We would like to explore the possibility of the idea of giving teachers laptop computers to replace their desktop computers. As I explained in our study group meetings this week, we are just beginning to gather input on the pros, cons, consequences of what this might mean should we ever have the resources to actually do this (which we don't presently have).
We are gathering input from the technicians on what the technical implications might be. We would like to gather input from teachers about the following:
- What implications might there be for instruction in classrooms if teachers had laptop computers?
- What would the implications/needs be in terms of staff development?
- How might management of data and information, organization, etc. in the classroom be affected?
Click on the "Comments" link below and let us know what you think - good, bad, or indifferent.
34 comments:
Who knew there was a laptop initiative in the country? Perhaps if I read more, I would keep updated on these issues. I went to several websites where people from other states are talking about laptops for teachers. Some of the comments I agreed with are:
1.Obviously, having access to technology at home. This is provided that one could connect to Internet servers on the school network.
2. It would make it more feasible for teachers to share folders.
3. Since most of us do our planning in the evening and on weekends, it would be a great way to include assignment folders for students - much like our web pages allow. Perhaps there could even be a homework drop box for students to deposit their work. I have had students email their work to me but I was not able to retrieve it until the following day or after a weekend. Laptops would encourage students to get work in on time, not forget it at home.
My concerns are that it would be easy for laptops to disappear or get damaged.
Laptops would have to have all programs we have on school computers in order to be truly effective.
We have such a good inservice program in our district that I am sure everyteacher would be expected to be properly "trained" in the use of laptops.
Great comments so far. Of course, now I'm dying to know who "Dulcinea" is! :-)
Dulcinea, remember that we are talking about laptops for teachers not for students. Some of what you brought up seems more geared to student laptop initiatives, but they present interesting things to think about anyway.
Responding to lorib,
Yes, I guess I like the initiative for students to have laptops but I do not see the feasibility of this at all. When I visited websites, they did talk about the student initiatives but teachers added their thoughts. A few years ago, I was included in a Boces grant and we (teachers) were given laptops to use. It was before our technology was as "good" as it is today. We were trained in various programs and designed projects for our students to use. It was great to be able to carry the work back and forth. There are so many advances today that I am not sure I see the value in having a laptop. Oh well, who am I? Dulcinea, signing off.
I, too agree that the portability factor is nice with laptops, but with that comes a security risk. As one who has had her wallet stolen from her desk drawer, we would need to be EXTREMELY careful about keeping laptops secure when we are not in the room. And at NW that would be especially difficult given the open building arrangement.
As a music teacher with only one computer in the room, it would be nice to have that portability in my classroom. As Linda said, I could record my assessments into directly into my computer without having to "hide" behind my desk. And using the Averkey would be SOOO much easier!
As far as bringing work home, as it is we can already install Microsoft Office at home using the District's installation CD (for free). And with the advent of inexpensive and easy-to-use jump drives, it's getting easier and easier to transport files and data home without toting the entire computer. In fact, I'd be afraid to do that lest I forget it at home! Also, how would the district feel about allowing that much $$ to come and go freely? Again, we're back to the security risk that accompanies the convenience.
And on a totally different note, if I had a laptop I would DEFINETELY need an external mouse because the mouse-pad thingy drives me nuts. But that's just my own little quirk... :-)
Whenever anyone offers more flexibility to a classroom teacher, it is hard to say no. I've never been a fan of lines at the teacher desk or getting lost behind a monitor. A teacher laptop could benefit both the teacher and the student by bringing the greater functionality of the teacher computer where it is most useful. I could easily move to a conference table with a small group or an individual student's desk. I could also take it to a meeting, workshop or on vacation (lucky lap top!).
Student assessment data could be entered right there with the student. I could more efficiently share my lesson materials (photos, websites, video clips) with students without going through a number of steps making this available on the student computers.
A few concerns come to mind. It is easy to get distracted by email communication and would not want to raise the expectation that I'd be quicker to respond to emails because I have a laptop at hand. The security and reliability issues others have raised are real. Wired/desktop options should still be available somewhere and secure lockups should be in each classroom. Finally, I would want to investigate the opportunity cost of teacher laptops. Having experienced the value of sharing a set of wireless laptops in the classroom, I would find it difficult to promote purchasing teacher laptops at the expense of student computers.
