Reflection on One-to-One Computing Site Visits

Over the last three months, I've been on a wild ride learning about one-to-one computing initiatives around the country.  My district is in an exploration phase, and this explorer has seen a lot in the last two months.

I want to give special thanks to the neighboring school districts who have allowed us into their classrooms and shared a wealth of information.  A team from my district visited Gilbert High School in Lexington School District One (Lexington, SC) to see one-to-one computing in action.  The district has a long term plan for expansion of the one-to-one program and started with Gilbert as the pilot school.  I was impressed with the engagement of the students and the willingness of the teachers to transform their teaching.  We saw students in collaborative groups with the teacher as facilitator.

We also had the opportunity of visiting Busbee Creative Arts Academy (grades 6-8) and Davis Elementary in Lexington School District Two.  The students at Busbee use iPod Touches and the students in grades 4-5 at Davis are using iPads.  I came away from the visits with a firm belief that student achievement and discipline is improved when students are engaged in meaningful activities with the technology tools that are made available to them.

Through sleet and snow, I made my way to Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Montvale, NJ for an NSBA site visit.  Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills High Schools have been implementing one-to-one for seven years.  The depth of instruction was evident as we observed classrooms throughout the two day visit.  I met wonderful students and had great discussions with the Pascack students and teachers about how one-to-one computing has transformed their learning environments.

Finally, a large team from my district visited Lee County School District in Sanford, NC.  The district Information Technology and Curriculum departments worked closely together in the development of their one-to-one initiative which started with middle schools and has expanded to the high schools and elementary schools.  The lesson I took away is that teamwork is essential in a successful implementation.

Several of our committee members also visited Henrico County in Virginia and came away with a comprehensive understanding of the planning that is involved with providing one-to-one computing to all students.

So, where do we go from here?  We'll keep reading, keep exploring, keep learning, and start to plan the next steps.  We have several groups of teachers in our district who have been teaching in one-to-one computing classrooms, and we are grateful to have them on the implementation team.  Above all, we have students who are giving us input into what they want to see happen in their classrooms.  We are all amazed at the insight that our students have brought to the discussion.

What I've learned from this exploration phase is that it isn't about the device but about the learning goals.  The technology isn't going to transform a classroom unless the leaders in the district provide teachers with the time and support to create engaging work for students.  Students are digital natives, and we need to step into their world and let them be our guides.

More to come as this journey continues.

Changing Our View

I recently attended the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English conference and heard Kylene Beers speak.  She talked about No Child Left Behind and other timely issues in education.  Her opening quote was, "When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at will change."  That really got me thinking about how we as educators need to change our views as we move toward providing 21st century skills for our students. At one point during her speech, Kylene asked the audience to complete a seemingly simple task - moving your right foot clockwise while drawing a figure six in the air with your left hand.  Try it and you'll find out just how difficult it can be to learn something.  In order to complete the task, we have to unlearn the traditional method that we have been taught.

We get students in the classroom every day who are not going to be able to learn what we teach in the traditional way.  In order for those students to achieve, we need to look with new eyes at what we're doing in the classroom.  Transforming how we do things can be a very difficult task.  I talk a lot with others about the importance of a professional learning network as we try new strategies in the classroom and work place.  We need to be able to share ideas and have others challenge us.  By talking with another teacher, I was able to see how I could teach a child to draw that six in the air while moving his or her right foot in a clockwise direction.  Without the discussion, I would have taken a lot longer to find the solution.

One book that I would recommend for anyone looking to change the way that they do things is "Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard" by Chip and Dan Health.  The premise is simple: Our emotions are the elephant and our rational side is the rider.  In order to bring about change, we need to appeal to someone's emotions using compelling ideas and we need to change the path so that the rider must change in order to move forward. We need to find the balance between emotional drive and reason.

How do we get others to change the way they've always looked at things and see the classroom from a new perspective?  How do we get that student to succeed at a seemingly impossible task?  We have to change the direction so that the solution becomes more obvious.  Over the new week, try looking at the problems that you encounter in your classroom or office as a chance to find new and creative ways to solve those challenges.  Enjoy the journey!