Technology & Learning - March 2009 - (Page 43) W W W.T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M Today, 38 percent of public schools use laptops for instruction, according to educationresearch firm Market Data Retrieval. The benefits are plentiful: mobility, educational software, and multimedia tools that can enhance teaching and learning. The difficulty is in choosing the right product for your schools: laptop or tablet? Mac or PC? Long battery life or bright screen? We asked districts that have already answered the tough questions and made their decisions. Hopefully their insight and advice will help you. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE LAPTOPS? Tantillo’s district is fully immersed in the 1:1 environment. “The laptops let us break down the walls of the school,” says Tantillo: Students send work electronically, maintain blogs, conduct online research, and learn how to use databases. They create podcasts and wikis and use other Web 2.0 tools.” WHAT DON’T YOU LIKE ABOUT THE LAPTOPS? Everyone had to learn a new operating system. Tantillo jokes that the kids took about 10 minutes to do so, and the teachers a bit longer, but stresses that the teachers had a lot of professional development beforehand to ensure that they felt comfortable. ANY ADVICE FOR SCHOOLS THAT ARE CONSIDERING LAPTOPS? “It is imperative to get key stakeholders to visit a school with a 1:1 program; nothing can take the place of seeing students and teachers working in a 1:1 environment. “Professional development is crucial. We are at the point now where our teachers train other teachers.” “They still have an internal disk drive, which is incredibly important for teachers. We like the rugged glass plates, and the newer tablets [out this year] have a double hinge that makes them sturdier. The tablets are more than a laptop—they are a mobile instructional station.” Lenaghan feels that any laptop or tablet could be sturdier. She jokes that the keys, which are easily removable, are not designed by someone who teaches, and she wishes that companies could make the keys harder to remove and easier to replace. “Purchasing laptops is part of an overall plan. If you don’t have the other pieces in place and are not operating at full speed, you won’t see the benefits. “Think about your long-term purchasing cycle. You must commit to refreshing tech on a routine basis.” “The teachers were thrilled to get the essential tools they need to teach. They are doing a lot of work in figuring out how to best use the laptops in all subjects. An added bonus is the employee-buyer program that Dell offers us; it’s really nice.” Some of the software the elementary school uses, including Apple’s iLife suite, has not come out for PCs. Although Koufman-Frederick assumes these titles are forthcoming, she says her teachers are upset that they aren’t available right now on the Dells. “Do some good modeling about how to use laptops with students; that is key. Have teachers show their colleagues what works. Let those who are psyched about trying something different go for it first and work out kinks. Also, work with your tech team.” Berger says they have dramatically changed the district’s education environment. All of the teachers have adapted to them and they allow teachers to collaborate with students. “It’s still a challenge in terms of pricing. Ed tech will always have more mandates and less funds. We’re working with HP to see how we can lower costs and still expand our offerings.” Berger recommends starting slowly by testing a few laptops. “You need a solid network and infrastructure.” He has two staff members who teach how to integrate tech into the classroom. “Don’t buy it if you don’t have people to help teachers facilitate instruction,” he urges. “They have really nice features and because the hinge is so strong, my techs are saving 10 to 15 hours a week of maintenance time! They are sleek-looking yet durable. Also, the spill-resistant keyboard is great and they are very light.” “We chose the touch screen, which is a little bit more opaque. We made tweaks to increase the brightness, but that lessened battery life. Many teachers complain about the glare.” “Look at the durability. When you request a demo model, make sure the specs match what you plan to buy. Don’t forget to add in all of your costs. Have it kid-tested. Look at the parts that could break; what will you be fixing on a regular basis?” TECH & LEARNING | 43 http://WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.