PROS
One teacher stressed that you do not have to print everything out. How great is that?! I didn’t really think about it before seeing the video but this is a BIG bonus for all three parties; the teacher, the student and Mother Earth. Teachers and students won’t have to worry about lugging a bunch of papers around, or losing them. They won’t have to pay high prices for those precious spiral notebooks. The best part is that this can have a great impact on the environment. When I was working at the school this last Friday I noticed that our schools don’t have one thing that my schools growing up had…recycling bins. I am ecstatic about the reduction of waste.
“The world at your finger tips.” Fast, easy access to information is an obvious plus that many teachers in the video loved. I think that this is great as long as the teachers take the time to educate students on how to find reputable sources.
One door closes, another opens. So bringing in computers will cause some loss of the use of books but think of all of the things you can’t do with books! You can’t create movies, music or slide shows. You can’t write a paper at 60WPM. The possibilities seem endless.
Grading papers has never been quicker or easier!
CONS
As one of the biggest book collectors I know, I am sad to see some of them go. Hey, did anyone notice that the teachers and students still had books in stacks and piles all around them? I sure did. I think that for a one to one program to work, you would have to use a combination of both books and computers, at least for the time being. As one teacher pointed out, the online books that were available for her use did not seem adequate so she stuck with the real thing and used the computer as a supplement.
The video didn’t really address who is held responsible for damage done to computers, which was a major concern of mine. I would like to see a sample of the form that I am sure students have to fill out when assigned a laptop. That would probably answer my question. And having students make the repairs, good idea but I am sure there are some things they can’t fix. I hope that the districts using computers get a discount on extended warranties.
Do you know what is funny? I didn’t even think the other day about having the students close their laptops to get their attention. One of my major concerns was being able to keep track of what students were doing, and how to keep them on task. Assuming that I could remotely look at any individuals screen during class, I think I would comfortable with my ability to manage a classroom full of computers.
Students chatting during class…corporal punishment here I come (joking :)).
MY OPINON
I could honestly make a pro/con list that goes on for pages but if given the opportunity, I would love to work in a one to one classroom. I don’t feel that having the computers would cause a teacher to spend less time teaching. If anything it would help them make more efficient use of their time to teach.
1 comment:
Although it wasn't directly mentioned in the video, I'm glad to see that you picked up on the environmental implications of the program at DBSD. By having students turn in most assignments electronically, the district saves considerable money on paper and toner and (probably more importantly) reduces the waste incurred by having everyone print everything. Other benefits--if you store work electronically over time, you don't need massive file cabinets and the work is easier to retrieve. This is something I wish that our department would pursue to a greater extent. Most (but not all) instructors still have their students print assignments to turn in. We go through 12 or mores cases of paper each year. We could easily reduce that to a single case.
Regarding books--in DBSD, they didn't get rid of books, but they did reduce the number of books they use. An example is social studies. Instead of getting each student a textbook, they purchase a few per classroom and use them as resources but not as the main source of information. This costs much less and means that students do not need to haul them around between classes. Also, they were able to expand the variety of books by avoiding the need to have one for each student and having just a few for each class. They still use books, but they use them more thoughtfully and efficiently.
The students and their parents do sign a form when they are issued laptops that outlines their responsibilities for maintaining and using the computer appropriately. The families also pay a small fee $60 per year) to help defray some of the repair costs. I believe this is refundable each year. Interestingly, the district did not initially have this requirement, but they feel that it tends to make students and families feel more responsible for their laptops.
Great observations--thanks!
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