After reflecting about the use of laptops it became very clear that I know very little about them. I have only used one briefly at my parents house. The portability is the one factor that seems as if it would be helpful. Saving and creating information without transferrring it (or remembering to transfer it!) would be great.
Also, it was mentioned at the last VAT meeting that people are becoming overwhelmed with school emails. This may give teachers an opportunity to sort through emails and explore neat links that people send. I have found that accessing my school email through the district website is a little quirky and slow.
I think I would need staff development for what the possibilities are. I am particularly interested in how this could impact my direct instruction. I am always open to new ideas so bring them on!
As with any "new to you" or "trial basis" technology there will be the pro's and cons. As I see it the pro's for having teachers use lap top computer would be:
1. Portability in the classroom - Instruction would definately benefit from this. Being able to (like Ed said) come together with a small group of students, at a table or the floor, would be easier then everyone huddling around trying to see the monitor that's on a teacher's desk especially (with all of the "important stuff" :) that's on it would be beneficial.
2. Portability - taking home:
Being able to bring all your folders, files home for planning, report cards, etc. would also be a benefit.
Cons:
1. Lap tops have a shorter life span than desk top computers. They would have to be replaced more often and it's hard to find the money for printers, new student computers, monitors etc for the classrooms.
2. Easily forgotten at home.
3. Teachers would have to either have the means to go wireless at home (buying routers and having them secure)or hooking up to their own ISP via networking type cords in order for them to access the internet.
4. They do not have access to their "P" drives from home.
5. If they need servicing, how long will the turn around be (short I'm sure), but...if it does take a day or two or longer, how will that effect the teacher and the instruction?
6. Will everyone back up their important data to the Network "P" drives at school?
7. How will they (the teachers) connect wirelessly to the network at school? At Village we do not yet have fixed access points around the building, only the laptop carts. Will that even be a problem?
8. Easily taken off a desk.
Unfortunately, I probably could go on with the con's of this post, but I won't. I think for some, the idea of a lap top would greatly benefit their instruction, especially with the portabiltiy of them. But like Terri said, I'm always open to new ideas....especially when it's concerning technology.
WOW! These are terrific comments so far. You are bringing up things that I have thought about, but you are also bringing up things I hadn't thought about.
I hope that more people will add their comments. Also, please feel free to comment again about someone else's comment. Some of you have already done that.
I have two laptop computers at home. I can honestly say that without them, I would be lost. The majority of the work I do for school is done on my laptop at home. It allows me to take most of my work wherever I go, including vacations (I'm a dork...I know).However, I don't know how a laptop from home would be any different than a laptop from school. Someone made a great point about not being able to access our P drives. I think most people have or will someday have a laptop.
I have always been a fan of technology -- the more the better, as far as I'm concerened. Everyone has made such insightful comments . . . it's hard to add anything new. But, I'll try! (that's what I get for waiting to blog until now!)
The thought of having a laptop thrills me -- the portability, the numerous possibilities for teaching, and not to mention how much space it will save around my already cluttered desk! I would not turn it away should someone suddenly hand me a laptop!
Right now, I depend a lot on my flash drive for transporting needed files back and forth to school. It's light, it's fairly easy to use, and I it can accommodate all the files I need. If I were working on a laptop that could travel between home and school, I wouldn't need to copy files, they would be on the computer itself. Although the possibility of forgetting the laptop at home is valid, I am more likely to forget my flash drive (in whatever computer I plugged it into!) So, I guess I like the idea of a laptop for this reason.
Many valid points came up about the security of having laptops in our classrooms. I would be very nervous about being responsible for such an expensive, portable piece of equipment. There would have to be security measures in place before we even started.
