Edina middle-school students to pilot one-to-one wireless laptop program
One-to-one wireless laptop program FAQ
- What is the purpose of this pilot?
- Why is the District running a pilot of the one-to-one program?
- When will the pilot begin?
- What is the timeline for the pilot and how is it implemented?
- How will the one-to-one pilot be evaluated?
- Why is/isn’t my child in the pilot?
- How is the one-to-one program funded?
- How much does this program cost?
- How much will this cost me as a parent?
- Will parents be required to purchase laptops for the pilot?
- Can my child bring their laptop from home?
- Can my child bring an Internet capable device (i.e. cell phone, iPod, etc) in lieu of using a laptop?
- My child does not speak English well. Does the laptop have provisions for other world languages?
- Does the laptop have provisions for adaptive technologies for special education students?
- What controls/filters are on the laptop?
- Why not give students a netbook?
- What if I don’t want my child to bring the computer home?
- What if I don’t have/want Internet access at home?
- What if my child uses the computer at home for non-educational purposes, i.e. Facebook?
- Can I also use the computer at home?
- How are you preparing the Edina parents for the one-to-one program?
- How are you preparing the Edina students for the one-to-one program?
- What preparations have you made to ensure that the Edina teachers are ready for the one-to-one program?
Q. What is the purpose of this pilot?
A. The main goals of the project are to:
- Enhance the personalized learning experience
- Expand learning opportunities beyond the school walls by providing real-world learning experiences through the use of technology
- Develop in students the 21st century skills needed to compete in a global society
- Help students achieve higher scores on the constructed response questions on the MCA standardized tests
- Help students achieve a higher score on the MCA science test
- Maximize the District’s resources of time and talent
The one-to-one pilot program will provide laptops to a sample group of middle-school students. This effort will allow students to have 24/7 access to learning resources. But more importantly, it signifies a paradigm shift in the delivery of instruction, which will move from teacher-centered to student-centered. The research has found that when students personalize their education, they perceive the learning context or setting to be supportive and are willing to remain engaged in learning. Based on the success of the pilot, the District will apply the one-to-one laptop initiative to eighth grade and beyond.
More information on 21st century learning skills can be found at www.21stcenturyskills.org
Q. Why is the District running a pilot of the one-to-one program?
A. The District’s Technology Advisory Team (TAT) has been studying one-to-one laptop initiatives nationwide over the last six years. Through the research, we have learned that one-to-one programs need to be aligned with the District’s goals and vision. The pilot allows the District to test its teaching/learning strategies on a small scale and make adjustments to the curriculum and technology infrastructure before the full program is implemented. Over the years, slow implementation of new initiatives has proved to be the most fiscally prudent.
A. The two-year-long program begins in August 2009 and ends in June 2011. During that time, a staggered schedule of implementation is proposed.
Q. What is the timeline for the pilot and how is it implemented?
A. 2009-2010 – Year 1
The pilot will begin with one eighth-grade team at South View Middle School. The team at South View was selected from the teachers who are participating in the one-to-one Community of Practice this year. The teachers participating in the pilot will receive additional training for curriculum design during technology camp this summer. Students will participate in the pilot based on their schedule of classes and team assignment. In addition, during the first year of the pilot, laptops will be purchased for all of eighth-grade teachers to support their readiness in 2011-2012.
2010-2011 – Year 2
During the second year of the pilot, a second team of eighth-grade students and teachers from Valley View Middle School will be added. Teachers will be selected from those participating in year two of the Community of Practice. During year two, the remaining eighth-grade teachers who will potentially be implementing the full initiative in 2011-2012 will be provided inservice training.
Based on the evaluation criteria established for the stated goals
(see question one), the Technology Advisory Team (TAT) will make a recommendation to the School Board in regard to full implementation of the one-to-one program in May of 2011.
Q. How will the one-to-one pilot be evaluated?
A. Evaluation will consist of a comparison between eighth-grade students in the pilot and the control group at each middle school. It will include staff, parent and student surveys and focus groups in addition to a comparison of standardized test score results.
Q. Why is/isn’t my child in the pilot?
A. Enrollment into the pilot is determined by scheduling and/or class choices. The scheduling process is used to determine who’s involved in the pilot so that the pilot and the control groups are as close to the general population as possible. By following this process, the District is able to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot.
How is the one-to-one program funded?
A. The funding for the pilot comes from the District’s technology levy. To fully implement the one-to-one laptop program beyond the eighth-grade level would require another technology levy to be passed when the current levy expires in 2013.
Q. How much does this program cost?
A. A large part of the pilot study is determining the amount of support and software needed to support the program. The hardware and software cost is approximately $299 per student per year or $1.72 per school day. These numbers are based on the most recent information and are subject to change. However, this price will be reduced over time as technology costs decrease, more resources are available online and fewer textbooks are purchased. Currently, the District spends approximately $10,000 per secondary student per year.
