Is Mobile One-to-One Computing the Future of Education?
By: Craig Nicholls, Ph.D., Director, Research and Evaluation
In 22 schools in New York City, a pilot program is underway to provide all 6th grade students and their teachers with tablets or laptops in an effort to improve student learning and achievement. While New York City is taking the lead for New York State, other states—Michigan, Maine, Virginia, Florida, and California, among others—already have well-established programs.
One-to-one computing involves immediate access to computing technology for every student at any time, and mobile computing involves portable technology, including laptops, tablet PCs and handheld devices. One-to-one computing signals a shift from hoarding technology in little-used “computer rooms” to providing the kind of ubiquitous access that allows a true integration of technology with learning.
Since 2003, the prevalence of one-to-one computing in schools has increased by about 20 percent. The timing for such a trend is good. Students today are technologically savvy, prefer technology as a means of communication and of accessing information, and tend to use it—in one form or another—as an everyday activity. As one student, taking part in the 2003 national NetDay survey said, “We would like to have one computer per student, possibly a wireless laptop…Access is vital, with before and after school hours open for use.”
With encouragement from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Educational Technology Plan, states are taking the lead in bringing one-to-one capabilities to their schools. States’ economic forecasts are finally seeing improvements, and some are looking to improve their educational systems with their increased resources. Additionally, foundations, institutes, companies, and other technology advocates are promoting and funding the one-to-one idea as well as marketing products specifically to this rising market. Grants from the federal government’s Enhancing Education Through Technology program are funding a number of initiatives, while some large districts, including New York, are using their capital budgets to help pay for their programs.
Why the strong push for such an expensive proposition? As its proponents see it, one—to—one computing taps into reform principles by offering students a powerful set of tools similar to those adults use on a daily basis to conduct their work. Students can access, analyze, organize, and present information in authentic contexts, in collaboration with others, including networks of students, teachers, and experts far beyond the classroom. Not surprisingly, students may find this level of engagement and control a powerful motivator for learning.
Educators have been buoyed by the early evaluation results from one-to-one mobile technology programs such as those in Michigan and Maine. Test scores have increased in some cases, but students have also earned higher grades in writing, English language arts, and mathematics classes, as well as higher overall GPAs. In Maine, reports of student learning include digital literacy skills, writing skills, collaborative skills, and higher-level thinking skills, as well as evidence of higher quality student products. Additional evaluation results from the first wave of states with one-to-one programs found that students spent more time on homework and parents become more involved in their child’s academic life.
It is against this background that New York City educators have begun their pilot one-to-one program. Data on the impact of this program will be collected and analyzed by Hezel Associates, the evaluator for the iTeach/iLearn project in New York City. The evaluation will further our understanding of the impact of one-to-one computing on teaching and learning outcomes, including the necessary environment and professional development required for success.eSchool News staff and wire service reports. (2006). 1-to-1 computing on the rise in schools. School News Online. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=6278
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, Toward A New Golden Age in American Education: How the Internet, the Law and Today’s Students Are Revolutionizing Expectations, Washington, D.C., 2004.
Department of Education. (2006). A nation on the move. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/plan/2004/site/theplan/edlite-ANationontheMove.html
eSchool News staff and wire service reports. (2006). 1-to-1 computing on the rise in schools. School News Online. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from O’Hanlon, Charlene. (2007). A measure of success. T.H.E. Journal, 34 26-32.
Metiri Group. (2006). 1 to 1 learning. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from http://images.apple.com/education/k12/onetoone/pdf/1_to_1_white_paper.pdf.
Gravelle, Paula B. (2003). Early evidence from the field the Maine learning technology initiative: Impact on the digital divide Occasional paper #2. The Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from here.
Center for Teaching and Technology Michigan State University. (2004). Freedom to learn report: 2003 project implementation. Retrieved February 26, 2007 from http://www.ftlwireless.org/upload_3/FTLREPORTJAN2004.pdf.