One point I'd like to make is that this question is being asked by teachers on the TECH committee. We are (most likely) all tech saavy people who enjoy technology and look for opportunities to expand our knowledge and use. What would teachers who are not so technologically inclined say about this proposal? I know there are many who are still novices at using the programs and features of our current computers. Would they embrace laptops? Or, if like a kid at Christmas, would they grab up any and all gifts with their name on it, and later change their mind and cast it aside out of frustration. I don't mean to be a naysayer -- I think it is a marvelous idea and presents so many opportunities. But perhaps we don't need laptops for every teacher. I'd be interested in hearing from those who are not on this committee.
I love the idea of having laptops for teachers. The convenience factor is huge. Having a computer when and where you need it can foster more creativity and hopefully will encourage teachers to use technology more for direct instruction. I have to agree with Linda when it comes to the concerns about theft. Will this be an issue leaving them in our classrooms over night? There would have to be some kind of meeting or class to share how to save and transfer information or any other system differences. The district would also have to make sure that cases are included to protect the laptops during travel.
Laptops for teachers:
I personally do not like typing on a laptop. I have not adjusted to the size of the keyboard and how tight the keys are to each other. I have a desktop and laptop at home and I tend to go to the desktop to work. Maybe I need to use only a laptop for a while to feel comfortable. I do like the portability of the laptop – I can sit anywhere to work and I can take the computer with me if I need to.
As for school use, I worry about laptop security – who is going to provide a safe place to keep the laptops before and after school? I think a secure location is a necessity. I envision the need for a central location that we would have to keep the laptops in before school and after we leave school. Are the laptops going to be locked up on a daily basis and are teachers going to have access to the secure storage area before and after school hours? Some teachers go to school early or stay late to complete work. It seems like it would be a hassle to go find your laptop to work. I don’t think a classroom desk is a secure location to leave a laptop overnight-unless there is some type of lockdown device available. The district can not afford to have laptops disappear.
I have to agree with Andrea that blogging is not a procrastinators best friend. I just recently bought a laptop for home and I love it because I can multi-task - work on the computer and watch TV, but that meant that we had to invest in a wireless router (which was not easy to set up).
As for school use, being a teacher who travels from room to room it would be great to have a laptop, as my biggest issue with trying to do tech projects is that the student computers don't have the same capabilities as my computer so most of what I try to do doesn't work quite right.
I also think it would be great for being able to do work from home and not having to worry about a thumbdrive- since I'm the only one I know who actually had one break! Luckily nothing really important was on it, but it was very frustrating. I had put my files from my P: drive on it... would be able to copy files from our p drive to the laptop... would there be enough memory?
By biggest concern would be that I would leave it at home, since I am notorious for leaving my stuff everywhere (I had to go back into my house 2 times today because I had forgotten stuff). But I would really like to explore the possibilities
This is turning out to be a great discussion! Keep your thoughts and ideas coming.
If you know a teacher with a laptop that they use at school, see if you can contact them and find out some of their pros and cons.
It would be great to learn from those who have already lived it out.
I love Andrea's comment that the district would have to invest in more smartboards for the laptops to be most effective. Thanks for saying that.
After reading everyone's comments, I have to agree with many of them. My first reaction is how great it would be to have a laptop. There are pros and cons that need to be considered, however.
Pros--It would be great to have a laptop to do report cards, assessments, and anecdotal records.
As many people pointed out, it would also be nice to have a laptop for the "evening" and "weekend work" that we all do.
Cons--I would be concerned about the security issues that would inevitably come up with having a laptop.
It would take more time for me in the beginning of a "pilot" because I'm not really familiar with using a laptop. I've only used a laptop once, but am always willing to try new things!
One of the things that came up in our in-person discussion on this topic at the VE and Quest Study Group meeting was this:
Would it be more helpful for teachers to have access to their P drive and the W drive from home on their home computer than it would be to have a laptop?
What do you all think?
Like Terri, I also lack experience with laptops. I haven't had any desire for one up until reading these comments. Now, I'm sold! Sign me up! I love the idea of having the information with me that I'm currently lacking at home. Its portability, too, would allow me to take it when I (frequently) go out of town. For record-keeping and report cards it would be particularly useful.
On the downside, money issues and security concerns are two of the cons that have been discussed. OK, if the money is spent, I promise to take good care of mine! I still think its a great idea.
