The once-promising initiative of 1:1 programs, funded by local taxpayers, state and federal grants, and bolstered by social media appeal, has become a mere checkbox for public schools. The original goal of adopting a 1:1 environment to enhance student academic effectiveness has faded, leaving a program that schools strive to attain and maintain without a clear purpose.
History and Evolution of the 1:1 Laptop Initiative in Public Schools
This past week, after a recent purchase of Apple iPads for our middle-school students, I quickly set up the cart and got the units out to the students for an upcoming lesson. It was late in the afternoon on Friday when the sixth graders were wheeled a class-set of iPads. Most had prior knowledge of using an iPad or other tablet, however they had never used them in a school setting. (Our middle schoolers are Google App and Chromebook wizards) Using Apple Configurator, I pre-loaded a Bridge Constructor app for an upcoming engineering lesson and was excited to see how students would take to the devices. Read more…
First graders have taken a strong liking to our iPad’s at school and are strong creators and bloggers with an iPad as a tool. Typically, iPad’s are consuming devices at this age, however I wanted to share a basic math lesson over the course of three days, that touches on the Massachusetts Math Frameworks, incorporating both iPads and Google Docs. The Google Docs side of this lesson is exciting because of the ease of which a teacher is able to create and share. The teacher will need either a personal Gmail account or Google Apps for Education account to create a Form, Document and a Presentation. Read more…
After ten years of working with teachers, of varying levels of “tech savvy”, I’ve come to an important conclusion…a technology infused lesson requiring the fewest moving parts, typically works best. The lesson below, Sight Word Safari, has a flavor of old school methods and new, that blurs the line for those on the cusp of taking the next steps with technology. I wanted to share something basic enough for those who might be overwhelmed by new technology. As you will see, there are no external apps or links to follow, no need to set up an account or enter user names for students.
There might be some that say the lesson includes to many dated methods, but I feel this type of lesson will bridge the “technology infused lesson gap” affecting many districts. It only takes a spark, to get a fire going… Read more…