Overcoming the Obstacles: A Case Study of a 1:1 Computing Initiative in a Rural High School

Mike Nantais, Ph.D. (@MikeN_BU)Jackie Kirk, Ph.D. (@Jackie007_41)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the case of a rural high school’s implementation of a 1:1 computing initiative – the process of implementation, the successes, and the challenges – from the perspective of the administration, the teachers, the students, and the parents.

Methodology & Data Sources• Descriptive case study (Merriam, 2009)• Data sources

• Interviews (admin, teachers)• Focus Group (teachers, parents, students)• Survey (parents, students)• Class observations• Documents

Context• Rural 9 – 12

school• 170 students• 20 staff

including 12 teachers• Full time

principal

“A new medium does not add something; it changes everything”(Postman, 1998)

The 1:1 ProcessPre-Fall 2012

• Grants for teachers, who wanted to use more technology in their classrooms

• Administrator sharing his idea about 1:1 tech

• Securing appropriate infrastructure

• Formed school committee

• Regular staff meeting topic

• Collaborative Research

• Site visits• PD• Limping along with old labs

2012-13

• First year• Grade nine class chose from four different devices

•Approximately 50 grade nine students

2013-14

• Second year• Grade nines and grade tens have devices

2014-15 2015-16• Third year• Grades nine, ten and eleven have devices

• Fourth year• All high school classes now have devices• Brandon University research begins in late fall

“What we weren’t prepared for was how scary it was for teachers.” Superintendent

“I felt the first year that I had to find activities that technology related to….now, I plan for the outcomes.”~Teacher I would recommend that

other schools implement a 1:1 program because “…it makes learning seamless!” ~StudentProcess

Challenges• Technology problems (out of date, breakage, forgetting device, delivery time)

• Communication with teachers, trustees, parents, community

• Teacher resistance

• Pedagogical shift required

• Letting go of control of access and • control of learning

Challenge – Spend More Time with Teachers…trustees, and parents

Teacher – “There was no clear vision for me as to what it should look like in my classroom and when I was asking questions no one was giving me answers and it was really, really frustrating.”

Principal – “We had a lot of dialogue at staff meetings about the fact that [teachers] could not be the experts on four different devices.”

Superintendent – “If I had it all to do over again, I would probably spend…more time preparing the teachers.”

Challenge – Developing an Understanding of Cost Effectiveness

Superintendent – “We’re spending $400 on your child to have a piece of technology with them every single minute of every single day in every classroom for the next four years. If your child is on the volleyball team, we spend that in

transportation in one year…it costs way more to put a tuba in your son’s hands…and

we spend

exorbitant amounts of

money in a shops

program….

Successes & Benefits

• Increased creativity• Independence• Problem solving• Risk taking• Collaboration and Sharing (Students and Teachers)• Increased organization (learning management system)• Communication (all times of the day, just in time learning)• Deeper learning• More, faster access to information• More student centered

Successes & Benefits

“To me, the biggest successes are seeing students demonstrating learning in ways we couldn’t have imagined before.” ~ Principal

“In some ways, I think technology enables us to build a classroom [that is] more willing to play around and to take risks…so, I think it can build a culture of collaboration in the room.” ~ Teacher

“Kids have more interest in doing homework on a laptop than on paper and textbooks. It's easier to get homework done when not at home, especially on a long drive.” ~ Parent

How are devices being used?• Organization and communication• To show learning• To visualize processes (YouTube, Desmos)• Research• Assignments• Little Social Media (Twitter chat)

“My favorite way to use them in Math is…for them to create a tutorial….if they can make a tutorial and teach one of the topics in the unit then that shows me that they understand it.” ~ Teacher

“If I went into a classroom sometimes, to observe a teacher’s lesson as part of their formal evaluation kids weren’t even there. It was fantastic!” ~ Principal

Change?• Pedagogy – “I think the biggest shift in my mindset

was that it wasn’t about technology, it was about learning and how I needed to rethink learning, redefine what learning meant in my classroom, I guess.” ~ Teacher

• Supervision – “It changed my walk-through approach,…I’d deliberately go into every room [in the school] because there was probably somebody….It wasn’t like walking into a traditional class.” ~Principal

Advice About Trying It

• Go slowly• Do site visits• Communicate with trustees, teachers, and

parents• Ensure the infrastructure is in place• Encourage risk taking, allow failure

Final thoughts …

“…students are capable of amazing things, if we give them the space to be amazing. I think it sounds super over the top and cheesy but there were pivotal moments that I can remember, sitting at my computer marking, that changed the way I thought about everything that I have ever done in education….even thinking back to them now, they are almost emotional…aha moments.”

Final thoughts …

“Mostly just not to be afraid….Try it and you’ll be surprised at the wonderful things that are going to happen….people will assume they are going to use it inappropriately, they are going to do this and they are going to do that. They are so small compared to the benefits of having devices. If we think of what we are trying to do with students as far as being critical thinkers and collaborative learners, those things come so much faster and easier in a 1:1 classroom than in a traditional classroom.”

Thank You!!

This slide deck can be found on Slideshare: http://slidesha.re/1l4FBDO