It got me thinking. So while driving to Saskatoon I turned on the iphone recorder and spewed out some ideas.

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What Stupid Will Get You

Certainly a statement like this will elicit a great deal of discussion as is should. My point here is that my thinking about one to one computing which has been ongoing for at least 6-7 years has focused on purchasing laptops for every student. That may still have merit in some instances but I think we have to move beyond that single path and begin to explore a variety of options and configurations that truly do enhance learning. 

The idea of BYOT (Bring your own technology) is beginning to take shape. Certainly there are cost savings involved but more importantly it acknowledges that the type of equipment you have may not matter and in many aspects of learning it doesn't. The naysayers will be quick to argue that mobile devices lack the ability to create in the same ways that a typical laptop does. I'll concede that argument but would also argue that a great deal of learning is about consumption. I realize that's almost a dirty word in today's Read/Write world, of which I participate fully, but even in a world where publishing and creation is more prevalent and possible than any time in history, creating first comes from consuming. To quote Will Richardson, "Blogging is about reading". To paraphrase, we can't create, until we consume. If that's the case then we need to acknowledge that allowing and promoting students to use their devices, as limited as they may be,  at a minimum allows access to the sum of human knowledge. That is going to be a great start in creating a learning space that offers a plethora of possibility. 

Frasier Speirs argues against such a model. He cites the following issues:

• "It assumes every child has a mobile phone." No it doesn't. Just because you allow students to bring what they have doesn't mean you won't supplement those who don't.  Schools still need to be aware of inequities and address them. In the same way schools offer free and reduced lunches for those that need it, the same could be done when it comes to access.
• "It assumes that every pupil's mobile phone has a certain baseline capability." Again, no it doesn't. Talk to someone like Liz Kolb who has been exploring the use of cell phones for a number of years. She readily acknowledges that not all phones are alike and yet has been exploring the untapped potential of devices once thought could only make phone calls and text. Classrooms and schools should have a variety of technology but there seems to be a desire for uniformity. Some might call it standardization. The problem  is that we assume that when students leave the building they have uniformity at home. We need to help them make the most of whatever technology they have access to and when necessary, supplement those who need something more. 

Speirs goes to make a few more arguments all of which presume an all or nothing approach. I've yet to hear anyone suggest that allowing students to bring their own technology means that no more hardware would be purchased. That would be ludicrous.

In my district you'll find Macbooks, Netbooks, ipads, ipods, Windows, Linux, Snow Leopard, BlackBerrys and basic cell phones. Some are district owned, some are student owned. We certainly haven't got it all figured out but as an IT department, the acknowledgement that students and staff all have personal preferences and personal devices they want to use has been a key philosophical view that pushes us forward. Ask our IT staff if they like it and they'll usually say, "it's not the easiest approach but the most beneficial for students". 

So when we consider what a classroom and learning space should look like, what do we envision?  It's difficult to come up with a singular description. Age and developmental stages would have to be an important consideration. What a grade 2 classroom and a senior biology classroom look like should likely be quite different and this would likely be true with technology as well. However, I'm envisioning spaces that perhaps are similar to many households and businesses where multiple devices are employed. For most people, a laptop is overkill. I'm seeing more and more professionals make the transition to mobile devices and yes, ipads.  My daughter, who is 23 currently owns a MacBook. She asked me what I thought about her replacing her MacBook with an Ipad. We discussed what how she currently uses her MacBook. We didn't uncover a single reason for her to own a laptop. For any "heavy lifting" computing, she would have access to machines at school or work but she really couldn't think of any occasion in the past year where she needed that. The ipad itself is beginning to grow on me as a device that offers a unique experience. It's difficult to compare it with a netbook which is so often the case. Certainly there are similarities but it many respects it's quite a different device in the same way that a mobile phone is different from a laptop. Some might think differently but as I think about a classroom makeup, I see a variety of devices and choices much like the variety of students and aptitudes that come to our schools everyday. 

As a side note, I do think that we highly under utilize the power of our computers. I agree with Gary Stager that in our connected and published based world, we've lots some of the potential for computers to create and build. We do need to provide students with the opportunity to do complex and challenging work that computing can offer. Even if we provided every child with a high powered laptop or desktop to do the heavy lifting, we still have to acknowledge that other devices are part of the landscape and again, most of the time, those other devices are the ones we use most often. 