Being that I am doing this at 11 PM the night before our tech study group tomorrow (no offense Lori, I do my best work under pressure):-) I have had the opportunity to read all the commments. WOW, we have a great group that really has great ideas/ thoughts.
Anyway, I agree with most of the thoughts. I do like Lori's last point of if we have access to our P and W drives from home would that make it easier. Sure it would. Would a laptop still be a much wanted item on a wish list...yes it would. I am fortunate and have a laptop at home (of which I am sitting at and watching one of my taped shows as I type to you) and I love the mobility of it. I would also love to have one in the gym too to access students fitness files as we do testing. To set up assessments and put the grades in immediately. There are so many great things to do with a laptop. Like others, security is an issue, but maybe there could be a room that all the laptops could be locked up in overnight or something to accommodate this concern. The other concern I agree with is the amount of space and memory on the laptops as well as the replacement factor when things go bad. As with all great ideas, having everyone with a laptop would require working out some bugs and inevitably, you will not please everyone. Change is good (in my opinion) as long as we are ready with a plan if things don't go well.
I worked in a district for 3 years to which both students and teachers recieved laptops. To be honest not many students took advantage, but the teachers sure did! Based on my experience the major pro is the portability. It was easy to take minutes during team meetings, complete classroom observations etc. The major con however was I found that they seemed to break down more frequently. At least once a year my computer would be out of comission for a few days for repairs. I even heard some horror stories about teachers loosing everything from the dreaded "blue screen".
PS- back up your files
As a physical education teacher, I believe that going to lap tops instead of desktop computers would be excellent. As a p.e. teacher, there are no desktop computers in any of the teaching stations that I currently work in. Currently, almost all of the p.e. teachers use a grade book to track attendance, grades and other necessary information that is needed to conduct a class. All of this information must then be transferred to the computer after each class or at the end of each teaching day. With a laptop, the teachers could enter the information once and not have to worry about transferring data and information over to the desktop which would also cut down on some inputting errors that might take place.
As a physical education teacher, I believe that going to lap tops instead of desktop computers would be excellent. As a p.e. teacher, there are no desktop computers in any of the teaching stations that I currently work in. Currently, almost all of the p.e. teachers use a grade book to track attendance, grades and other necessary information that is needed to conduct a class. All of this information must then be transferred to the computer after each class or at the end of each teaching day. With a laptop, the teachers could enter the information once and not have to worry about transferring data and information over to the desktop which would also cut down on some inputting errors that might take place.
As a teacher assistant going to 5 different classes per day along with test accommodation room, the lap top would be beneficial in taking class notes and assignments. Copies can be easily distributed. I am especially very impressed with the new Mac Book Air. I am sure there has to be some sort of grant money for this especially in special edu.
I think that having laptops would be beneficial for many reasons. As a school psychologist I am in and out of different classrooms throughout the school doing observations of students, going over testing results with teachers, and meeting with staff to collect information about students. Having a laptop would make this significantly more convenient and time efficient. I would be able to type notes, update and share my reports and access student information right at these meetings. I would no longer have to take pages of notes and then try and remember what my notes said when I actually had time to sit down and type them up. Not to mention the pages and pages of paper it would save. It would also save me much frustration when I am working on reports at home and have forgotten to email myself or save to my jump drive the correct files.
I think laptops are a great idea. As the school social worker I am frequently out of my office and in the classroom. It would be benifical for me to have quicker access to e-mail, parent communciation, FBA's and IEP's. I could be doing 2 things at once! I am basically computer challenged so a course on how to use the laptop to its fullest potential would be great to offer staff. When doing classroom observation I could implement the data right onto the laptop as it was happening. I say let's go for it and get laptops!!!
Giving teachers laptops instead of desktop computers would be wonderful! I often work on a lesson at home and then need to e-mail it to myself at work or save it to a jump drive so that I will have it at school. Having a laptop would eliminate the problem of juggling files from computer to computer! I ended up buying an external hard drive this year so that I could easily transport files to and from school- I just plug in the hard drive and it automatically synced to my computer. This was a temporary solution that I implemented for the time being, but having a laptop would be even better! My husband has a laptop for his job, and it is easier for him to get work done at home. I fully support this idea!
