W1 Reading

The first article I read was titled: 

The article was found under a quick search that I was doing for results of implementing a one to one laptop program.  The article spoke about a Denver, Colorado school that implemented this type of program, and had great results.  Some of the students responded saying that it had a positive influence on the way they worked with other students in the classroom, and it increased interest in school and their grades.  The article seemed to be more about a specific software program that teachers could use to create tests which gave immediate feedback to the students and teachers.

The second article I read was titled:

This article interested me because it looked at the opposite of what I am trying to prove in my research.  It stated that laptops being integrated into the curriculum had not impacted student achievement as expected.  One of the key elements that stood out to me in the article was that it said that the problem with the program was more the fault of the classroom teacher not being able to implement a laptop program in the proper way.  This is one concept that I believe highly in.  You can provide all of the technology in the world to your students, but if the teacher doesn't know how to teach with it, then the desired results will never be achieved.

The third article I read was titled:

 This article was about what it takes to implement a full one-to-one laptop program in a school.  It stated you had to have administration, teacher, and community buy in.  The article went on to say that the future of one-to-one learning is that of a collaborative nature where the students and teachers work as one, and they all learn together.  The article also stated that there was more going on in the classroom besides things that could be measured by state assessments.  Things like, decreased behavior problems, collaborative learning, and higher interest in a student's own education.

The fourth article I read was titled:

This article was about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program that is being implemented in many third world countries.  Manufacturers were able to cut the cost of laptops to around $100 dollars a piece.  Some of the objectives of the program were to provide children with access to information, learn through action and exploration, and encourage life long learning.  If we are able to provide this type of technology to other countries, then why can't we provide the same for our nation?