So while the mish-mash of technology may prove to be challenging for teachers and IT staff to manage and control, in the end this isn't about management or control but learning. It's about helping students use the tools and gifts they have at their disposal, maximizing that potential and showing them new possibilities as well.  

These are the types of decisions that continue to promote the “us vs. them” mentality.  What incites me is the reason they give for banning cell phones:

There’s the disruptive nature of the phone ringing or vibrating during class.

Students can text message each other and send answers about exams, a high tech way to cheat.

They can also access the Internet over the phones, making it too easy to surf or find answers they’re supposed to know while class is in session.

Phones can also act as MP3 players, another interruption.

And the built-in camera capabilities in them have been used by some students to post embarrassing and harassing videos to sites like YouTube.

Teachers are enthused.

Disruptive? That might be a good thing. But even if we don’t view the term disruptive in a positive sense, can we not involve students in developing policies that everyone agrees upon? In my experience, anytime students are given the opportunity to develop rules, it saves everyone a great deal of trouble in enforcing them.

Students can text message and cheat? Read this.

They can access the Internet over their phones. That’s a bad thing? Potentially but again, consider that if we value the idea of computers, kids are now bringing one with them to class, less cost on the taxpayer and the potential for learning is pretty great. We need teachers who understand the power and potential of having the sum of human knowledge in their hands. That’s an assest, not necessarily a liability.

Phones can act as MP3 players. Good. Heard of podcasts? Even if kids are listening to music while they work, why is that always bad? Perhaps this could be addresses with students as well.

Built in cameras? Could they use them for something like this?

Teachers are enthused? Why? I’d be infuriated.

I’m not suggesting the cellphones don’t cause problems. So do laptops, pencils and power saws in shop class. But until we realize the potential and involve students in developing responsible use policies, this lame approach will continue to be used in an effort to control things. Good luck with that.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Scott McLeod

Matthew:
are teechr sas yes you can cum from Mathew.

Me:
I will come over tomorrow if that’s okay

Matthew:
yes can you cum at 11:00?

Me:
okay, it’s a date!

Matthew:
see you too moro.

Me:
Sorry I can’t come in the morning. It will have to be later in the afternoon or else on Wednesday.

Matthew:
how about 1:20

Me:
That should work. I think my meeting will be finished by then.

Matthew:
OK
do you wont to see wat we havein awr cllas rite nou

Me:
sure

This is what he wanted to show me.

Update: As you can see this was largely a copy and paste job via Skype chat. I inadvertently left the name of the student in the post. Fortunately, Kathy was Johnny-on-the-spot and noticed but decided to check with the parent. The parent was quite happy to have the name left on. Thanks Mom and Dad whoever you are.

I showed them the XO and a few things I’ve learned and made them a deal that they could keep it as long as they would share what they learn. (See Mark Ahlness who is already doing this with his third graders) I’ve suggested to Kathy that she allow them to take turns taking the unit home to explore. They’ll discover and learn much better than me. This computer is designed for them. I’ve now added a group of 7 year olds to my research team.

Image: Mr. Shareski Shows us the XO
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57634636@N00/2315119105/in/photostream/

Technorati Tags: kathycassidy, xo, olpc, markahlness

So here are the questions that hit me almost immediately: Will kids like it? Is it intuitive? What is required in schools to make it work?

It’s not really about the XO but about the varying devices we carry. I think of Clarence’s recent post on boxes and it resonates with me. The difference that in our country and others with wealth, we’re not content unless it’s shiny, new and almost ridiculously intuitive. We’re dazzled and amazed with the interface of the itouch. We’re begging the industry to make things easier, better, faster, cheaper and for the most part, they are responding. We’re extremely impatient and frustrated when things don’t work they way we think they ought to.

Several years ago, a number of school divisions in Saskatchewan embarked on an experiment with Sun Microsystems to institute a thin client model of computing. The idea was to provide greater access at a low cost.  Some divisions, sold the farm, dumped all their PC’s and adopted this system 100%. Some, like ours, chose to place these in classrooms, maintain existing systems, but hopefully provide students with greater access. If you surveyed most teachers in my former division, they would categorize this as a failure. Many classrooms rarely used the systems for a number of reasons. Lack of training, challenges around support. There were some are continue to be some teachers who looked at the systems, asked what they could do and built their classrooms around what they could do rather than what they couldn’t.

