Research in Educational Technology: One-to-One Computing Initiatives

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Research in Educational Technology
Created by. Travis Kench - travis@tkcomputersolutions.com - 1/29/2014
Subject: One-to-One Computing Initiatives / K-12 Students
Instructional Objective: Increase awareness of the positive effects that one-to-one computing
initiatives can have in a K-12 educational environment.
Pre-Research Discussion:
I would like to provide educators and administrators with some formal research of why they
should try to implement a one-to-one computing initiative within their classroom or school
district. I think that by giving each student a laptop or tablet, it would make them feel as if they
personally owned the technology which would promote them to take a greater ownership in the
work that they have been assigned. However, giving the students the technology to use is only
half the battle, the other half of the battle is teaching the students how to effectively use the
technology in their studies. A one-to-one computing initiative can be expensive to implement but
the outcomes of an effectively implemented one can be well worth the investment. Often
technology is put into students and teachers hands without the necessary training, this tends to be
the main point of failure in some programs.
Tablets along with laptops allow a student to be both a content creator and a content consumer.
In education, devices as such promote creativity and allow students to be more proactive with
learning and research, since the technology is ultimately at their fingertips throughout the day.
Their work can be accomplished more easily unlike the traditional method of trying to gain
access to a computer lab for projects. Planning curriculum around lab schedules can be an
obstacle to facilitating the learning experience.
A one-to-one computing initiative will not only benefit the students, it will also benefit the
instructors. Being mobile has become more valuable to instructors, being tied to a desktop
computer is now a part of the past. A particular trend comes to mind when thinking about
mobility. I know a good amount of instructors who fell in love with the use of smart boards
because it allowed them to become more mobile. Their students became more engaged in the
learner process and they were more visible to the students because they were no longer tied to
their desktops. Apps currently exists that allow instructors to remotely control their computers
and their smart boards without physically touching either device, all can be controlled by their
tablets while walking around the class and helping other students. Instructional methods are
forever changing in regards to technological advances and curriculum standards, the sage on the
stage method of instruction is starting to disappear as instructors are becoming more mobile and

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can now act as the guide on the side. Mobility has been a great convenience to instructors
however I believe it is now becoming a necessity.
Post-Research Discussion:
Prior to implementing such an initiative you should research multiple case studies and learn from
other programs mistakes. There are a lot of questions that need to be looked into before just
buying devices. Learning how to manage the technology and implement the technology into
curriculum are of the utmost importance. Some key variables that should be measured are test
scores, attendance rates, discipline rates, attitude changes, and other variables that can be shown
in qualitative and quantifiable means. A one-to-one initiative can help improve the quality of
education that we provide our students.
Research:
Bielefeldt, T. (2006, July). Teaching, learning, and one-to-one computing. National Educational
Computing Conference (NECC). Retrieved August (Vol. 5, p. 2007).
This research article explains how educational institutions are in need of ways to get high levels
of access to technology. It describes how there are ongoing laptop programs throughout the
world that range from single-school projects to an entire state trying to implement the same
initiative. The research details the advantages of laptop and handheld computing, it finds that
one-to-one computing programs increase attendance rates along with improving discipline rates.
Providing students direct access to a mobile device allows them to access an unlimited number
of learning resources, access to these resources has proven to increase test scores in many case
studies. Technology is exciting to most students, this excitement tends to improve students
attitudes and helps increase student participation.
Barriers to implementing a one-to-one program deal with equipment limitations such as battery
usage and whether or not the classroom has enough outlets to plug laptops in when needed.
Mobile devices tend to be subject to more abuse because they are being moved around so much
which then may require more technical support when compared to that of a traditional desktop.
Wireless infrastructures and seamless connectivity can be another barrier in terms of being truly
mobile because if you put limitations on when and where a person can connect to the internet or
network you are basically facilitating the traditional lab environment. All of the barriers
discussed within the article are solvable, solutions often have a cost associated with them
however the cost can prove to be worth it if the technology is effectively implemented and
evaluated.

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This article supports my instructional goal by identifying the advantages a one-to-one computing
program can have within a K-12 environment. Implementing a successful one-to-one program
involves a great deal of planning and investment. Instructors need to find ways to keep students
engaged and a program as such will do just that. Technology is always changing which often
dictates how curriculum will be designed and vice-versa. Giving students and teachers direct
access to the technology throughout the school day transforms the traditional teacher and student
environment into a learner centered environment, the instructor is teaching the students new
things and the students are teaching the instructor new things which are due to the amount of
resources that are now at the fingertips of all the students.
Dunleavy, M., Dexter, S., & Heinecke, W. F. (2007). What added value does a 1: 1 student to
laptop ratio bring to technology‐supported teaching and learning?. Journal of Computer
Assisted Learning, 23(5), 440-452.
This article discussed the added value that the one-to-one program had on education along with
identifying the added challenges that were brought into the classroom. Teachers in this study
have reported that the laptops provided them with greater access to updated instructional content
in the form of online and computer-based resources. Access to these resources helped them learn
different ways to support differentiated learning based on the individual learning styles of
students. The lessons being designed were more student-centered, teachers were using more
inquiry-based and student-centered activities which allow them to serve a more facilitative role.
Teachers reported an increased ability to receive and give the student rapid feedback, this
allowed them to address problem areas and also to recognize the areas that students were more
fluent in.
One teacher provided the students with an online text and a worksheet. This teacher supplanted
normal coaching or instruction with other desk work. This was not a proper use of using the
technology to enhance instruction nor was it an active way to get the students engaged in the
learner process. This assignment could have been done without the use of the technology as long
as they had a paperback copy of the text. A separate teacher utilized a drill and practice method,
this allowed the students to progress at their own pace through the material. Drill and practice
exercises provide relevant and timely feedback. At the end of the individual exercises the
students would bring their laptop up to the teacher’s desk to confirm completion before going on
to the next exercise. This allowed the teacher to provide the student with feedback and assistance
if needed before moving on to the next exercise. A one-to-one program facilitates both
synchronous and asynchronous communication among all those involved in the learning process.
Student collaboration helps the teacher, often another student is able to help another student
which frees the teacher up to help other students that are experiencing trouble.

