Cairo American College's Strategic Plan Strategy #3: Technology and Information Literacy is "To seamlessly integrate technology and information literacy into all areas of learning." This, along with 21st century skills support, staff development, school closure protocols, immediate access to current resources, inquiry and project-based learning, and the growing need for more access to technology in the school environment, has resulted in many other international schools implementing a 1-to-1 learning program. Consequently, 1-to-1 learning has emerged as a key strategy for meeting CAC's seamless integration of technology goal, so it is time to begin the discussion and plan what this will look like at CAC.
Currently, CAC uses laptop carts and computer labs to set up a 1-to-1 computer environment when scheduled by teachers. However, both of these solutions cause a disruption to the class and are not always available at peak learning times. In addition, even though we are close to a 1 computer per 2 student ratio, we still have request for more computer access. To continue to add more computers under our current model is not a sustainable practice we can practically support: We are already behind in our replacement plan with some computers 7 to 8 years old still in service, while over 400 computers will be more than 4 years old next year and would need to be replaced or retired to maintain current standards of processing speed and storage. Although, some of these units could stay in service to meet access needs even if not up to the current standard for computers in world class schools, it is clear CAC must explore a 1-to-1 learning program to meet its current and future student computer needs.
A team of CAC technology staff recently attended the ASB Unplugged 1-to-1 Learning Conference to further research what a 1-to-1 laptop program would look like at CAC. Representatives from over 50 schools from around the world attended the conference with 1-to-1 programs already in place or a plan to pilot one in the near future. This is not a new concept: The American School of Bombay has had a 1-to-1 laptop program in place for more than 6 years, while the first 1-to-1 classroom was initiated in Australia twenty years ago. Quite a few international schools of our stature either have a 1-to-1 program in place or are in the process of implementing one. Consequently, the team returned from the conference convinced that CAC should embark on our program as soon as it is feasible.
In general, a 1-to-1 learning program is a technology-rich learning environment where every student has access to a computer 24/7. These programs are highlighted by the following:
Currently, CAC uses laptop carts and computer labs to set up a 1-to-1 computer environment when scheduled by teachers. However, both of these solutions cause a disruption to the class and are not always available at peak learning times. In addition, even though we are close to a 1 computer per 2 student ratio, we still have request for more computer access. To continue to add more computers under our current model is not a sustainable practice we can practically support: We are already behind in our replacement plan with some computers 7 to 8 years old still in service, while over 400 computers will be more than 4 years old next year and would need to be replaced or retired to maintain current standards of processing speed and storage. Although, some of these units could stay in service to meet access needs even if not up to the current standard for computers in world class schools, it is clear CAC must explore a 1-to-1 learning program to meet its current and future student computer needs.
A team of CAC technology staff recently attended the ASB Unplugged 1-to-1 Learning Conference to further research what a 1-to-1 laptop program would look like at CAC. Representatives from over 50 schools from around the world attended the conference with 1-to-1 programs already in place or a plan to pilot one in the near future. This is not a new concept: The American School of Bombay has had a 1-to-1 laptop program in place for more than 6 years, while the first 1-to-1 classroom was initiated in Australia twenty years ago. Quite a few international schools of our stature either have a 1-to-1 program in place or are in the process of implementing one. Consequently, the team returned from the conference convinced that CAC should embark on our program as soon as it is feasible.
In general, a 1-to-1 learning program is a technology-rich learning environment where every student has access to a computer 24/7. These programs are highlighted by the following:
- Research confirms that students are more engaged and better organized.
- While available at any time, laptop use depends on what is appropriate for the content area being studied.
- It is definitely not the school environment parents and I attended; rather, it is a school environment which reflects life in the 21st century.
- Students become more self-regulated and better prepared for college and life.
- Inquiry-based learning happens both formally and informally, and project-based learning often emerges as a best practice.
- Instant access to current information enables teachers to concentrate more on analysis and synthesis, and effective group work becomes essential.
- Teaching strategies are revisited to blend the best learning practices with the use of digital tools and resources; consequently, veteran teachers with a developed pedagogy often utilize new technology most effectively.
- Students produce assignments using varied media for a variety of audiences that reach far beyond the school walls and help the green initiative by reducing printing.
- A sense of responsibility and ownership is develop by students for the appropriate use, care and support of their laptops and those of their peers.
- Emerging Web 2.0 technologies are available for educational use immediately.
- Students, educators, and parents--the entire school community--will be challenged to extend the students' personal use of computers from primarily an entertainment, social, and recreation device to a learning, communicating, and productivity tool.
I was fortunate enough to implement a 1-to-1 laptop program in my last school. In order to gain a better understanding of what a 1-to-1 laptop program looks like, you may find the following resources as helpful as I did during our initial research. You will find that there are a variety of options in how a program like this is implemented. While there are similarities, I believe each school designs a program that addresses the unique learning and technology needs of its community.
- American School Bombay, Mumbai, India http://www.asbindia.info:8081/drupal/ASB_Un-plugged/
- Irving Independent School District, Irving Texas, USA http://www.irvingisd.net/one2one/
- Oregon Episcopal School, Oregon, USA http://www.oes.edu/ms/laptop.html http://classweb.oes.edu/~techcrew/Tech_Site/Welcome.html http://www.oes.edu/ms/laptop-FAQs.html#what3
- Lausanne Laptop Institute http://www.laptopinstitute.com
- Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundationhttp://www.aalf.org/
- 1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs that Work http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Curriculum_Integration&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=14436 (This is the story of The Peck School laptop program, Morristown, New Jersey)
As the use of digital tools in education increases to enhance teaching and learning, we seek the input of our community members to assist us in planning, clarification, and use of technology at CAC. Successful 1-to-1 learning at CAC will need feedback from all of our learning community members. We would like to answer your questions and are interested in hearing your recommendation and commendation about current and future technology at CAC. We have established a "CAC Tech Talk" blog as a primary communication tool on the topic of Technology for the CAC community. Please feel free to visit the blog anytime at http://cactechtalk.blogspot.com/. Your feed back wiil help us to be clear about our purpose, focus, and strategies.
I'd like to thank our conference attendees, Gale, Juleen, and Mona, for contributing conference notes to this article. In closing, here are two quotes which touch on the potential use of computers in education.“More and more I was thinking of the computer not just as hardware and software but as a medium through which you could communicate important things. .. ….an instrument whose music is ideas." The Dynabook Revisited: A Conversation with Alan Kay. In The Book and the Computer.http://www.honco.net/os/kay.html (2002)
"These days, computers are popularly thought of as multi-media devices, capable of incorporating and combining all previous forms of media - text, graphics, moving pictures, sound. I think this point of view leads to an underestimation of the computer's potential. It is certainly true that a computer can incorporate and manipulate all other media, but the true power of the computer is that it is capable of manipulating not just the expression of ideas but also the ideas themselves. The computer is not just an advanced calculator or camera or paintbrush; rather, it is a device that accelerates and extends our processes of thought. It is an imagination machine, which starts with the ideas we put into it and takes them farther than we ever could have taken them on our own." Danny Hillis' book “The Pattern on the Stone", Basic Books, 1998
Steve Roberts and the CAC Tech Team
