One-to-one “is applied to programs that provide all students in a school, district, or state with their own laptop, netbook, tablet computer, or other mobile-computing device. One-to-one refers to one computer for every student” (The Glossary of Education Reform).
As a teacher in a one-to-one school, I struggle to embrace the technology available. In my school, students are given an iPad to complete schoolwork on. Many students also use these for personal use. This can cause issues with how to appropriately use the iPads.
My students are not yet productive technology users. We stick to a more traditional classroom for my seventh graders. But my eighth graders, they are required to bring the iPads every day to complete notes and assignments. The maturity difference between seventh and eighth grade can be demonstrated by how they use their technology. The seventh graders are personal use focused, whereas the eighth graders are school focused with some personal use. A year makes an extreme difference in how students use their technology at school.
One-to-One is definitely has both positive and negative impacts on schools. Some of the pros and cons of One-to-One in my school are below. There are many more, but I stuck with five for each.
Pros of One-to-One:
- Students have access to new technology and the apps used by the school everywhere
- Wifi Hotspots are available to check out (may not apply to every school district)
- Students are able to develop appropriate skills for using technology
- Introducing students to technology they might use in a career
- Reducing paper copies
Cons of One-to-One:
- Not bringing iPads to class or school
- Not charging iPads for school
- Using technology for games instead of schoolwork
- Access to non-educational sites
- Breaking the technology
With access to technology 24/7, my students are expected to follow school policies when using the device and treat the device with care because it is school property after all. I think I would like to incorporate more technology use for in class work with my seventh graders, but I will need to take it step by step.