Increasingly, school districts throughout the United States have begun expanding their strategic plans to include 1:1 laptop programs. Some districts are in the exploratory stages, while some have implemented fully pervasive student computing initiatives. There are many examples of initiatives that have not only positively affected student achievement, but also other key educational metrics: attendance, retention, and enrollment. Planning is vital to the success of these initiatives. In order to achieve such positive results and ensure the long-term competitiveness of students, there are eight major aspects to consider during the planning phase.
Goals and Objectives
When starting to think about launching a 1:1 initiative, it is important to confirm that the goals of the school are aligned with the goals of the program. Identifying critical success factors and assessment tools are most vital at this stage of the process.
Financing
With the goals established, the next step is to calculate the cost and secure the funding to implement a successful program. The two base choices institutions must make are: “school vs. parent purchase” and “purchase vs. lease.” There are positive aspects to all scenarios. With the school purchase, the school has the ability to control the technology environment and ensure that each laptop is strictly configured for the school’s standards. With the parent-purchase program, the school reaps the benefit of students with technology without the financial expense of the hardware. The school also retains the ability to recommend a technology partner with guidelines of how the machine is to be used on the school’s network.
The “lease vs. purchase” scenario is dependent upon who will retain ownership of the technology. If the institution is the owner, it would be appropriate to lease so that the school can establish a refresh cycle and upgrade the technology as appropriate to defeat technology obsolescence. In a parent- purchase scenario, it is best to purchase the machine. It will be more cost-effective and the students are likely to handle the equipment with care. When considering financing, it is important to note that every phase of the project, from hardware purchase to faculty development, can be combined within one lease agreement.
Infrastructure
Through programs like E-Rate, most school districts have already invested heavily in a “wired” infrastructure. The new challenge to institutions is wireless infrastructure development. This connectivity provides nomadic students and faculty with access wherever and whenever teaching, learning, homework, collaboration and research is conducted. Thus, when the wireless infrastructure is being planned, it is important to complete a site-survey when creating a wireless campus. Along with networking requirements, power, printing and data storage capacity requirements are also crucial. Consideration of data security for school-specific files should also be a high priority. Finally, for long-term support of the program, it is beneficial to plan for future growth before the program is fully implemented.
Hardware and Software
Although specifying the end-user hardware is the easiest step of the process, selecting the technology partner to provide the hardware should be given great consideration. The term partner can mean manufacturer or reseller — or both. When the school is providing a standard image for all machines, it is valuable to get a 12 to18-month roadmap of the products being considered to minimize the number of images the school must support. Also, the laptop’s battery life, wireless performance, weight and durability should be considered before selecting any model.
In addition to standard task-oriented software, specialty programs that teachers will be incorporating in their lesson plans should be included in the standard image. The move towards digital textbooks is another consideration. Finally, in order to manage the desktops remotely, an automated process for patch updates, virus scans and software installations is a requirement. The hardware should come with tools that make manageability painless for the IT staff.
Support
In most cases, a three-year on-site warranty should be a requirement for every student or teacher-owned machine. Additional protection for the screen, keyboards, and cases should also be considered. To reduce student downtime, schools have the option of repairing their own machines with training and support from the manufacturers. There are programs available that allow schools to be reimbursed for the time spent on repairing machines that are under warranty. When working with a partner, service level agreements should be set from the start. Additionally, depending on the school’s needs, network and server consulting should be considered.
Marketing and Communications
“Selling” the program internally to teachers and administrators and earning their buy-in is critically important. Without their support, the program will not be allowed to flourish. Through newsletters and surveys, the entire school community should be kept abreast of the upcoming projects, student achievement and personal stories. Parent Nights and Technology Days can be used to inform the parents and get them comfortable with the technology investment. Also, communications with other laptop institutions should be on-going while sharing ideas and critical success factors. The overall goal of communications is that all constituencies – parents, students, teachers and administrators – feel enfranchised and empowered through the 1:1 program.
Faculty Development
The teachers’ comfort-level with the technology will have a major impact on the amount of time teachers and students use the technology in the classroom. In order to effectively increase their comfort level, a pre-assessment of current teacher’s skills should be conducted. Through the pre-assessment, the program administrators will be able to develop individualized learning plans and suggest appropriate training options. Since many teachers are already proficient with basic office applications, specific focus on technology integration into the lesson plan, with specific emphasis on project-based learning, may be beneficial. A mentoring program within the school or with other educators is also an option. Another option for professional development includes off-site training events with a focus on 1:1 computing environments and visits to other laptop schools. A best practice amongst successful initiatives has been to designate a technology facilitator to assist the teachers with curriculum integration on a day-to-day basis. Finally, faculty development with a focus on technology integration should be a scheduled event and a requirement for all teachers.
Campus Integration
Once the infrastructure is in place, the teachers are trained and the technology is deployed, providing teachers and students with web-based resources to effectively use this new tool should be considered. A very useful application is a portal through which teachers can enter grades, students can submit homework, and parents can monitor student performance. Through the portal, student-teacher-parent communications can be effectively enhanced.
It is important to keep in mind that every laptop program is unique; some may choose to start with mobile laptop carts which can be wheeled into each classroom whereas others are ready to pilot a 1:1 program for a complete grade-level. No matter what the approach, one of the best practices of successful initiatives has been to provide the teachers and administrators ample time to become familiar with their new tool. To increase long-term effectiveness of the laptop initiative, it is important to effectively plan the logistics of the program. Once the technology is in the hands of the teachers and students, it will open new doors to learning for everyone involved.