Q. How much will this cost me as a parent?
A. The pilot program requires no additional cost to parents. However, if the District chooses to implement the program, it will charge a student fee of $50 per year for protection of the laptops. The District is also exploring the need for parents to include the laptops on their home insurance policy to cover the cost of a lost or stolen laptop.
Q. Will parents be required to purchase laptops for the pilot?
A. No. In order to ensure equity of laptop access, the District cannot require parents to purchase a laptop for use in this pilot. The District can use its educational discount to obtain laptops at a substantially lower cost than an individual buyer. An industrial grade laptop must be purchased to handle the daily wear and tear of student use. In addition, by purchasing the laptops, the District can ensure that the processing power is capable of operating the new curriculum and can control the programs that are on the computer, ensuring that they are for educational purposes. In the future the laptop/notebook will be considered a tool as essential as today’s textbook and accessible to all students.
Q. Can my child bring their laptop from home?
A. Students can bring laptops from home assuming the laptop meets the District specifications for hardware and software and the family agrees to have District security software installed.
After the first year of the pilot, the District will work with the laptop vendor to provide parents an opportunity to buy the same model laptop for their child’s use in ninth-grade.
Q. Can my child bring an Internet capable device (i.e. cell phone, iPod, etc) in lieu of using a laptop?
A. No. The laptops provided by the District have the necessary software, textbook and curriculum resources installed. These applications are needed in order to ensure that each student has the intended learning experience. Not all resources will be Web-based and students will need to access their files on the District servers. While the small size of an iPod or iPhone is convenient, the processing power and memory does not meet the specifications which will be required for the curriculum resources and assignments. In addition the screen size is not practical for reading large documents of text and graphics in textbooks.
Q. My child does not speak English well. Does the laptop have provisions for other world languages?
A. Yes. Software needed for the languages taught in our world language program will be put on the laptops as copyright permission is obtained. In addition, the District will review and install programs such as Read and Write Gold to support the District’s ELL program.
Q. Does the laptop have provisions for adaptive technologies for special education students?
The District’s technology staff will work with the special education teachers to determine what hardware and software may be needed and will install it on the computers.
Q. What controls/filters are on the laptop?
A. The software installed on the computer is intended to implement the District’s curriculum. Security software is built into each computer. Students will not be able to load software programs onto their laptops without teacher permission. The District’s Code of Ethics for Online Use and the guidelines established for appropriate use of the laptops will be on the computer hard drive. Students will receive training on Internet safety and the ethical use of online resources. They will have to obtain a “laptop driver’s license” before they receive their laptop.
Q. Why not give students a netbook?
A. The District reviews computer technology annually to determine the best resources available. The District technology staff has been testing netbook computers for the past eight months. The processing power and memory of the netbooks do not meet the specifications which will be needed for the curriculum resources and assignments. Also, the full-featured netbooks are within $100 of a full-functioning laptop.
Q. What if I don’t want my child to bring the computer home?
A. The philosophy of this program is that learning doesn’t just happen during the school day and within the walls of the school. Students need to have access to the laptops to do their assignments, search for information and collaborate on research at any time and from any place including home. Students will be provided laptop carrying cases for transporting the computers to and from school. The District will provide training to parents each year to support the use of laptops at home and will work with parents if supervision becomes a problem.
Q. What if I don’t have/want Internet access at home?
The District will work with TIES, an educational technology consortium to which the District is a member, to provide access to low-cost Internet service through Qwest.
Q. What if my child uses the computer at home for non-educational purposes, i.e. Facebook?
A. The District-owned laptops are not to be used for non-educational purposes at home. If students are permitted at home to participate on social networking sites, such as MySpace or Facebook, they are to use the family’s computer. Students and parents will all have to sign an Online Code of Ethics policy. The District will provide parents training on appropriate and safe Internet use. Teachers will randomly check the computer logs of the student laptops to see where students are going on the Internet.
Q. Can I also use the computer at home?
A. Parents and other children are encouraged to use the laptops and the software on the computers at home for educational purposes. Details of appropriate uses will be provided at the parent workshop.
Q. How are you preparing the Edina parents for the one-to-one program?
A. In August 2009 and 2010, the District’s technology staff will meet with parents and students entering the pilot. The program and expectations will be explained. Staff will discuss Internet safety and the care and maintenance of the laptops. In the spring of each year, the program will be evaluated and parents will be invited to participate in focus groups or surveys.
Q. How are you preparing the Edina students for the one-to-one program?
A. Student focus groups conducted last year indicated that students felt comfortable using mobile technology to access information and interact with each other. In fact, most students approached the concept of a one-to-one program with much enthusiasm.
The District has rewritten its K – 12 information literacy skills curriculum to reflect the national technology standards for students.
Q. What preparations have you made to ensure that the Edina teachers are ready for the one-to-one program?
A. Teachers will receive laptop computers for planning a year prior to students. During this time, teachers will receive training on enhancing instruction through technology and will be provided the time and technology support to rewrite their lessons to become more personalized and student-centered.