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The article points out obstacles that can derail the learning experience such as batteries dying and
the classroom not having enough well positioned outlets for charging, if a computer dies there
needs to be extras on hand. Students are sometimes forgetful and leave their devices at home,
without a device to actively engage the student he or she may create a disturbance and interrupt
other classmates. There is a lot of planning that needs to go into such an initiative because it is
complicated and tends to be very costly.
This article supports my instructional objective because it identifies different support methods
along with how the methods improved the learner experience. One-to-one programs allow
students to access materials that are needed for research based projects, they also have a positive
impact on drill and practice methods.
Gasparini, A., & Culén, A. L. (2013, February). The iPad in a Classroom: A Cool Personal Item
or Simply an Educational Tool?. In ACHI 2013, The Sixth International Conference on
Advances in Computer-Human Interactions (pp. 204-209).
The research conducted in this article shows that teenagers treated the iPad as a purely
educational tool. The iPad was envisioned as a tool that created a paradigm change in the
learning process. Students were encouraged to be creative when using the iPads for assignments,
this allowed the student to take an increased ownership in their learning process. Students chose
apps that they found suitable to complete their assignments unlike a more traditional approach to
instruction in which the students were instructed to use specific apps. This learner centered
approach allowed the students to learn from each other, it also allowed the teacher to learn from
the students and vice-versa.
The research done in this article supports my instructional objective as it showed how students
were excited to use the iPads to accomplish school work. The iPads had a cool factor to the
students which had a great impact on the student’s engagement. Supporting creative ways to
accomplish assignments has had a positive impact on the successfulness of such programs.
Harris, W. J., & Smith, L. (2004). Laptop use by seventh grade students with disabilities:
Perceptions of special education teachers. Maine Learning Technology Initiative.
The research discussed in this article shows special education teachers who have an overall
positive attitude in regards to a one-to-one initiative. The laptops helped to engage the students,
increase their motivation and ability to work independently, and improved class participation
along with class preparation. The one-to-one program increased the quantity and quality of
special education student’s work. The laptops helped the students with motor coordination
challenges that are typically associated with writing, their assignments were typed and easily
edited.

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The majority of teachers in the article found that the laptops helped easily distracted students
however some teachers found that highly anxious and easily distracted students suffered by
trying to use the laptops because they added to their frustration tolerance levels. Laptops are not
the perfect tool for every student however they have shown that they do improve student
engagement, interest level, motivation, student behavior, and the ability to work independently.
Student characteristics need to be identified and compared to individual learning styles so that a
one-to-one initiative can be successful in a setting as such.
This article has supported my instructional objective in terms of showing a positive impact on
the special education students learning methods. Although the article showed that some students
had difficulty using the laptops because of certain circumstances the overall message conveyed
within the research was that the one-to-one program had a positive impact on the majority of the
students involved in the program.
SAUERS, N. J., & MCLEOD, S. (2012). COMPUTING INITIATIVES?.
K-12 institutions are not only expected to teach students reading, writing, and arithmetic, they
are also expected to teach them 21st
century skills which include but are not limited to critical
thinking, collaboration, creative thinking, and how to analyze information. We live in a digital
age, one-to-one programs put the technology in the student’s hands so that these 21st
century
skills can be learned within daily assignments. This article analyzes the student’s academic
achievement along with how the program has affected student engagement, attendance, and
behavior. This article examines numerous schools and shows how one-to-one programs are
providing them with positive results.
Maine implemented a statewide middle school one-to-one program in 2002, they report
significant improvements in writing scores on state tests. A Texas case study was conducted on
44 middle schools, 22 schools had one-to-one programs and 22 schools had not yet started one-
to-one programs, the results showed that the school with a one-to-one program had students that
were more satisfied with school and were also less likely to be sent to the office or be suspended
when compared to the schools who didn’t have one-to-one programs in place.
The overall consensus within this article lies with one-to-one programs having a positive impact
on students reading & writing skills, classroom engagement, attendance records, and decreased
behavioral problems. All of the above positive effects support my instructional objective, the
laptops have shown teachers that they can have a positive impact on student’s involvement along
with the quality of work that they will produce when being excited to use the technology.