This to me is a critical mindset that needs more attention and promotion. Cellphones, ipods, thinclients, handhelds, laptops and XO’s all have potential as learning tools. But one must understand what each does well.  I realize my digital camcorder can take photos but really unless I’m in a hurry or just need something quick, I won’t use it for that purpose.  The desire for the all in one device continues but I wonder if it will ever occur.

I think about people with older vehicles. Whether they use it as a second vehicle or their primary, most aren’t naive enough to think they have a great vehicle. Most see it for what it is; a means of transportation, not fancy, the radio may not work, they may have to do a little trick to get it started but it works. It gets them from A to B. It’s about perspective.

So as I look at my XO, I want to know what it does well and use it for that purpose. I worry that students and teachers will have similar reactions as we introduce low cost computing into classrooms as they have with our Sun project. I worry that when I take the XO home for my 9 year old to play with that she’ll say, “this sucks”.  It sucks compared to the $2000 laptop she uses. The reason we don’t think cellphones suck are because we see them for what they are and that is communication devices first and foremost. The fact that some can browse the internet, take photos and videos and play music is a bonus. If I started calling a cellphone a computer, maybe it loses some of its significance. As far as the XO goes, maybe calling it a laptop isn’t the best term. Maybe we need a term paradigm for these new flash based devices.  I’m trying to present new tools and devices not simply with enthusiasm but clear understanding of what they can and can’t do. Too often people lose focus and assume too much of a product or service. For example, animoto may not be the tool for a real quality piece of storytelling but it does a nice job of making taking a few images and presenting them in an interesting way. The XO is a courageous attempt at providing lowcost computing to the world certainly with limitations but not without value. The story of stuff seems to be playing in the background for me.

Technorati Tags: olpc, clarencefisher, sunmicosystems, xo, animoto

So I decided to take them on a tour, using some interactive maps and showed them the power of networks, open API (don’t worry I didn’t actually use that term) and personalized learning.

At 9:17 local time I sent out a tweet looking for help. In 2 hours we managed to talk with 10 different people from mostly North America, save for Jeff Utecht who was in Malaysia at a conference.  We got to have a brief chat with each one, found out a little bit about them and even asked one or two intelligent questions.   Using Community Walk (as you can see my community is not walkable) we created placemarks and I added some video snapshots as well.

Here’s the map we created on the fly.

Wedding map to share with guests
CommunityWalk Map – Skype Me

Kids were amazingly focused, running around the room helping each other, teacher laptop in hand right beside her students asking questions, looking like a learner herself, talking to people who help me learn. The students were customizing their maps and adding items of personal relevance and also making connections to the activities and whereabouts of the various guests.

A pretty cool morning.

Technorati Tags: avonlea, prairiesouth, jeffutecht, tinasteele, sharonpeters, barrydahl, paulhamilton, jeffboulton, jamesohagan, brianmull, susanmorgan

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That excites me and worries our IT guys. Our IT department is great to work with unlike many of the experiences I hear about. I challenge our IT manager and he challenges me.  So upon seeing the twit of Clarence, I immediately teased him with the news. He responded quickly as usual,

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The Last Back-to-School Sale Ever

Now grant it, most who read this already agree with this but I try to consider the naysayers and doubters that one to one computing is really the nirvana for educational success.  Many argue that computers are currently not be utilized to their full effectiveness. That’s very true but in most cases it’s because of lack of access and more to the point the lack of change in teaching practice to leverage to power of technology. I also realize that the TOC (total cost of ownership) is greater than the sticker price on the laptop.

Typically a school will spend around $8,000-10,000 annually for every student. I’m not an accountant so I won’t pretend to say that I can solve all of our problems by rearranging spending. There is obviously a high percentage of fairly fixed costs but finding $300-$500 a year extra whether you use existing funds or tax increases has to be worth it.

