1 to 1 Schools

1 to 1 can transform education

As I write my posts, I often worry that I have become too negative and cynical.  I see, hear, and read about many of the flaws with our current system.  On my flight to Mumbai, I began reading Caught in the Middle, which is an extremely depressing read for someone who grew up in the rural Midwest.  There are times when I truly wonder if our current system even has the potential to succeed.  I wonder if schools will become as irrelevant as land line telephones have become.

Fortunately, I frequently get the chance to visit classrooms in one to one schools and talk with their educators.  Although just moving to one to one will not transform a school, it does help open the door for change.  On Wednesday I had the opportunity to tour the American School of Bombay.  I left that tour with a great deal of excitement about the future of education.  Three classrooms in particular stood out as amazing examples of how technology can enhance learning.  It is important to mention that these classes didn't stand out simply because of technology, but because the technology was enhancing learning in their  classrooms.  Too often, educational leaders believe that by simply purchasing technology, education will magically change.  Obviously, that is not reality.

Thoughts on three different classrooms.....

One instructor's classroom that I visited had a very unique feel to it.  Students were very engaged and had real ownership in the classroom.  At the beginning of the class the teacher made the comment that, "I even go to the board once in a while and teach".  That statement may explain part of the reason students had such a high sense of ownership in his class.  During his class, students solved problems on the board and explained their thinking to the rest of the class.  I heard great conversations take place among the students about the best way to solve the problems. These conversations were heavily student centered.  Technology was used as a tool to enhance collaboration between students.  Google Wave was a tool used by students to collaborate as they worked through their assignments.  Students posted comments and feedback to one another outside of class, and even took pictures of formulas on their cell phones to post to Google Wave.  That collaboration could not have happened without ubiquitous computer access.

I also observed an elementary teacher who used a blog as a tool for students to collaborate and provide feedback about a book they had read.  This allowed students to make comments and even receive feedback outside of the school day.  Learning didn't stop once students left the school building!  One fourth grade student that I visited with stated that technology was used throughout the day.  It was very apparent that technology was a regular occurrence, as opposed to a special event.

A third classroom that stuck out was a middle school music lesson.  Students in the class were given the task of "inventing" their own musical instrument.  When we walked in the room, many students were working on their invention while others were working on their computers.  The students explained that they had used the computers to compose their own music and to record themselves playing an instrument.  Students were able to create in a way that may have been very difficult without technology.

These classrooms are all examples of how instructors used technology to enhance learning in their school.  None of their lessons were about technology, but they all used technology.  Students in the school were definitely doing work at the upper end of Bloom's Taxonomy.  This tour of the school energized me, and gave me optimism about the future of schools!

The Power of Collaboration

This week CASTLE launched the Iowa 1:1 Network.  CASTLE's guidelines for the blog are described as follows:

"You can post anything that you think would be helpful to the community. Random thoughts, questions for the community, planning documents, funding models, lesson plans, photos, videos, links to outside resources, podcasts, research reports, exciting things happening in your classrooms, nifty technologies, upcoming events - literally anything that you think would be of interest is welcome. Contributors can be administrators, teachers, other educators, parents, students, etc."

Although I realize that many of you may not be from Iowa, CASTLE's new blog can serve as a model of collaboration for other states and regions.  By creating a forum where anyone with a shared interest can collaborate with ease, CASTLE will help strengthen the one to one network of schools in Iowa.  Like most states, Iowa has very few one to one schools, and it may be easy for those schools to feel isolated and not maximize the potential of one to one.  Hopefully this blog will serve as a tool for educators to share resources and answer questions so that all schools benefit.  

One to One Apple Laptop Conference

I spent the day last Wednesday in Newell, Iowa at a 1:1 Apple conference.  It was exciting to see approximately 90 participants there representing numerous schools interested in learning more about one to one.  From what I can tell, Iowa will see about a 200% increase in one to one schools next year.  Hopefully, this trend will also be seen throughout the country.

If you'd like to see more information from the day, please take a look at my notes.  One important take away for the schools in attendance came from an Apple representative who described the key success factors for one to one schools.  Here are the seven major components that he listed.

• Leadership
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Curriculum and Pedagogy
• Professional Development
• Community Involvement
• Infrastructure
• Financial Plan

One to One Produces Results!

