Laptop Survey

This presentation was given to faculty by myself as part of a year-long exploration of technology and its future at our school. It does tend to focus on tablet computers heavily at one point, as it is the only type of laptop most teachers were unfamiliar with.

For the record.

This laptop presentation is not intended to outline a particular plan or point of view. It is intended to help give "informed consent" to what a future plan would involve. I will be happy with anything, but different choices will have a different impact on our school, and our technological environment.

The first point is that we are, practically speaking, already a laptop school.  In Privett the vast majority of students already have laptops. Our students and their parents have already made the financial investment to provide this technology.

This means, if a teacher asked the class to bring their laptops, we would (at a minimum) have $20,000 worth of technology available.  In one classroom.

Under our current system, however, we have little input and influence on what technology could be brought to the classroom, and therefore we are limited in our response to the technology.

 

Looking at laptops is not looking at new or cutting-edge technology.  There have been multiple studies and examples of schools using laptops, and there is both research and a history.  The results are fairly clear. 

  

Many school and districts have given up on their laptops initiatives.  The laptops prove to be too costly, underutilized, and even an impediment to learning. There are clear dangers in adopting a laptop policy.

  

There are, however, schools that have successfully adopted laptops.  These students can demonstrate higher test scores, improved engagement in the material, more collaborative and experiential learning opportunities, as well as an improved emphasis on creativity. For some schools, these initiatives have clearly been worth the investment in both time and money. 

  

So, what does this have to do with us, if we're talking about student learning? The #1 factor in whether a laptop program/policy is a success is teacher training. Any school that just hands laptops to students and teachers and expects 'the magic' to happen has guaranteed failure. Our focus must be on improving the students' learning, we want to plan ahead, and take this in small steps, but the first step we make has to include ensuring teachers are trained and comfortable with the technology first.

  

A key point is to understand that all laptops are essentially the same.  They do the same things, but it is important to understand the differences. We are already a Windows PC school, but we could convert to Macs, or even introduce Tablet PCs.   The prices you see are given to show a relative sense of proportion, and not necessarily the cost of an actual laptop we would introduce.  Our criteria may be different.  It does, however, give a sense.  Macs are much more expensive than PCs, but are more durable. Windows PCs would require less training, and have more access to software and hardware.  These are points to consider when you know what we want to get, but both types can do exactly the same things. The only option that actually fundamentally different is the Tablets. Tablets allow students and teachers to simply write, as we always have, but in conjunction with all the advantages of going digital. Tablets support current as well as future pedagogy.

  

To summarize, we are focusing on the teachers, as it is the teachers that will need to respond and lead the technology in the classroom.  This does not mean that we must know more than the students, but it does mean that for such an initiative to be successful the teachers require the skills to respond to the technology brought to class.  Currently we have a "Tower of Babel", which makes our response limited, and difficult to train for.  Laptops are like languages.  It doesn't matter if we decide to speak French or Spanish, but it will matter further down the road when we're trained to use a common language in our teaching.

  

Once you do have a common platform, there are some really neat things you can do.  Laptop management software can allow a teacher to observe what each student is doing on his or her laptop.  There are obvious classroom management abilities (such as returning to task students on Facebook), but that's only a small part of what's possible. A shy student, who does not want to admit to the class that he or she doesn't understand, can text message the teacher.  The teacher can respond by message, or by drawing on the student's screen to show them what to do, to ultimately taking control of their computer and showing them directly.  The teacher's screen can be broadcast to the entire class, or (if the majority of the class isn't confused about a problem) can broadcast another student's screen who is doing the work successfully.  If there is an class test, specific applications and web sites can be blocked.  If you want your students to write without a dictionary, you can force a standard text editor, or if they're writing an online test, you can block either key websites, or all websites except for the ones you wish access to.  It can also become a collaborative space. In a "Think, Pair, Share" exercise, students can put their own thoughts onto a page.  Then they can be put into groups (randomly and automatically if wished), and share a collaborative writing page.  What one students types/writes on their Tablet is shared with the other members of the group, but not yet with the entire class.  Then it can be broadened to the entire class.  This does not replace discussion, but enhances the collaborative nature of a discussion.  When the students walk away, they all have a duplicated set of all of their notes, and had a part in creating the groups common page.  The need for a group 'secretary', who writes but does not participate, or for the students using time simply copying the secretary's work, is eliminated.