I think this is more about leaders understanding the value. Money is really not the issue. If parents, teachers and policy makers truly felt it was critical, they’d find the money. When my kids ask if we can put a pool in our yard my response might be “we can’t afford it”. That’s really not true. The correct answer is, “that’s not a priority for our family.”

So when Stager asks, “Why wouldn’t we at least try to make schools better?” The answer….it’s not a priority.

[tags]laptops,onetoone,garystager[/tags]

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We’ve already people taking advantage of this….if we could only convince school board and IT folks. So you may or may not have Windows? Who cares? Do you think the kids do? Okay all you smart folks, tell me why I’m wrong!

Update: As Steve’s comments bear out, I’m referring to the initiative in North America and Industrial countries.

[tags]olpc,laptops,briancrosby[/tags]

1. Will’s post on the OLPC and especially the exchange in the comments between Gary Stager and Tom Hoffman and Will. The fact that we cannot find a way to provide kids with the essential tool of our day continues to astound me.
2. Virginia shooting on Wikipedia. It already has over 500 edits.

[tags]onetoone,OLPC,garystager,willrichardson,tomhoffman,wikipedia,virginiashooting[/tags]

We spent part of the afternoon in the tablet classroom observing the setup and watching the students work. This isn’t about student excitement over a new tool. It’s gone way beyond that. Technology in these classrooms is virtually seamless. Yet motivation and engagement still exists. The classroom is not quiet as students talk about their work, help each other and share their learning in large groups. (This classroom has a wireless projector which allows any student to project their screen to the projector)
We talked about pedagogy, engagement, the importance of essential questions and lamented on how students leaving these classrooms will feel when they no longer have access all day long. All three agree, kids need this. How will they go back? What if you were told that next year, you’ll only have access to a computer twice a week for 45 minutes?

Tom Hoffman writes about the possibility of a low-cost laptop on the horizon. The Palms have provided a low-cost option as well. My concerns about lack of internet access still exists but they have begun to provide a learning environment that embraces much of what is right about digital learning. The point is we have to continue to find ways to get this in students hands. I’m reminded of the presentation from the K-12 Online Conference dealing with a 2-1 environment. I think of Pam Shoemaker’s involvement with having parents purchase the laptops. In any case, we have teachers and administrators commitmed to the idea of getting computers in students’ hands. With teachers this passionate about students and access, it’s not likely these types of efforts would fail. The failings of other initiatives come from mass roll outs when many teachers aren’t ready or able to make the adjustments in pedagogy. But when teachers are ready and want their students to have access, I say to administrators and central office decision makers, “just do it“. Find a way to get it done.

It’s noteworthy that Ev, who is a teacher of 30 years is, retiring this year. She is doing so somewhat reluctantly because she is feeling like she is just on the verge of exploring a new way of teaching and learning for her students. She is a true learner.

Acquisition costs for a notebook computer is typically 15% – 25% higher than that of a desktop computer. That would mean a substantial increase in IT budget per year… something I doubt the Board would endorse given the current financial situation within the division.

• Notebooks are typically MUCH slower than a desktop computer.
• Notebooks are MUCH less reliable than desktops. Downtime would increase significantly.
• Notebooks have VERY limited expansion capabilities and those items are more expensive (memory, hard drives, etc).
• Notebooks do not last as long as desktops. Our current replacement policy of 4 years would most likely have to be reduced to 3 years.
• Some programs WILL NOT RUN (or at least run so poorly on a notebook that they are unusable) AutoCAD, etc.
  

Maintaining security and standard configurations on notebooks that go off-site would substantially increase IT support costs

How would you see these notebooks being connected to our networks… wired… wireless? If it is wireless millions of $$$ would need to be invested in wireless infrastructure to support this model…

What about future directions within technology? We are in a time where this is a huge concern for the entire industry. In fact, Microsoft just released Vista today… the next version of their desktop operating system. Likely a third of the computers in our division won’t even run it right now while another third can run it but not the video-editing and multi-media (i.e. the “cool”, engaging parts) features. That leaves one third of the computers that can take advantage of new IT based opportunities and tools. The $600 – $1,000 notebooks would fall into one of these two-thirds… either they couldn’t run Vista of they would run it V E R Y S L O W L Y and/or some features would not be accessible.Also, the Thinkpad system that you spec’d out would struggle running Windows XP and our Office products… it would choke on Vista. I checked the Lenovo (the new name for IBM notebooks and PC’s) web site out and couldn’t find this configuration anywhere… where did you find this? The lowest priced Thinkpad T60 ( the T40 is no longer available) was $1,299 Canadian and only came with a one year warranty and no accidental damage coverage… a huge issue with notebooks.