When I speak with one to one educators, I almost always ask two questions.

1)  Has one to one had a positive impact on student engagement?

2)  How has one to one impacted student achievement?

Question one gets a resounding yes every time.  Some responses to the question have actually been quite entertaining such as the teacher who remarked, "Oh, God yes!"  The responses for question two have also been very convincing.  Many teachers have shared that they have seen increased performance in their classes.  Unfortunately, because my conversations have been limited to beginning one to one schools, I haven't been able to discuss long term achievement results with educators.

I would strongly encourage those schools that are considering the move to one to one to get out there and ask these questions and others to current one to one educators.  Each and every time I have these conversations, I am more convinced of the benefits of one to one.

Edgecombe County Public Schools in North Carolina was recently featured in a story on WRAL.com.  The school is a one to one school, and those interviewed talk about the impact on student engagement and student achievement.

Students - your best allies and evangelists for your 1:1 program

In most schools, laptop initiatives start with a vision of improving student achievement, supporting 21st century education, and providing new opportunities for student-centered learning. Stakeholder meetings are held with a wide array of community leaders, business people, educators, parents, and others to gain community buy-in. However in many cases, the largest stakeholder group in a district is left out - students.

In most schools, students are over 92% of the people in the system, and they are certainly the ones most affected by any change. Yet we often overlook them when we plan and implement visionary efforts like going 1:1. This does not have to be - students, if allowed to participate, can be powerful allies and evangelists for your laptop revolution.

Any school-related change, be it technological or otherwise, needs people to feel that they have a sense of control and choice in the efforts. However, students are rarely asked to participate in these changes, and worse, are often seen simply as the objects of change. Including students in the rollout of your laptop program will provide them with a sense of mission and purpose. By allowing them to participate and voice their opinions about changes taking place in their school, their passion and attitude toward the laptops will have a profound effect on their peers, parents, and community at large. Reinforcing the belief that their voice and their actions are important, necessary, and valued creates students who will become empowered, global citizens of the 21st century. Yet this can't happen by itself. As anyone who works with youth knows, the process of learning to become a valuable team member and responsible citizen takes time. It also requires caring adults who supervise, teach, and mentor youth.

In our most recent Generation YES whitepaper, I discuss how students can be partners, allies, and powerful evangelists in any laptop initiative, and outline ways this can be achieved. I've collected many case studies from real schools where this is happening, from elementary, middle, and high schools. I invite you to download this PDF and share this free resource with your laptop team. Student Support of Laptop Programs (PDF)

Other free resources from Generation YES relating to youth empowerment via modern technologies can be found on our website.

For this post, I'll share a selection of these practical tips on including students in every aspect of your laptop initiative.

There are two basic ways students can participate and contribute to the planning and implementation of a laptop program:

1. Committees: Students can participate in technology planning committees, school site councils, technology security committees, or peer review committees. Adults often claim that including students in planning is risky, citing privacy concerns, lack of maturity, or difficult logistics. However, adults often forget that accommodations are made for them when they are included in such planning committees. Adults may or may not know anything about technology, they also have schedules to work around, and may not have been in an actual classroom for years if not decades. 

Having students participate in committee work is not only a wonderful learning opportunity for a student but creates a direct path for student feedback and point of view that is extremely beneficial to teachers and other adults. Adult guidance is key to making this student participation successful, since otherwise students may find the meetings long and the process tedious. A great way to prepare students for collaboration with adults is through role-play. Meet with students regularly prior to and after meetings to discuss progress and get their feedback.

2. Day-to-Day activities related to laptop support: Include students in various roles supporting laptop use. This can include basic technology support, teacher support, building classroom resources for teachers, or helping new users learn about their laptops. Student help can make the logistics of implementing your program run more smoothly and may also ease new users' anxieties. Assemble a student tech team before you begin your program in order to train them on the hardware and software, as well as to familiarize them with new policies. Once the laptop initiative becomes a reality, you will have an enthusiastic, trustworthy student team raring to go.

