Educational Technology Innovation and Impact/Multimedia Courseware/Using Laptops for Education

Using Laptops for Education
Integrating technology into education can be daunting. However, schools and school around the world are exploring the benefits and challenges of what happens when every student has a laptop computer. So far, there have been a number of programmes around the world that have looked at the use of laptops in education. There are variations in how these laptop programmes are designed, funded, and implemented, but the basic structure of a laptop programme is that each student has a laptop to use, and with the falling prices of laptops, more and more schools and colleges are considering initiating laptop programs.

If we look at the results from such existing programmes, a number of research groups have been studying the use of laptops in education and the conclusions are clear. According to the paper “A more complex picture: Laptop use and impact in the context of changing home and school access” (Rockman et al. 2000). There is a consistent and substantive impact on teaching and learning, and that computers are powerful interventions for both students and teachers, providing that they are implemented and used correctly. A study closer to home also showed that in pilot studies, lower-achieving children's national curriculum test scores rose half a grade in one term, which was attributed to students being inspired to learn by having the technology available at home as well as at school. (BBC News, March 2006)

The introduction of laptops for all students is a considerable change in the average classroom. In a laptop classroom, there is less lecturing and more individual and group project work. Teachers no longer have to provide all the information as students can gather much of what is needed from the Internet, they can work on their own more, or work in small groups to undertake projects. Students can do more work on their own and at their own pace, and the teachers can act more as consultants to them, offering individualized suggestions, mid-course corrections, and more frequent assessments of individual and group progress.

In a laptop classroom, there is much more independent learning since students now have access to powerful tools for accomplishing it. As independent learners, they also have to take on more responsibility for their learning, by working independently they have to monitor their own progress, identify the tools and resources they need to use, and know when to seek help. Developing the ability to learn independently, collaborate with peers to accomplish work, and communicate the conclusions of your work are the core of 21st-century skills, and a highly valued set of competencies in the world outside of school.

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References:

Rockman et al. (2000). A more complex picture: Laptop use and impact in the context of changing home and school access. San Francisco, Ca: [On-line] Available: http://web.archive.org/web/20050517012511/http://www.b-g.k12.ky.us/Tech/Laptops.pdf Accessed: 10 April 2006

BBC News (2006) New Drive to give Pupils Laptops [On-line] Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3514384.stm Accessed 10 April 2006

Bibliography:

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