Interface magazine has published an article about mini laptops for individual computer access. I wonder how this will pan out long term in schools. It could go one of two ways in my opinion.
The first way - schools will jump on board with little long term thought about the implications of such machines. Will the children want to use them, what will happen when they break, who will be responsible to buy them and what will the long term benefits be? Are they going to be a novelty for a while and then a big white elephant like the OHP (Overhead projector)
However, success will lie in the hands of the teacher who uses the technology. They need to be educated about what it means for every child to have access to a laptop. They also need to understand how to integrate these laptops into everyday teaching and learning. Hopefully they will be more than publishing machines where Word is over used and web 2.0 applications are under utilized.
http://www.nz-interface.co.nz/articles.cfm?c_id=13&id=44
1 comment:
Thanks for the insightful post. I agree Tim. The roadside is littered with failed initiatives. The teacher will make the difference.
What I would say is that we are moving constantly towards a better moment for a 1 to 1 device. Life = risk is a great analogy here. When is the jumping point at which people/processes and culture will show out undeniable learning benefits. I hope it's next year. Robert Sylwester (sp?) has a good view he points to the devices we interact with as being an extension to our brains letting us do what we couldn't otherwise. I have enjoyed reading your blog and without the tech I wouldn't have been able. The connectivity and creativity are what I think are key pointers to value for the learning knowledge process also. Oops have droned on a bit time to stop.
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