Tips for students participating in day-to-day laptop support

• Start with a smaller group and give them limited, well-defined tasks. Take the time to get to know the students and establish two-way trust.
• Reward their hard work with recognition, of course, but also more responsibility and trust. Find ways to challenge students intellectually and creatively.
• Anticipate strong student opinions. Encourage students to share their ideas. Students who are ardent users of technology will often have very strong opinions about certain  hardware, software, or operating systems. Include these students in discussions and decision-making when possible. While their strong opinions may be annoying at first, once won over, they can truly be your strongest allies!
• Create a student-centered team. As students show capability, allow them to take on leadership tasks including mentoring new students and planning. This will discourage hacking by creating ownership and understanding of rules and policies.

For more tips, ideas, and case studies of real schools where students support laptops, see the full Generation YES whitepaper, Student Support of Laptop Programs.

By Sylvia Martinez
President, Generation YES

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I Am What I Learn

Since September, students have created videos explaining why education is important to their futures for a Federal Education Department contest.  Ten of those videos have now been selected as finalists, and the public is being encouraged to help select the top three videos. 

You may be asking yourself how this student video competition relates to one to one schools.  I probably can't effectively answer that question until you watch the videos.  The technology students used in their videos allowed them to create in a way that would be extremely difficult without technology.  Students used music, various media, acting, animation, and collaboration in their videos. 

The revised Bloom's Taxonomy was published in 2001 and one of the biggest changes was the addition of creating as the highest level of cognitive complexity.  The ten short videos these students published are excellent examples of students creating with technology as a tool.  It is also interesting to note how different each one of the videos were.  I wonder what the quality of work for the students would have been if they were asked to make a poster or write a 1000 word essay.

The videos are only about two minutes each, and I think you would find it worth your time to take a look.  Here is one of the videos.

Interview with Instructional Technology Coordinator

On Tuesday I was able to visit with Flint, Michigan Community Schools Instructional Technology Coordinator Shawn Massey.  Flint is an urban school district with approximately 75% of their students on the free and reduced lunch program.  Shawn presented at the Great Lakes 1:1 Computing Conference with Flint teacher Wynn Draper-Bryant.  During their first session, the focus was on leadership.  Shawn listed the "three C's" which are roles administrators must play when moving to one to one. 

• Cheerleader-Celebrate every step of the one to one journey!
• Change agent-Focus on and continually encourage learning.
• Critical friend-Encourage collegiality, distributed leadership, and challenge staff with new ideas. 

When I asked Shawn what impact one to one has had on her school, she replied, "The culture of teaching and learning has changed drastically."  She went on to explain that she has seen an increase in creativity and cross-curriculum instruction.  Increased collaboration between teachers was another benefit that Shawn listed.

Wynn Draper-Bryant, who has been teaching for 36 years, made a very powerful statement at the end of her presentation.  She said, "If you take away my laptops, I’ll have to retire. I can’t imagine going back to the old way of teaching and learning.”

Notes from one of their presentations can be found at Wesley Fryer's site Moving at the Speed of Creativity.

1 to 1 in Grades Four and Five

The United Community School District in Iowa has implemented a one to one program for students in grades four and five.  I recently toured the school and visited with students, teachers, and administration.  As a former elementary school principal and teacher, I was very excited to see the impact of one to one on an elementary school.

In one of my classroom visits, students were asked to share some things that they were doing on the laptops.  Wow!  I could have stayed in that classroom for hours.  Students were excited to share, and they had lots of information they were able to demonstrate.  It was apparent that even in the short time these students have had laptops, they had developed lots of skills.

I also had the opportunity to visit with teachers.  A couple of comments stick out in my mind as I look back on those conversations.  When I asked one teacher about the impact of one to one, she said that she has really seen a decline in discipline issues.  Students who would typically get done with an assignment, and then get off task were finding other meaningful things to do on the laptops.  Another teacher had a great response when I asked her if laptops had an impact on student engagement.  She answered immediately without hesitation, "Oh, God yes!" 

My interview with United Superintendent Sara Keehn can be seen below.  Sara talked about how the laptops had helped level the playing field for all students.  She also shared that laptops have helped with student engagement and the school has seen a decline in behavior issues.

