Technology Rich Classroom Program

Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's World

Can you believe this is our last week of reading? Please finish chapter 8 & 9 and share reflections that address at least one of the following questions:

1) What is the student/laptop ratio in your work environment and how do you maximize the use of the technology resources?

2) Share some strategies to encourage safe and equitable access to technology resources. For example, share a lesson plan idea that addresses fair use, privacy, or Internet protection.

3) How do you work with the community of learners to promote a safe online environment, including local establishments (e.g. libraries) and parents?

Participants seeking college credit must write a reflection paper (approximately 2 pages) that discusses the application of skills and knowledge gained from the book in a real world project. This project may include working with one or more TRC teachers. We will discuss the final project in more detail at the facilitator training on Wednesday.

Happy Reading =)

Tags: privacy, safety

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Replies to This Discussion

1) What is the student/laptop ratio in your work environment and how do you maximize the use of the technology resources?

With my TRC teachers the student/laptop ratio in one of the buildings is 2:1 at the other building it's 1:1. The way that both groups of teachers manage the technology resources to maximize the use is by providing opportunities for students to work in pairs as well as individually with the laptops. When working in pairs teachers use the "driver/passenger" model where one students is the driver of the computer and the other is the passenger. During this time both students have roles, the driver is "in charge" of the computer while the passenger makes sure that the drive is doing their job and is kind of acting as a back seat driver when needed. That way both students are actively learning during their computer time. It sure seems to work for my teachers.

In other classrooms that don't have quite so much technology at their finger tips, teachers can check out a cart of computers or go to the computer lab to use the technology. It isn't as convenient as the TRC classroom but it still allows for the opportunity to integrate technology into the curriculum. Hopefully one day all classrooms will be set up like the TRC classrooms.
I really like your "driver/passenger" model when there is the 2:1 student/laptop ratio. A great plan for actively engaging both students.
I also like the terms "driver/passenger." I am going to start using those:)
I like that driver/passenger idea- think I will use that with my students. We have a 1:2 initiative. I like that it gives both students responsibility while using the technology.
The TRC classrooms in my building have a 1:1 ratio. For independent projects, It does cause a problem when one or two laptops are not working properly and need to be fixed. During this time, students are paired up to work together, alternating jobs.

Another strategy that has been successful is allowing half the class to work independently on the laptops while the teacher works with the other group, providing a better student to teacher ratio for instruction. This works best when an aide or para can also be in the room to provide assistance to the group on the laptops.
1) What is the student/laptop ratio in your work environment and how do you maximize the use of the technology resources?

Our original TRC grant included a 2:1 ratio. Mulvane was able to adjust our grant to include a 1:1 ratio. Several quotes from this week’s chapters address my thoughts on the second part of this question.

“Careful consideration of teachers’ instructional practices – and whether current practices support effective technology use by students – should be the foundation for district decision-makers before jumping into a 1:1 laptop initiative”. (Page 164)

“The issue of equity now centers not on equality of equipment but on quality of use”. (Page 168)

“Educators may be making more progress in providing access to technology than figuring out how to use it as a learning tool”. (Page 168)

Teachers’ initial efforts to maximizing the1:1 ratio mistakenly overlooked essential basics and limited success. They implemented the classroom-specific laptops as an additional computer lab to be shared building wide.

Labeling each computer and assigning each computer to a specific student reduced log-in time and allowed a student to utilize his/her computer off campus. Teachers were encouraged to have students log-in prior to instructional time. Students discontinued the previous procedure of “shutting down” between each use. Specific software (Notebook) was installed on all student computers.

The first step in maximizing technology resources is to understand how technology is evolving.
We are looking into a 1:1 at our 9-12 high school. We are now in the researching phase of how to accomplish this task and what it will require of both teachers and students. We know that the style and methods for teaching in a 1:1 are uch different than in our traditional classrooms and we are trying to determine if the staff are willing to make the neccessary changes to justify the purchase of nearly 2200 laptops.

I too, liked the quote on page 164 and feel that it hits the nail on teh head for us at this time of our decision making process.
I too felt these quotes in the book gave validity to the idea of 1:1. . . how lucky you were to adjust your grant to 1:1!
The student/laptop ratio in our TRC classrooms is 1:1. My students have their laptops numbered and always use the same laptop. We do happen to have an extra laptop in case one of the student laptops is not working properly. They also use the extra one to do DOL on the Smart Board when I am absent from the classroom. My students are free to get their laptop out when they need it, in the case we as a class haven't used them yet that day. With the 1:1 student/laptop ratio students are able to have their laptop at their desk so that they may go to ixl.com or sheppardsoftware.com to work on a skill or in a subject area when they have completed an assignment. My students are always eager to go to ixl.com or sheppardsoftware to work on a skill, and I am pretty sure that they wouldn't be so eager to do extra work with paper and pencil.
The student/laptop ratio in my classroom is 2:1. When using the laptops, I usually put students with a partner to maximize the usage. If we need a 1:1 ratio, I borrow laptops from one of the other TRC teachers if they aren't using them or the library laptop carts are available to use. When working in pairs or groups, the students have learned to take turns being in the driver seat and usually do a very good job. They really help each other out on different tasks that they do well. Both students are actively involved in the learning that is taking place and keeping their eyes on each other to make sure each is doing their job.
2) Share some strategies to encourage safe and equitable access to technology resources. For example, share a lesson plan idea that addresses fair use, privacy, or Internet protection.

Recently we developed an online internet safety course for all our students K-12 to meet the new guidelines of FERPA. This resource needed to address internet safety issues for each student at a level appropriate for them. We developed 2 different versions. We did use some materials from Discovery Video so they had to be placed on our intranet, sorry I can't share them with you. :(

We are currently looking at updating our AUP for both staff and students to address some of the issues that have arisen over the past few years.

At this time we are also looking into our filtering policies for staff to allow for greater access to some of the digital tools and Web 2.0 tools that are now available. We hope to have these updated for the new school year and begin training staff on the use of these new tools in their classrooms.
1. What is the student/laptop ratio in your work environment and how do you maximize the use of the technology resources?

The student/laptop ration is 2:1. To maximize the use of the computers, we have the kids work in pairs. There are even 3-4 desktops in the TRC classrooms that we also use. When we are in need of a 1:1 ratio, the TRC teachers make arrangements with each other and borrow from each other’s carts to make that happen. When push comes to shove, we can borrow from the two laptop carts that are housed in our Library and are available for the rest of the school.

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