A 1:1 device program is one where each student has access to their own device throughout every school day. I am actually not particularly in favour of schools embarking on such a program at this time. I don't mean that I am opposed to it fundamentally but I do think that time, effort and money would be better spent elsewhere. Specifically I think that STEM related resources and teacher training should be where funds are expended right now and I think this would result in better educational outcomes overall. I would also make the point that I am not saying that schools should have no devices but just not 1:1, yet…
However, not everyone shares my view so if a school is going to spend tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars on a 1:1 device program then it should be done properly. By properly I mean as
I wrote in a previous blog post that considerable planning is required to establish
SMART goals by asking questions such as we are doing X which is great but it would be even better if we could do Y. For example, a goal might be that students are to be able to collaborate in real time on a project and teachers are able to provide feedback directly also in real time. Once that goal is established then various software solutions can be examined which in turn leads to the hardware on which that software will run
The planning phase is so important and covers the majority of the time from inception to completion of the program. Too many schools simply pick a device and stick it in the classroom and wait for the teachers to work out what to do with them. I have asked many parents of high school kids about their experiences and typically they are required to spend over $1000 on a laptop (sometimes every three years!) and then find the kids merely do word processing, research and read their PDF textbooks. It is no wonder that the headmaster of Sydney Grammar called the laptop roll-out in his school a “
scandalous waste!” Unless students are doing CAD, video editing, computer program compilation or other CPU intensive tasks there is no need for such an expensive device.
It is also likely that no one device will meet all of a student’s requirements. If you consider your own device use, for a given task, you might choose to use your phone, a tablet, a laptop or a desktop computer. Students should have the same opportunity to choose the device which is best to solve the problem they have. So instead of spending over $1000 for a single device primary schools could choose to purchase a cheaper device in the range of $500-600 and ALSO a tablet and give the students the best of both worlds.
So in summary a 1:1 device program can be valuable but only after detailed planning has been done. I would expect that parents would be shown the research that has been done to justify the program and exactly how it is envisaged that the program will improve the educational outcomes and how that will be measured. Transparent reporting of whether the program is meetings it stated goals would then follow.
Next week I will wrap up this look at 1:1 programs and discuss the infrastructure requirements and teaching training considerations.
So do you think primary school kids should all have their own device? Should they have devices which are north of a grand or would cheaper suffice? Have you seen any awesome examples of successful 1:1 device programs?
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