Marge Beatty, Nebraska ESU 16, talks about 1:1 laptop programs

While at Nebraska’s first-ever Educational Administrators Technology Conference, I learned that 8 of the 16 districts in Educational Service Unit 16 have 1:1 laptop programs. Marge Beatty, chief administrator for the ESU, was willing to let me ask her a few questions. Happy viewing!

A Different Type of School

Last Thursday, I spent the afternoon touring Van Meter Schools and visiting with teachers and administrators.  Van Meter Schools are in their first year of the one to one initiative.  What I saw while touring the school totally reinforced my beliefs about the impact technology can have on schools. 

Upon walking into the first classroom on my visit, it became apparent immediately that this wasn't a typical high school classroom.  Students were spread out in the classroom and they were working on numerous different tasks for a project that they were creating.  The thing that jumped out at me most in this room and the others that I toured was the engagement level of students.  Students looked as if they really wanted to be in the class.  The teacher shared a story about one student who wasn't able to attend school due to illness.  Rather that miss class that day, the student used her laptop from home and had a video conference with students she was working with on her group project.  Amazing, a high school student who really wanted to be at school! 

When I walked out of that first room, I spoke with the small group of administrators and two other guests who were on the tour with me.  I remember saying that, "everyone needs to see this".  If other boards, teachers, parents, policy makers and students could see these technology rich classrooms, it would become evident very quickly the direction our schools need to go.

As I continued my tour that day, I saw the same thing over and over again.  Students who were using their laptops were extremely engaged.  In another classroom students were using their laptops to work on summaries of the books that they were reading.  The teacher in that middle school classroom also shared an example with me how he had used Ning to facilitate book studies with the students.  I was amazed to see the number of comments students had posted on the site.  These students had become extremely involved with the on-line conversation.  I also visited with a teacher who had created a moodle for his students and posted his lessons on-line.  Students who had difficulty with the lesson were able to listen to the lesson a second time if they wanted to do so, and many students had done exactly that.  In another classroom, students were using flash cards from BrainFlip that allowed them to receive immediate feedback. 

These classes were only a portion of what I saw on my visit, but I did see many common themes in the rooms where students were using their laptop.  Students were creating, collaborating, and searching for knowledge.  The teachers served as facilitators of knowledge as opposed to the gate keepers of knowledge.  The tour of Van Meter Schools gave me a glimpse of what I believe schools can become.  Even though they are only a couple of months into the one to one initiative, the classes in the school had an atmosphere that was so different than our traditional schools.  Many educators talk about changing schools, but few actually take a leap that does truly change the way schools look.  I commend Van Meter for their work and commitment to their students.

For more information on Van Meter Schools, you can check out this article from the Des Moines Register.  I also was able to interview Van Meter Principal Deron Durflinger and Jen Sigrist who is the School Improvement Coordinator.  See their videos below or check them out on YouTube.  You can also see my interview of Superintendent John Carver from my September 23 blog entry.

Laptops Make Big Impact on School

Denver Public Schools just named Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) as the top school in the city.  DSST, which provides laptops to all students, has seen some very impressive results.  100 percent of DSST's first senior class were accepted into four year colleges, and from 2005-2007 DSST was the only Colorado high school to earn an "Excellent" performance rating and "Significant Improvement" growth rating on state report cards.  43 percent of DSST graduates are now pursuing fields in science and technology which is about triple the national average. 

With those amazing statistics, I was curious what type of student population attended DSST.  The school's website provided the following statistics:

• 45% of DSST students are economically disadvantages
• 60% of DSST students are Hispanic, or African American
• 50% of DSST students are first generation college bound
• Most of students enter DSST at least one grade level behind in math and English

Wow!  That last statistic really jumps out at me.  The school's principal credits passionate teachers and the fact that every student gets to take home a laptop for the schools' achievements.  Good teaching has long been recognized as a factor to student success.  It is something that schools spend lots of time, resources, and energy developing.  How many schools have made that same commitment to technology in their schools?

Read More:  http://bit.ly/2Q4VEy

Superintendent Discusses Move to 1 to 1 School

I recently had the chance to interview Van Meter superintendent John Carver.  John was asked why his school became a 1 to 1 school, and also about the effect that laptops have had on his students thus far.  If you have an interest in becoming a 1 to 1 school, John is a great resource and he would be happy to speak with you!  Take a look at the video!