Computer access
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) (Outside Source) promotes a 1:1 student-to-computer ratio through its National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS) philosophy. However, although the student-to-computer ratio is dropping rapidly, the one-to-one ratio is still uncommon in California.
According to Education Week's Technology Counts 2007 (PDF; Outside Source), the student-to-computer ratio in California schools is 5.1:1 and the student-to-Internet-connected computer ratio is 5.0:1. Almost 100 percent of classrooms in California are connected to the Internet. The U.S. average for instructional computer ratio is 3.8 and the Internet connection computer ratio is 3.7.1
Computers (desktop, laptop, and tablet PCs—or personal computers) are technology tools that open the world to young students. In addition, smartboards and handheld student response systems give instant feedback and engage students in learning. One-to-one computer programs allow students to check out a laptop to continue learning at home. When computers are linked through a server, student grade reports are accessible daily by parents/guardians and students. Electronic access to reports helps with continuous progress monitoring.
In the Spotlight
Maywood Middle School, Corning Union Elementary School District
Teachers at Maywood Middle School routinely integrate technology to help engage students in their learning. The school has two on-site computer labs, with 35 computers in each lab. Technology is used in a variety of ways:
- Integrated intervention software is used with Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) students.
- Server-based language acquisition programs are used with English learners.
- Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) students use the computer to complete mock college applications and explore careers through the online California Career Zone.
- Students enrolled in the Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) elective use technology for productivity, research, and communication to complete community service projects.
One of the most successful ways technology has been used is through basic skills practice. Students enrolled in intervention classes enthusiastically learn basic skills with the help of software programs that mirror video game formats. Test results show that 80 percent of students enrolled in intervention classes who used this computer program moved up one band on the California Standards Test.
An article titled “Tablet PCs in the Classroom” (Outside Source), presents a classroom of the future, showing how students move in and out of groups with their tablet PCs and recommends uses such as the minute paper to jot down learning from the day’s lesson.
In the Spotlight
Lemon Grove Middle School, Lemon Grove Elementary School District
Lemon Grove Middle School is one of the Classrooms of the Future in San Diego County. Students receive e-Pads, computers that they can take home and use at school. The district connects all students and their homes through a broadband portal that allows teachers to post content, assignments, and grades without the worry that students can access noneducational Web sites. The e-Pads weigh less than an average textbook and yet contain the contents for more than one book. In addition, the e-Pads allow students to work cooperatively on research projects or problems while the teacher monitors their work from a central instructor’s terminal. Even students who are at home due to illness can participate in the lessons through their broadband connection.
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Integrating Technology
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Student interactive assessment and response remote systems
1 Technology Counts 2007, (Outside Source) Bethesda, MD.: Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, 2007, 2.