Laptops-Lauren

=What are the advantages of having a class set of laptops for students in an elementary classroom? = = =  === As a pre service teacher, I feel it is a very relevant topic to research. I would like to know the advantages and disadvantages of any resource I used in my classroom to see if it is worth using. If there are more cons than pros I believe it becomes unnecessary to use to educate my students. === === Through out my educational career, I wondered what it would be like to be able to use laptops as a student in my classes. I remember hearing about schools and classrooms having sets of laptops for students to use to take notes on and do their homework and I immediately wished I attended one of those schools. However, I never thought about the fact that they could cause more problems than benefits and thus, is why this is the inquiry question I chose. Now that I am able to use a laptop in mostly every class to take notes or use it as I wish, I definitely feel using laptop in high school especially would have been wonderful. But, when I think of it from a teacher perspective, it is important to research their advantages and disadvantages. ===


 = Advantages of Using Laptops in the Classroom = = =  === After finding articles and journals on this subject, I believe that laptops definitely present more advantages than disadvantages and would love to use them in my classroom if I was able to. ===

"Several studies suggest educational benefits related to laptop use. Specific benefits noted include increased student motivation (Gardner 1994, Rockman, 1998), a shift toward more student-centered classroom environments (Stevenson, 1998; Rockman, 1998), and better school attendance than students not using laptops (Stevenson, 1998). In his study of a laptop pilot program in Beaufort, South Carolina, Stevenson (1998) also reported that students with laptops demonstrated a "sustained level of academic achievement" during their middle school years, as opposed to students not using laptops who tended to decline during this same period. He also noted that these academic benefits were most significant in at-risk student populations." (Belanger, Y. 2004)
 * = ** Task ** ||= ** Added value ** ||
 * = Accessing data ||= Multi-sensory ||
 * ^  ||= Greater amounts of data ||
 * ^  ||= Searching and mining capabilities ||
 * ^  ||= Timeliness of the information ||
 * ^  ||= Relevance of the information ||
 * = Processing information ||= Self-paced ||
 * ^  ||= Individual attention ||
 * ^  ||= Remediation ||
 * ^  ||= Practice to the point of fluency ||
 * ^  ||= Visualizing information ||
 * ^  ||= Develop process or skill capabilities ||
 * ^  ||= Organize and categorize information ||
 * = Communicating knowledge ||= Publish information to an audience ||
 * ^  ||= Communicate in an authentic format and style ||
 * ^  ||= Communicate findings and understanding to others ||

[|benfits]

"What can 1-2-1 computing do for you?"
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= Additional Resources = Belanger, Y. (2004). Laptop Computers in the K-12 Classroom. ERIC Digest. . //ERIC Digest//, Retrieved from [] Belanger explores the history of using laptops in the K-12 classroom and also shows research supporting the use of laptops in the classroom. This relates to my inquiry question by providing support to answer my question on the benefits of using laptops in an elementary classroom by stating that there are many benefits for all types of students using laptops in the classroom. Hu, W. (2007, May 04). Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops. //The New York Times//, Retrieved from http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/clientuploads/PDFs/Schools-Drop-Laptops-NYT050407.pdf Hu finds that many schools are dropping the use of classroom laptops due to the lack of progress and the high spending that coincides with these resources. The New York Times article supports my inquiry question by showing the opposite side of my question and stating that the benefits are not enough to keep laptops in the elementary classroom. Laptops for Learning [] This website illustrates a lot of information on the use of laptops in the classroom. This helps me explore my inquiry question by providing information on everything from costs, benefits, recommendations, a lot of resources and even bar graphs to display the information M. Dunleavy, S. Dexter, W.F. Heinecke What added value does a 1:1 student to laptop ratio bring to technology-supported teaching and learning? Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (OnlineEarly Articles). doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2007.00227.x [] This article explores the values and challenges of laptop use with a qualitative study of two school who use laptops in the classrooms This helps provide both sides of my inquiry question by showing the benefits and setbacks of using laptops in the an elementary classroom

Penual, W. (2006). Implementation and effects of one-to-one computing initiatives: a research synthesis. 38(3), Retrieved from []

Penual explores all of the benefits and costs of using laptops with one to one ratio in the classroom and states that after reaserching, there are positive effects on literacy and laptop use as well as other positive effects on learning. This benefits my question by stating the benefits of using laptops in an elementary classroom. Willingham, V. (2009). Laptops help sick kids stay connected to school, friends. //CNN health//, Retrieved from [] Willingham shows that laptops help students not fall so far behind when they are sick and out of school by allowing them to stay on top of their assignments and stay connected with the classroom This is a big benefit for using laptops in the elementary classroom and would help both teachers and students.