Informing one-to-one computing in primary schools: Student use of netbooks

Although one-to-one laptop programs are being introduced in many schools, minimal research has been conducted regarding their effectiveness in primary schools. Evidence-based research is needed to inform significant funding, deployment and student use of computers. This article analyses key findings from a study conducted in four Year 7 classrooms in which students were provided with netbook computers as an alternative to more expensive laptop computers. Variable access was provided to students including computer to student ratios of one-to-one and one-to-two. Findings indicated that increased access to the netbook computers resulted in increases in computer usage by these students, compared with their minimal use of computers before the study. However, despite the increased access, actual computer usage remained limited. The article reports that factors contributing to the minimal use of computers included individual teacher agency, a crowded curriculum, and the historical use of computers. Implications for policy and practice are suggested.

[1]  Becky Smerdon,et al.  Teachers' Tools for the 21st Century: A Report on Teachers' Use of Technology. Statistical Analysis Report. , 2000 .

[2]  Albert D. Ritzhaupt,et al.  Florida’s EETT Leveraging Laptops Initiative and Its Impact on Teaching Practices , 2008 .

[3]  Mark E. Weston,et al.  The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change , 2010 .

[4]  Peter Albion.  Laptop orthodoxy: is portable computing the answer for education? , 1999 .

[5]  Ian G. Kennedy,et al.  Learning With Laptops , 2008 .

[6]  William R. Penuel,et al.  Implementation and Effects Of One-to-One Computing Initiatives , 2006 .

[7]  M. Warschauer,et al.  Learning with Laptops: A Multi-Method Case Study , 2008 .

[8]  Shiang-Kwei Wang,et al.  THE IMPACT OF PORTABLE TECHNOLOGIES ON TEACHING AND LEARNING: YEAR FOUR REPORT , 2003 .

[9]  Paul B. Hounshell,et al.  Using Laptop Computers to Improve the Performance of Minority Students: A Pilot Project , 2002 .

[10]  Cheryl A. Franklin.  Factors That Influence Elementary Teachers Use of Computers , 2005 .

[11]  J. Culpepper.  National Center for Educational Statistics , 2007 .

[12]  Matthew J. Koehler,et al.  Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge , 2006, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[13]  Steven M. Ross,et al.  When each one has one: The influences on teaching strategies and student achievement of using laptops in the classroom , 2003 .

[14]  Lori Smith,et al.  Laptop Use By Seventh Grade Students with Disabilities: Perceptions of Special Education Teachers , 2004 .

[15]  Janet Mei-Chuen Lin,et al.  Netbooks in Sixth-Grade English Language Classrooms. , 2010 .

[16]  Karen Swan,et al.  Uses and Effects of Mobile Computing Devices in K–8 Classrooms , 2005 .

[17]  Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie,et al.  Positivists, Post-Positivists, Post-Structuralists, and Post-Modernists: Why Can't We All Get Along? Towards a Framework for Unifying Research Paradigms. , 2000 .

[18]  Karen Swan,et al.  Ubiquitous Computing and Changing Pedagogical Possibilities: Representations, Conceptualizations and Uses of Knowledge , 2007 .

[19]  Peggy A. Ertmer.  Addressing first- and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration , 1999 .

[20]  Glenn Finger,et al.  The learning in the home: Importance and implications , 2010 .

[21]  Jie-Chi Yang,et al.  A few design perspectives on one-on-one digital classroom environment , 2005, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[22]  Rachel A. Vannatta,et al.  Teacher Dispositions as Predictors of Classroom Technology Use , 2004 .

[23]  C. Paul Newhouse,et al.  A longitudinal study of the use of student-owned portable computers in a secondary school , 2001, Comput. Educ..

[24]  Matt Dunleavy,et al.  What added value does a 1: 1 student to laptop ratio bring to technology-supported teaching and learning? , 2007, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[25]  Debra Bateman,et al.  The classmate PC 1:1 eLearning project in Australia , 2009 .

[26]  Sarah Hug,et al.  Teaching and Learning Physics in a 1:1 Laptop School , 2008 .

[27]  Andrew Zucker.  Developing a Research Agenda for Ubiquitous Computing in Schools , 2004 .

[28]  William R. Penuel,et al.  USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL A RESEARCH SYNTHESIS , 2002 .

[29]  Kendall Hartley,et al.  Teacher Concerns During Initial Implementation of a One-to-One Laptop Initiative at the Middle School Level , 2007 .

[30]  Yong Zhao,et al.  One-to-One Computing: What Does it Bring to Schools? , 2008 .

[31]  H. Becker.  Findings from the Teaching, Learning, and Computing Survey: Is Larry Cuban Right? , 2000 .

[32]  David L. Silvernail,et al.  The Impact of Maine's One-to-One Laptop Program on Middle School Teachers and Students , 2004 .

[33]  Peter Albion,et al.  Auditing the TPACK Capabilities of final year teacher education students :Are they ready for the 21st century? , 2010 .

[34]  Kevin Larkin,et al.  INVESTIGATING STUDENT NETBOOK USAGE USING ACTIVITY THEORY , 2010 .

[35]  B. Nardi.  Context and consciousness: activity theory and human-computer interaction , 1995 .

[36]  Michael Russell,et al.  Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative , 2002 .

[37]  K. Kuutti.  Activity theory as a potential framework for human-computer interaction research , 1995 .

[38]  James Cengiz Gulek,et al.  Learning With Technology: The Impact of Laptop Use on Student Achievement , 2005 .

[39]  Chrystalla Mouza,et al.  Learning with Laptops , 2008 .

[40]  Paula B. Gravelle.  The Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Impact on the Digital Divide , 2003 .

[41]  Kathryn Moyle,et al.  The Digital Education Revolution , 2008 .

[42]  Julie Sarama,et al.  Network of Influences in an Implementation of a Mathematics Curriculum Innovation , 1998, Int. J. Comput. Math. Learn..

[43]  Christopher P. Newhouse,et al.  Teachers' responses and classroom learning environments associated with student access to portable computers. , 1997 .