Laptops in the Classroom

EDUC 8841 – Ennis Brinson

The Need for Laptops in the Classroom

The role of computer and laptop technology can promote positive social change in education

Learners are able to work independently at their own pace more often or in groups utilizing their laptops to learn how to organize and process projects.

Research of the Laptops in the Classroom

• Research findings explain how learners who utilize laptops as an everyday learning tool are more collaborative and more involved in their schoolwork.

The Development of Laptops In the Classroom

• 1960s - Vocational Education Act passes but the mainframe and minicomputers in use operated with batch processing methods that were viewed as conflicting with the single teacher-as-manager-of-learning methods in use in most public schools

• Vocational Education Act of 1963 encouraged, although the technology available did not mix with popular views of education.

• Education Act of 1965 made minicomputers available schools but were intended for administrative purposes.

The Development of Laptops In the Classroom

• The goal of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation (AALF) is to ensure that all children have access to unlimited opportunities to learn anytime and anywhere and that they have the tools that make this possible.

The Development of Laptops In the Classroom

• The growth of the internet proliferated much faster than anyone could have predicted.

• Internet developed into the largest database of information, graphics, and streaming video

• The internet has become an extremely invaluable resource for educators

The Commercialization of Laptops in the Classroom

• Sept. 11, 2000 —the U.S. Department of Education's Secretary's National Conference on Educational Technology: Measuring Impacts and Shaping the Future, students and teachers from the Mott Hall School.

• Every student has their own laptop computer and demonstrates how technology transforms learning.

The Commercialization of Laptops in the Classroom

• Access to technology improves student learning and encourages collaboration among students.

• Laptops support all elements of education from research to reflection.

• Learners may work in groups more often and at their own pace, using their laptops to learn how to process and organize assignments

S-Curve

Perceived Attributes

• “Change in higher education expedited by technology is a safe bet for the future, it is equally certain that technology adoption will proceed unevenly across the higher education landscape and be driven by a wide range of factors” (Henshaw, 2008).

Demographics

Students from higher socioeconomic levels will ultimately realize the most educational benefits from their use. As the students of today do, these students of the future will have the earliest access to leading-edge educational products (Henshaw, 2008).

Perceived Attributes

• IT equipment and security should be identified and adapted as needed to suit needs of end users.

• Technology based communications such as email and list serves should be utilized as the primary means of correspondence.

• Scanning capabilities will reduce on and off site storage costs in addition to the postage cost associated with paper mailings.

Resources

• Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation (AALF) http://www.aalf.org/cms/?page=AALF%20-%20About

• Bebell, D., & Kay, R. (2010). One to One Computing: A Summary of the Quantitative Results from the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative. Journal Of Technology, Learning, And Assessment, 9(2), Kay, R. H., & Lauricella, S. (2011).

Resources

• Exploring the Benefits and Challenges of Using Laptop Computers in Higher Education Classrooms: A Formative Analysis. Canadian Journal Of Learning And Technology, 37(1),

• Henshaw, R. G. (2008, June/July). A singular vision for a disparate future: Technology adoption patterns in higher learning through 2035. Journal of Online Education, 4(5).

Resources

• Internet Adoption http://www.pewinternet.org/Trend-Data/Internet-Adoption.aspx

• Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press.

• Wireless Laptops in the Classroom (and the Sesame Street Syndrome). (2006). Communications of the ACM, 49(9), 25-27.