How to Create a 1:1 Laptop Program without Spending a Dime

flickr: pixelmama

Last year a 1:1 laptop program seemed like a distant dream at AES. This year it is almost a reality. It was just a few months ago at a technology meeting that the idea began to flourish that we had the chance to go 1:1 in our Middle School.  It was a big replacement year for laptops and we had 140 new computers set to come in at the start of the school year. The difference is we didn't get rid of the old laptops, we kept them.  Our older Dells have been bumped up with an extended battery to allow us the chance to see how a laptop program could work at AES without costing the school or parents additional funds.  In addition, by keeping the older Dells, we have not compromised the amount of laptops already in circulation in the Middle School.  We have called our pilot the Assigned Laptop Program for grade Six (ALPS).  Here's a little summary of what we did and what we plan on doing.

Here's what we've done so far:

• We're in the unique position of having our grade 6 Humanities department new to our school this year.  The MS Technology facilitator (me) arrived at school the same week as the new hires to begin to train them on our plans and ideas for the roll-out.
• Each 6th grade student was assigned an individual laptop to use for the academic school year.  The computers are temporarily stored at the mini-labs at the end of the school hallways to charge until they are able to go home with them on a daily basis.
• The Math department graciously allowed the technology department to come in and train the students on email (FirstClass), Skyward grade postings, Middle School share drives, saving work, and password confidentiality.  
• We worked extensively through the grade 6 Humanities Department through the lens of UBD to integrate the roll-out that was in-line with the Essential Questions and Standards and Benchmarks of the already existing unit within the curriculum.  
• So far students have begun to create a Digital Dossier, set up a WordPress blog, discussed the importance of their on-line digital footprint, and reviewed correct commenting procedures in an academic environment.  The game Jeopardy helped play a role with a few aspects of this. 
• We have begun weekly help sessions for faculty on various methods of tools.  
• The grade 6 Science students have been trained in Presentation Zen techniques.  

Here's what we hope to accomplish:

• Create a culture of respect for the tools that are readily available to students today.  We made the analogy that the computers were their children and that the care and upkeep of each computer was in the hands of the assigned student.  
• We hope to cut down on the amount of broken keys cracked screens and so forth that come with a laptop cart program.  
• By the end of the semester develop a sense of responsibility with our students that the laptops are in good hands to go back and forth between school and home. 

cmw3_bumblebee1.jpg

But honestly, none of this matters unless the tools begin to influence and enhance the learning.  To help this process along, my colleague, Stacy Stephens, and I are working together to integrate the technology into the existing curriculum and update existing methods of assessment.  We just returned from Learning 2.011 conference in Shanghai where we shared a presentation on Technology and Curriculum: Working Together to Move Forward with other educators.  School districts can pour fancy tech tools into schools, but until they are truly integrated into the curriculum to deepen meaning and learning for students, we are throwing money down the drain.  Technology and Curriculum go hand and hand, just like pollen and a bee.  The goal of the ALPS Program may look like we want to go 1:1 (which would be amazing); but at the end of the day, we want to affect the way students are learning and processing information to enable them to create and contribute something new to our world.

Right now, the biggest delta of the ALPS program is that students want to take the laptops home with them.  To me, that is a good problem.  Our goal is to make the desire of a laptop program grow organically within the community and give the voice of the program to the students not the technology department.  But we also realize that one size does not always fit all.  We are also piloting a small iPad pilot in the MS with 20 iPads. Our hope is to look at all the possibilities and present the school with a multitude of options before we ask our students, parents and teachers to commit to a more thorough program.

Which device will win?  It is way too early to tell.  Will our Assigned Laptop Program be successful?  I certainly hope so.  We are in the early stages, but so far, the students are completely blowing us away and the teachers are embracing the possibilities this program may bring to our school.  By working together for one common goal, we can really get a lot done in a short period of time. . . it is only the 5th week of school.