Tami Brass's List: 1-1 Computing Links

• Two years into a comprehensive three-year study of the laptop initiative in Henrico County Public Schools, findings show that students are engaging in more technology-based problem solving, research, teamwork and communication-based projects that reflect 21st century learning skills
• His initial second-year findings showed that students who used their laptops more than their classmates had higher test scores in history, biology, reading and chemistry but lower scores in writing and algebra I and II.
• students already were using graphing calculators and may have suffered while transitioning to laptops
• Following the first year of the study, which examined data from the 2005-06 school year, Mann's findings showed that the implementation of 21st century learning skills in the county's high school classrooms was "notably absent."
  
• Our challenge needs to be, 'How do we continue to learn and get better as we do this?'"

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• This site is for educators interested in 1-1 computing programs, to share lessons learned, identify best practices, and discuss new ideas and helpful tips about implementing educationally effective 1-1 computing programs.

• The report, conducted by Thomas W. Greaves of The Greaves Group and Jeanne Hayes of The Hayes Connection, isolates the most important ways in which technology is changing teaching and learning and identifies the implications of those changes for the future.
• One-to-one computing programs--defined here as programs that provide full-time personal computing devices for all students in at least one whole grade level, and not simply mobile laptop carts--have improved dramatically in the last few years, the report notes. Professional development has improved, teachers are more involved, and hardware failures have been reduced.
• In 2006, 30 percent of districts reported moderate to significant improvement in one-to-one computing programs. In 2007, this number climbed to 78.7 percent.
• 27 percent of districts reporting their involvement with one-to-one computing programs
• rise is online formative assessment, with 30 percent of districts employing this strategy
• interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are now viewed as "standard equipment" in schools
• another key trend--the growing use of LMS software in schools--hasn't fully realized its potential

  • LMS - Learning Management Software, such as Moodle
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• LMS software
• The final trend--internet bandwidth--remains in a state of crisis, according to the report.

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• 1. Defrag regularly
• 2. Dim your screen
• 3. Cut down on programs running in the background.
• 4. Cut down external devices
• 5. Add more RAM - This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory. 
• 6. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD - As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. 
• 7.  Keep the battery contacts clean: 
• 8. Take care of your battery - Exercise the Battery.
• Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)

  • I didn't know this one. I thought they were still supposed to discharge completely.
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• 9. Hibernate not standby - Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. 
• 10. Keep operating temperature down
• 11. Set up and optimize your power options - Go to ‘Power Options’ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ‘max battery’ for maximum effect).
• 12. Don’t multitask - Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery. 
• 13. Go easy on the PC demands - The more you demand from your PC.  Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD.  If you’ve got a single battery charge - pick your priorities wisely.
• 14. Get yourself a more efficient laptop
• 15. Prevent the Memory Effect - If you’re using a very old laptop, you’ll want to prevent the ‘memory effect’ - Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.
• Bonus Tip #1: Turn off the autosave function. 
• While it saves battery life in the beginning, you will want to make sure your work is saved when your battery dies.
• Bonus Tip #2: Lower the graphics use.

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• Mandatory tools for teachers
• at the start we should simply require teachers to be exposed to a few tools that have been selected to facilitate professional collaboration
• Google Tools Suite
• Firefox browser
• Twitter

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• The more things change, the more they stay the same.
• Good teachers have always involved kids in engaging and purposeful learning activities.
• Good teachers have always enjoyed being with their kids -- they like them. Teachers willing to work with kids get far more productivity out of a one-to-one program than those who think the kids work for them. The foundation for anything that happens in the classroom is the web of relationships among the members of that learning community.
• Good teachers have always been learners. When one-to-one comes to a school, there is so much to learn. Any sense of full control over what the students will do and exactly how they will do it has to disappear. Teachers willing to learn from the kids will have far more kids willing to learn from them.
• Good teachers have always done projects. Project-based learning has to become a part of the way you teach in a one-to-one setting if you are going to get the most out of it.
• Good teachers have always brought the best resources to their kids, and made them accessible. In a one-to-one setting, this means identifying the best Web-based resources you can find, and having a classroom Web site you encourage kids to contribute to.
• Good teachers have always encouraged kids to speak up, and have always listened to their voices. Blogging and podcasting are rising stars, and, far from focusing on the technology, they look beyond it to amplify kids' voices.

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• Throughout the world, one of the deepest wishes of parents is that their children be well educated. From culture to culture, people are aware of the strong connection between a good education and future success -- both for individuals and for nations.

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  First, a large-scale technology initiative can be a powerful change agent in its own right. Second, educational technology in its more advanced form -- a computing device for every student (ubiquitous, or one-to-one, computing) -- has been shown to improve student and teacher productivity. Third, technology provides students with the skills that have become a necessity in the twenty-first-century workplace.
• 1) Digital schools are transitioning from a desktop world to a mobile world.
• As educators select mobile technologies, the potential for real and sustained pedagogical change in the classroom greatly increases.
• Ubiquitous computing "mobilizes" the curriculum.
• 2) Ubiquitous computing is growing rapidly.
• a popular way to deploy laptops is via COWs
• 3) Ubiquitous computing increases student engagement.
• When students take ownership (whether or not literally) of the student device, download their music on it, slap their stickers on the case, and take it with them everywhere, good things happen. They write more, they read more, they find out more, and they perform better in real-world tasks as well as on standardized tests.
• In a properly implemented environment of one-to-one computing, students are much more engaged in the learning process. Attendance goes up, and disciplinary actions go down.

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