.

“After seven years, there was literally no evidence it had any impact on student achievement — none,” said Mark Lawson, the school board president here in Liverpool

“Yet school officials here and in several other places said laptops got in the

way because they did not fit into lesson plans”

“a survey of district teachers and parents found that one-fifth of Matoaca students rarely or never used their laptops for learning..”

“I feel like I was ripped off,” said Richard Ferrante, explaining that his son, Peter,

used his laptop to become a master at the Super Mario Brothers video game.

“But it is less clear whether one-to-one computing has improved academic performance — as measured through standardized test scores and grades ..”

“If the goal is to get kids up to basic standard levels, then maybe laptops are

not the tool. But if the goal is to create the George Lucas and Steve Jobs of the

future, then laptops are extremely useful.”

“Let’s face it, math is for the most part still a paper-and-pencil activity

when you’re learning it,”

Components of a successful 1-to-1 initiative

Components of a successful 1-to-1:

Components of a successful 1-to-1:

School Readiness:

Consider:

Technical Support

Network Storage

Connectivity

Wireless Access

Power Supply

Security

Physical Security

Learning Environment

Staff Readiness

Parental Support

Community Support

Leadership Support

Baseline Project Plan:What is a realistic, manageable timeline?

How are the project tasks divided?

How will change be managed?

What are the project priorities?

What is the communication strategy?

What are the policies & procedures to be defined?

Baseline Project Plan:

Baseline Project Plan

Components of a successful 1-to-1:

Pedagogical Reform:An ongoing Process involving structured Professional Development around:

Re-Imagine Curriculum Opportunities

Examining new learning possibilities enabled by technology

How to model and replicate best practice

Exploring new forms of assessment

How technology can enable constructivist learning

What new benchmarks can be set

Components of a successful 1-to-1:

Technology for Teachers:

Underpinned by structured Professional Development

Teachers need to be comfortable with the technology prior to students having devices

Improves teacher professional productivity

Enables development of 21st century learning resources

Basic Software Issues:Set curriculum objectives, then find software tools to match

Licensing: MEA, Virus Protection, System Licenses

Imaging (Ghosting), Upgrade Management, SOE, compatibility

Cohort specific requirements

Software Registry

External Software Policy

Supporting Technology :

Components of a successful 1-to-1:

Student Laptop Deployment:Implementation Models

Timetabling (mixed classes / laptop only classes)

Whole of School Implementation

Phased Implementation (by grade or class) e.g. Year 7 and 9

Device Registry / Delivery / Timing

External Software Policy

Purchasing Models (Consider software licensing, equity etc.)

Supportive Policies:Examples

Games / Chat

Security / Storage (lunch time, sport, after school etc.)

Service / Support (pricing & limitations)

Flat batteries / Swap-out batteries

Backup / recovery

Device Flexibility / Options

Role of Parents / Mandatory training?

Other considerations:Selecting a device fit for purpose (PSA v local relationships)

How are the project tasks divided?

What is the professional development plan?

Insurance regulations

What is the communication strategy?

What are the policies & procedures to be defined?

Communication Strategy:

Set realistic expectations

Provide information / education to all stakeholders

Involve parents, staff, students, P&C / P&F and broader community in planning stages

Be transparent

Proactively celebrate successes

Summary

1. Recognize that digitalizing a didactic approach to learning is NOT the answer:• Technology is NOT a replacement for textbooks

2. Consider technology as a TOOL for bringing about desirable attributes of learning:•Independent, self directed learning•Higher-level critical thinking•Problem Solving•Collaboration / teamwork•Modelling the world the students are inheriting3. Get it right..

Within 5 - 7 years, conventional whiteboards and blackboards will be more expensive than high definition interactive screens per square inch

“Everex is offering its full-featured PC in Wal-Mart stores for US$298..”

“One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) student laptop aiming for $100 price point”

“Classmate PC (Intel’s $300 laptop) launched in Australia in August..”

Financing 1-to-1

One-to-One Funding Equity

Core Principles• Funding should ensure all students can

participate• Everyone who benefits should make some

contribution• Funding should be structured to ensure it

can be sustained indefinitely• Laptop funding must be supported by a

commitment to professional development

A unique funding option…

Networked

Fluid

Participatory

P&C Foundation

School

Family

Shared Cost Model

…that is sustainable, replicable and scalable.

Start with some assumptions….

• Student laptop $850

• Bag $50

• 3 years insurance$150

Total Cost $1100

Over 3 years $32/month

Software *

$50

A unique funding option…

Networked

Fluid

Participatory

P&C Foundation -50%- $15.99

School- 5%-$1.60

Family-45%$14.40

Shared Cost Model $32/month

…and this is sustainable, replicable and scalable…every child can benefit.

An alternative….

• Intel Classmate $450

• Bag* $30

• 3 years insurance$70

Total Cost $600

Over 3 years $17/month

Software *

$50

A unique funding option…

Networked

Fluid

Participatory

P&C Foundation -50%- $8.70

School-10%-$0.87

Family-45%-$7.85

Shared Cost Model $17.45 month

…and this is sustainable, replicable and scalable…every child can benefit.

The unconnected classroom / learnerduring school time

occasional expert visits

teachers

schoolcommunity

occasional class

excursions

school library

mobiles, phones, fax machines, TV, video

snail mail

writers

Primary sources

experts

organisations

people’s experience

collective thinking

peers

original artefacts and documents

mobiles, phones, WAP, VOIP, PDAs, tablets, desktop, laptop, future technologies

MOO chat forum wikis blogs LMS CMS podcast data/tele/video conferencing messaging email & listservs video cast/streaming webcasts meeting tools web authoring

Secondary sources

websites

learning communities

all teachersUnis/Colleges

world libraries and museums

digital repositories

RSS feedsspeakers

any school

The connected learnerany where ~ any time ~ in time

common interest groupsnetworks

commercial companies

world news

collaborative projects

action learning groups

global groups

online learning

learning objects

world events

original photos,images, video, audio

original works

Carr 2006

• Access for students within and outside their classrooms and their schools.

• Minimal access costs built into the computing costs ? eg $4-5 per month for unlimited* access anywhere in the District

• Opportunity for cost recovery through universal student contribution and extended access for business.

• An emerging business model that should have applicability to other schools across the State and beyond.

Creating a district-wide wireless broadband could mean…

www.aalf.org