One-to-One Computing and Student Achievement in Ohio High Schools

This study explores the impact of one-to-one computing on student achievement in Ohio high schools as measured by performance on the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT). The sample included 24 treatment schools that were individually paired with a similar control school. An interrupted time series methodology was deployed to examine OGT data over a period of 5 to 8 years. Overall student performance and content-specific achievement in math, reading, science, social studies, and writing were not significantly affected by the introduction of 1:1 computing. Treatment schools using a netbook device produced the greatest overall change in scores.     

Judging the Constructive Impacts of Communication Technologies: A Business Education Study

Through an IBM partnership, Acadia University has the benefit of an infrastructure that places a laptop computer in the hands of some 4000 faculty and students on campus. Coupled with anytime–anyplace campus access to the computer network, the setting offers unique opportunities to study the pedagogical impacts of the use of computers in classroom instruction.University business administration courses have routinely employed case study approaches in the delivery of some course content. The research described follows the use of an elaborate case study communications networking system being used in a business course on competitive intelligence. Though the technology collage allows for certain opportunities to promote quality instruction, not all aspects of technology use were found to be productive. This paper provides an analysis of the appropriateness of technology usage in the context of a single business education course.     

Teachers’ Critical Evaluations of Dynamic Geometry Software Implementation in 1:1 Classrooms

Although the use of dynamic software in high school mathematics in the United States has emerged as a research topic, little research has been conducted on how teachers integrate new software in relation to at-home technology networks. Interviews with eight mathematics teachers from four North Carolina counties participating in 1:1 laptop initiatives are analyzed to trace similar decision-making themes, including Internet access, laptop availability, software use, and teacher training. This article outlines how current technologies in classrooms were critically examined by the teachers and how network connectivity impressions affected hardware and software use.     

What Is Happening with Portable Computers in Schools?

This study was an exploratory of the Landes initiative to supply all pupils and teachers with portable computers and Internet at school. These surveys involved 817 pupils and parents and produced a response rate of 98% for pupils from the first survey at the beginning of the year and 798 pupils at the end of the year. The approach, which consists of identifying any variances in individual perceptions of technology, was tested in an initial In-Tele research programme in which we were involved. The questionnaire-based survey reveals low usage of information technology in terms of teaching, with no difference between the portable and test groups. Moving on from the first level study, characterizing the sites and studying their viewing frequency produces the surprising outcome that the very high number of sites viewed actually conceals a much more pessimistic reality about pedagogical uses.     

Technological,pedagogical and content knowledge in one-to-one classroom: teachers developing “digital wisdom”

One-to-one (1X1) laptop initiatives become prevalent in schools aiming to enhance active learning and assist students in developing twenty-first-century skills. This paper reports a qualitative investigation of all 7th graders and their 15 teachers in a junior high-school in Northern Israel gradually implementing 1X1 model. The research was conducted during a second year of 1X1 implementation at the school level, which was a first year of teaching and learning with laptops for all study participants. The study triangulates non-participant lessons’ observations and semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers. The data were collected twice: at the beginning and toward the end of the 2011–2012 academic year – in total, 30 observations and 30 interviews were conducted. The results were examined through phenomenological research techniques and discussed in terms of the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and “digital wisdom” approaches. The teachers showed significant increase of technological knowledge. However, only moderate connections between technology and pedagogy as well as between technology and content were found. Some of the teachers functioned as moderators, scaffolding students and supporting their individual or collaborative learning. However, many teachers struggled with effective management of 1X1 classroom. Neither conjunction of teacher TPACK nor facilitation of student digital skills was observed. The paper suggests an overlap of the TPACK framework and the digital wisdom approach and provides implications for curriculum developers and educational policy-makers.     

一对一数字化学习研究的领域与趋势

在对MLTI项目、HSLI项目、FSD1:1项目、OLPC项目、CFF项目、TIP项目、"跨越式"项目、"手持式"项目、电子书包项目、TOTL项目、FTL项目等典型一对一数字化学习项目的介绍与梳理的基础上,文章归纳了当前八个主要的一对一数字化学习研究领域,包括:一对一数字化学习环境部署、整合技术的创新教学模式、基于生态视角的学校变革、面向过程的教师专业发展、一对一项目效益评估、学生21世纪技能提升、一对一网络班级文化管理、跨区域教育公平。整合技术的创新教学与效果评估将依然是未来一对一数字化学习研究的重点,研究将呈现个案化、微观化和过程化的发展趋势,并且教学创新问题、班级管理问题、学校变革问题、教师培训问题、效果评估问题等将全面纳入研究的视域当中。     

The effect of using laptops on the spelling skills of students with learning disabilities

The current study examined the effect of using laptops on the spelling skills of students with learning disabilities (LD). It was conducted as part of the Israeli “Katom” (A Computer for Every Class, Student, and Teacher) Program. Participants included 93 Hebrew-speaking students with LD aged 13–16, who attend 10 special education classes in a regular middle school. We examined whether the experimental group using laptops showed significant differences in the number of their spelling errors as a result of the intervention on their pre- and post-spelling tests. We also investigated whether there would be differences on the number of spelling errors between the experimental and control groups, as measured by their pre- and post-spelling test results. The findings indicated that the participants in the experimental group significantly improved their spelling skills as opposed to the control group. It seems that the use of laptops in special education classes can enhance the spelling skills of students with LD.     

Common Challenges and Experiences of School Districts That Are Implementing One-to-One Computing Initiatives

This article explores the implementation of various K–12 one-to-one computing initiatives to determine if patterns exist. These initiatives are funded in times of limited resources and constitute a serious investment in technology for the schools and districts adopting them. The goals of this study were to understand how and why one-to-one computing initiatives are being implemented, how these initiatives are funded and supported, and expectations or assumptions of stakeholders that are driving adoption of this type of technology. The results suggest that these school districts, and those like them, will face many challenges—some financial, some technical, and some procedural—as they work to integrate technology into instruction and assessment. Common themes or challenges identified from this work, and linked with previous research, include leadership and vision, funding, teacher professional development, and project evaluation.     

The politics of gaming in schools: a sociocultural perspective from Western Australia

This paper discusses gaming in a Western Australian school for boys. The overriding ethos of the school is supportive of the potential of ICT to better engage students and deliver enhanced educational outcomes. The school sees game-based design as at the vanguard of innovation, but also accepts its important duty of care responsibilities. Tensions were revealed between the opportunities presented by educational gaming and the perceived problem of managing student distraction, particularly the tendency for students to spend large amounts of time playing games that have little or no educational value. The paper describes the forms of gaming that emerged at the school, considering both their educational impact and propensity to detract from students' opportunities to learn. It is argued that the perceived benefits and risks of gaming are not well understood, and that powerful political forces are at play which shape school policy, teachers' pedagogy, parent perceptions and student actions.