1 : 1 computing, or no laptops left behind

You know about this, but most likely you don't recognize the title. Rather than a chicken in every pot (sorry President Hoover), 1 :1 is a computer on every lap (student and teacher alike). It is hardly a new idea, Maine just celebrated their fifth year of 1 :1 using Macs. Apple commissioned a paper to showcase the effects of 1:1 computing, which clearly outlines its definition and educational implications. You can access it by clicking here.



I remember hearing Alan November speak a few years ago and he predicted that within 5 years each student would have an "hand held device" of their very own and it would revolutionize education, transforming everything we now know as "school". Well, it's not quite 5 years, but almost every high school student has a hand held device, a cell phone, that increasingly is able to perform everything they need to be in touch with their world.

1 : 1 computing is here on the college level --- as my daughter gets ready to go to C. W. Post next year she needs a laptop. It isn't a want, and a desktop is just impractical. This is an example of my "trickle down technology" theory: whatever we see in college now, we will see in elementary school soon.

Forget those sharpened number 2 pencils, make sure Johnny has his power cord in case his batery dies during Social Studies . . .