I recently purchased a laptop for home use, and I must say that I absolutely love the portability of it. I love sitting in the back yard and being able to do work or even access the internet. I think the portability even within the building would be a very nice feature. However, Lori's question of access to p and w drives makes me think about rearranging my priorities. Since I do have one classroom at school, I would not need the portability as much as teachers who travel within or between buildings. I would, however, love being able to access my p and w drives from home. I am constantly trading stuff between home and school on a flash drive, and there are times that I have forgotten to copy it to the flash drive and can't do what I wanted to at home.
I believe that laptops for teachers would be good in some ways but pose problems in others. Most of the comments already posted cover everything but as a teacher that teaches technology in the classroom on a daily basis there is more negative points that arise for me.
I use programs that are EXTREMELY large and would not be able to be housed on a laptop and still be functional to use. I also find that the movement of the cursor would be troublesome in trying to teach a lot of the platforms that I teach, such as Illustrator and Flash. Another problem would be that you would have to link up to another source anyway if you need to project to a larger format for the entire classroom to watch.
I think that laptops would be good for teachers who do not have the technology already present in their rooms or that travel from room to room but the network is linked to all classrooms so there should not be an issue of availability, only one of convenience.
I think the issue that would be better addressed would be the fact that we can't access our P-drive information unless we are at school and that is inconvenient. If there is anything that should be more accessible to us from anywhere it should be all of the information that we use to teach our classes. I know if I had access to my P-drive I would certainly be a more efficient teacher because I would not have to save information and try to transfer it back and forth between school and home.
I like the idea of portability, but what I would need, as I imagine others would as well, is the continued ability to connect to a projector or TV. As an art teacher, so much of what I do is visual by nature that a resource like that is invaluable. Being able to move from building to building with everything I need (design programs, etc) would be fantastic, as long as I have access to a screen an entire class can view.
The 'sub topic' of P:Drive access has surfaced in these comments too. I would also love to be able to access mine from home. Setting up visuals or lessons and having the ability to plug it into my P:Drive without having to use a jump drive would be extremely convenient.
I think it's an interesting idea, but I'm not a big fan of laptops. I'd be nervous about theft, and the accountability factor. I do however like the idea of having everything right there. I'm actually surprised that we aren't seeing more students with laptops in classrooms at the high school level.
I never really thought that I needed a laptop. Now that I have one of my own, I love it.
Having a laptop at school would be helpful. For example, there are some study halls at the HS in cafeterias where there are no computers. This would allow teachers to have computer access during these supervisory duties. They would also be beneficial for accessing grades during parent conferences, which are held in larger areas throughout the HS. In my opinion, however, the most beneficial aspect would be the ability to access the P and W drives from home. Lori, is there another way to access these files other than using a school computer?
Drawbacks would be cost, training, computer memory, and possible theft.
I believe that eventually all teachers AND students will have to have lap top computers if our country is to be competitive with others. While this poses certain dangers, I can't help but believe that this is the direction in which we need to go. Starting with lap tops for teachers? Absolutely!
I love the idea of the laptops...personally, I think it would be so beneficial, both in the classroom and out (committees, meetings, out-of-district conferences etc.). At least from my perspective I find that every year more room sharing is occuring and when you're not teaching, it can be difficult to find an available computer to use. I like to give any teacher who uses my room the courtesy of leaving while her class is in session, but sometimes it is impossible if leaving means not being able to complete my work. As we are forced to become "more mobile" I think the technology must change accordingly. Laptops would definitely allow teachers to use their time more effeciently.
What if we could all get Tablets? I work very closely with a colleague who has one and I see how she is able to be more efficient than I because she has one and I use Power points with a projector, and an overhead projector. A tablet would be fantastic. Access to all of your resouces travel with you and it searves as a tool for instruction becasue of the function on it which allows you to write right onto the screen and then the screen can be projected for students. So during the direct instruction time of the lesson - instead of creating a powerpoint presentation and going from powerpoint presentation to overhead to review or go over notes, one could write right onto projected note sheets that students have and can see, on the monitor. Maps can be drawn on, resources marked up etc...my vote is for a tablet!
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