The potential here is enormous.

  

This section is just a few ideas that I've observed online, and either I have done, I want to try, or I have seen it done very well.  The focus here is on the students participating in these task, this presentation doesn't even address the potentials in teachers participating (collaborative group teacher wiki on Pro-D anyone?). 

  

Students blogging, as a concept, seems to have taken off in the past few years.  Teachers are finding that when students are writing for an audience, whether that is a few of their classmates, their class, the school, or the entire world, they tend to become more engaged in the writing process. There is a difference in quality between an essay written to get a mark, and an essay that was written to be read.

  

We are all familiar with the most famous Wiki of all, Wikipedia, a place where strangers have collaborated to create the world's encyclopedia. Having students create a Wiki, whether to create a class web-page, textbook, or other class project, can track collaborative progress within a class, and allow collaboration across time as students contribute each year.   

  

This example shows something I found quite interesting.  These students are required to provide a major contribution, defined as providing a solution to a math question, including step-by-step instructions as to how the answer was arrived at.  Not only does this demonstrate understanding, it provides a growing resource to other students. 

  

 More creative and collaborative assignments are not only possible, but increasingly necessary.  The above picture is a screenshot of a protein synthesis screencast that was assigned in my biology class.  The screencast contains unique drawings, is narrated in the students' voices, and is an expression of their creativity as well as their knowledge. Which students actually understand the material, and which do not, is readily apparently.  As a bonus, future students will have a resource to help review protein synthesis explained in the words of other students. Compare that to a traditional poster assignment, where copied text and plagiarism is difficult to detect.

  

Immediate access to the Internet allows preparations outside of class, access to virtual environments, and better preparation for the future. 

  

One of my previous students returned and complained about how much of his university prep involved online systems.  Assignments, quizzes, and tests for many courses are all online, with no offline alternatives offered. While the argument that we should "do what universities do" is a poor one (our primary goal is to teach, which may or may not be the same as the university), we should ensure that our students are prepared for both online and offline learning environments. The first time a student writes an online test should not be on either a standardized government exam, or at university. 

  

This screen serves as a stand-in for the multitude of websites that essentially offer high quality field trips. This particular site offers very detailed scans of the "Iceman". Particularly fascinating are the tattoos visible, which immediately piques student interest. What do they mean? Who was he? Traditional museums are putting many of their resources online as well, putting relevant and interesting material right at their fingertips.

  

This was a particular project I thought was interesting, and I included it as an idea of what you can do once you are comfortable with the tools and methods of the collaborative virtual environment.  This teacher has the students creating a wiki about the Crusades, and are combining this project with Google Earth to provide a three dimensional feel for the subject. Wiki's can be created free if your school doesn't already allow a method to host one, and Google Earth is (of course), free as well, and it's providing an "experience" of the crusades that would be impossible with traditional teaching methods.

  

An online class management tool, such as Moodle, has been very useful.  Ultimately it's a quick way to make a class webpage, but it comes with a variety of tools, such as creating wikis, uploading files, allowing students to submit assignments electronically (and hand them back electronically!), as well as just organising the links.

In terms of supporting IEPs, the text book is not only uploaded, it's also uploaded in a second format that can read the text aloud to students who require that service, and to any undiagnosed IEP students who find they simply learn more when they have that option.  As well, I love that it puts the responsibility for missed classes squarely on the students.  If a worksheet is missed, or notes are missing (or they forgot to take their textbook with them while they were gone), it's all there on Moodle.

  

There are so many applications online now, that I have started operating on the assumption that if I can think it, somebody out there has already made it, and has probably already made a free version (although sometimes you get what you pay for). The above app is a flash file that mimics a titration lab.  While I would much prefer that a student actually get to use the glassware, sometimes that's impossible. Further, the student who would like to "re-do" the titration for review before a quiz or test can have the option of working through the procedure virtually, rather than just copying data out of the textbook as a practice problem. 

  

 Recalling what I mentioned previously about getting our students used to online testing, it also offers further advantages to the teacher.  Certain responses (multiple choice, matching, short answer, etc) are machine marked, and tracked. Even for short and essay answer-type questions it's useful, as common mistakes can have detailed teacher responses copied and pasted to each student that made the same mistake.  As well, once marked, the exam is available for study purposes (with feedback), and cannot be lost.  There are some limitations with this type of testing, but there are some definite advantages as well.