I understand his concerns about performance and support. Many of the blogs I read do not speak highly of their IT department. This is not the case for me. I work closely with them and while we may not agree on all things, we’re all focused on our desire to provide the best experience and opportunities for all learners. The debate we’re having is whether we can make the shift from the standard desktop to laptop without increasing costs dramatically.

I’m wondering if those with experience in this can respond.

[tags]laptops,one to one,1to1,notebooks,change,shift[/tags]

In a school division facing many budget cuts and change, the advent of one to one computing will be a tough sell. Add to that, mobile computing now can include cellular phones. That’s going to be another challenge. Wake Forest is currently using smartphones and is discovering some great benefits. This recent posting by Leonard Low, outlines why mobile computing matters.

As I continue to manage the current Palm project and begin to launch another laptop based project, the power of mobility will be an interesting and important distinction.

One a side note, I didn’t bring my (our) cellphone with me and when I tried to find a payphone in Mountain View, I was told there were no pay phones..everyone has a cell. I’ll know for next time.

Students and teachers who bring their own laptops or wireless devices will soon be requesting internet and network access at schools. Questions that come to mind are:

• What security issues are there?
• Can they potentially impact the network?
• Who is responsible for that?
• Is this any different from school districts that have issued laptops to teachers/students?
• Or are they configured in such a way as to reduce or limit their potential security issues?
• Can they just be given internet access without accessing the network?
  
• What I.T. support is necessary for this to occur?

I’m sure there are other issues I’ve not considered but since I’ve already been asked about this, I’m hoping some of you have some thoughts.

Image Citation:
“Wall of Laptops.” Kartooner’s Photostream. 11 March 2006. 29 Sep 2006 .

We are abandoning the mobile laptop lab/cart paradigm and going back to a regular wired lab. Some of the reasons are:

1. Slow connectivity speed.
2. Class time is wasted handing out computers and collecting.
3. Laptops are more difficult and time consuming to image (you have to set the lab up in order to re-image).
4. They are more expensive for the same quality machine.
5. Greater risk for theft.
6. Poor utilization. Typically a laptop lab will be checked out to only a single teacher for a day, while a separate wired lab is used by multiple teacher throughout the day.

Dr. James Beal Director of Technology Somonauk Community Unit School District #432 Somonauk, IL 60552

I can’t speak to this from experience so those of you with some background (Wes, Cheryl,Will, Dan) maybe you could respond. This seems like a step backwards possibly as a result of some poor planning and support. But I really don’t know. I realize this may not be a true one to one environment but it seems to be closer to a reality of one computer for every child.

If we continue to cave to the challenges of technology, where will we be in 5 years when kids start bringing their own computers?

Read the story. via Rick Schwier

Mexico has already signed up for 300,000. Why is it that Mexico, China, India, Egypt, Brazil, Thailand, Nigeria and Argentina have all made committments to get the technology in the hands of children.

Maybe one day our country will be wealthy enough to afford this for our kids.

In the article, Professor Entman says:

“My main concern was they were focusing on trying to transcribe every word that was I saying, rather than thinking and analyzing,“ Entman said Monday. “The computers interfere with making eye contact. You’ve got this picket fence between you and the students.“

Sounds like a management issue here. You can argue all day whether students should be more focused, whether they should be handwriting, the reality is the notebook is here and by trying to ban or restrict technology you are not addressing the more important question of how to take advantage of it. It’s often about engagment. If the professor is not engaging, students will find things that are more engaging. If the concern is about thinking and analyzing, there are many ways to facilitate that online as well.

Banning technology is always the easiest solution but it’s usually not the best.

Here’s a response from one student:

“If we continue without laptops, I’m out of here. I’m gone; I won’t be able to keep up,“ said student Cory Winsett, who said his hand-written notes are incomplete and less organized.

I believe that changes in education are going to arise more from student action that administrative decisions. Good for you Cory.