  

While everyone is familiar with laptops in general,  I often find that tablets are not commonly known, even within education. A tablet is essentially still 95% laptop, and everything you can do on a laptop, you can do on a tablet.  The tablet functionality is that you can write on the screen, with a stylus (aka pen) or (on some of the newer models) your finger.  In XP, Vista, and Windows 7 the ability to write directly within programs has been integrated into the operating system, as well as programs such as Microsoft Office. For a teacher, more than any other user, this is a critical improvement as it gives the computer almost all the advantages of paper, in addition to that of the laptop. Unfortunately Mac does not have a tablet edition, although rumors appear every year. I won't go into details of what tablets are and the different types, other than you can fold down the screen so that you can write on it directly with a special pen.

 

  

Using a tablet can be just like using any piece of paper. If your students hand in their essay's electronically, you can mark them just as you would actual paper documents.  This feature is within MS word, although if you don't have a tablet the functionality is not present.  The picture above is of MS OneNote, which is essentially a binder for collecting notes.  I have found being able to draw diagrams and mind-mapping in meetings to be very useful - I used to take a piece of paper with me along with my laptop. Now I just open up my tablet, and type and write interchangeably. The handwriting recognition is getting quite good, and better in Windows 7.  As well, even if all your notes are in your handwriting, you can still electronically search all your notes, as it will search both your handwritten and typewritten notes. I used to have 20 binders for school. I still have them, but after 2 years with my tablet, all of the needed info is on my computer, and the binders are gathering dust as my backups. Microsoft OneNote would make the perfect student binder.

  

Every notice that the introduction of computers increased the use of paper, rather than decreasing it? With the ability to write, actually reducing paper use become possible if that is a goal you wish to achieve. As a teacher I have assigned some "electronic only" assignments this year, in an attempt to reduce total paper consumption by marking them directly on the tablet.  This takes some getting used to, and like all things gets smoother with practice.  The amount of paper consumed by our school every year makes this feature particularly appealing.

  

The above is Microsoft Word 2007, and how it can be used to mark up a document.  As you can see, the editing is very similar to marking up a piece of paper, and about as easy.

  

This is a rather silly picture, showing unhappy student with all of his binders for school (those really are all of his binders).  All of that can be replaced by a single tablet, and a program such as OneNote. Imagine having both textbooks and binders in one place, as well as backed up! Train students to use the network for saving their work, and there are no more excuses. (Realistically, fewer excuses.)

  

This is just a picture of OneNote when I first started thinking about this presentation.  As you can see, the ability to 'just write' allows the same flow of ideas as a piece of paper - you're no longer tied to the linear format of the glorified typewriter which is the laptop.

  

As collaboration and tablets are becoming more common, functionality in software is starting to catch up. OneNote (above) allows for two authors to write simultaneously.  The red writing above is from one user on a tablet, while the typing is from another author on a desktop in another area.

  

All of these ideas and possibilities are interesting and have the potential to greatly increase efficiency and available resources and techniques, but it wall comes back to the focus on the teachers. Is there time for training? Is the administration behind it? There are many schools that have given up on their laptop programs, or where teachers have felt pressured to teach to teach with technology. There are many excellent teachers are teaching techniques that need nothing more than the student-teacher relationship. Any new technology, whether that's paper, a blackboard, or a tablet, should not replace good teaching practice - it should only enhance it.  A key first step in this process is giving teachers the time and the training to fully investigate and learn the technology in order to see where it would be the most useful.

  

There is a lot of debate, with any laptop discussion, about what is "best".  Windows PC? Mac? A tablet only comes as a Windows PC thus far, but even so this debate is largely artificial. All laptops can do whatever other laptops can do.  Ultimately it doesn't matter if you go Windows PC or Mac.  There are Mac enthusiasts who will talk at length about how a Mac reads your thoughts and does what you wish, and Windows PC users who love the billions of programs available.  Truthfully, both are relatively easy to use, you can get programs that do what you wish on both.  Rather than listening to your vendors, take a look at the skills of your teachers. What can they use, and what are they used to? Unless you have a faculty that is totally new to computing, building on an already existing foundation will save in the one area that really matters: training time.

Cheers,

Ron Neufeld
Canada's Best Boarding School