Subscribe to SuperTECH NEWS SuperTECH NEWS is the bi-monthly newsletter of the BLE GROUP, which provides small- and medium-size school systems with supplementary technology management to produce high-quality educational results and efficient management. The purpose of SuperTECH News is to provide education decision makers with concise information that allows them to make informed technology decisions to impact instruction, management and communication. This is information you can use on Monday morning. Editor, Susan DeMark Web Design, Charlene Polanosky Publisher, Eliot Levinson

Our April issue theme is 1 to 1 computing in K-12. Choose from the following articles:   The BLE Group and Its Services: The BLE Group is comprised of 50 CIOs, superintendents, and curriculum directors of school systems, intermediate units and state education departments who are knowledgeable about and dedicated to using technology to improve K-12 instruction and management. The BLE Group provides services to schools to  plan and manage technology use to improve results and make school operations more efficient. Theme of the Month— In this month’s newsletter, we check out 1 to 1 computing in K-12 schools nationwide. There has been a huge growth spurt in the number of these programs, and they are changing. We take you through the current state of 1 to 1 and how it’s evolving into a student-centric set of devices for distinct purposes – and we tell you what you need to consider. Products— SuperTECH News examines a selection of key companies, looking at how each one defines 1 to 1 computing and how the company tailors its services and products for these initiatives. Best Practices—Lessons learned from two examples of 1 to 1 computing: Virginia’s Henrico County Public Schools, one of the pioneers of 1 to 1, is in the fifth year of a program that provides a laptop to every middle school and high school student and teacher. Guernsey-Sunrise Schools in Wyoming gets to 1 to 1 through the use of a wide array of computing devices and connection setups, including desktops, laptops, handhelds, and thin clients. Conferences—Check out the relevant conferences coming in the next several months. We want to hear from you. What do you agree and disagree with on this issue (we will post comments from readers in the next issue). Please write us at eliot@blegroup.com. DID YOU MISS AN ISSUE? You can read past issues of SuperTECH NEWS relating to NCLB online: October 2005 - Focus: Open Source May 2005 - Focus: Networking January 2005 - Focus: Professional Development October 2004 - Focus: Technology-based Early Reading Progams June 2004 - Focus: The Education Killer App March 2004 - Focus: Network and data security November 2003 - Focus: Handheld computers and software applications for these devices May 2003 - Focus: Data Warehousing and Data Management Solutions February 2003 - Focus: Web-based Assessment Products for High-Stakes Tests December 2002 - Focus: Student Information Systems August 2002 - Focus: Purchasing Hardware 2002 June 2002 - Focus: Web-based Applications for Early Reading May 2002 - Focus: Web-based Professional Development March 2002 - Focus: Technology of Accountability

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THEME: 1 to 1 Computing

The 1 to 1 movement – initiatives across the country to put a mobile computing device into the hands of each student – is moving into late adolescence. What does this mean? After well more than a decade since the first experiments and following important large-scale adoptions like Maine and Henrico County, Va., there is a huge growth spurt in such initiatives, they’re maturing, and they’re smarter in some ways and not so much in others. The next 1-2 years will see a paradigm shift to a much more sophisticated understanding of 1 to 1.

Why is 1 to 1 important? The research is clear: routine access to technology can increase student learning and achievement.

Currently, many schools are still close to the notion of 1 to 1 as putting a laptop PC in the hands of every pupil, with a focus on the device first.  This is putting the cart before the horse. In this newsletter, we will look at the current state of 1 to 1 and how it’s evolving into a student-centric set of devices for distinct purposes -- and we’ll tell you what you need to consider.

What is the current state of 1 to 1?

• 1 to 1 programs are growing at a very rapid rate. About 25 percent of the country’s largest 2,500 school districts are embarking on 1 to 1 initiatives, according to preliminary data from a report on digital schools by the Hayes Connection and the Greaves Group, who are conducting a survey on 1 to 1 implementations.  This is up from the single digits just two to three years ago.
• Schools are implementing 1 to 1 programs for varying reasons, including seeking to bolster student achievement; providing technological literacy; ensuring all students have access to technology; and enhancing the teaching and learning process.
• Research so far shows a positive impact of 1 to 1 programs. Students in these programs:
  • are writing more and producing a higher quality of writing;
  • have earned higher test scores and grades for writing, English-language arts, and mathematics;
  • are spending more time in collaborative work;
  • are demonstrating increased critical and creative thinking;
  • are spending more time in homework when this work is done on a computer.
• The types of 1 to 1 programs vary widely – schools are undertaking such initiatives in many different ways and with an array of devices. Tom Greaves, chairman of the Greaves Group, notes, “It’s all over the board, in terms of how schools are implementing (1 to 1).”  Some schools call it 1 to 1 when students check out a laptop from a mobile cart in a classroom and use it during the school day. For others, 1 to 1 means students having a mobile wireless computing device for their use 24/7, with technology integrated into every phase of learning.
• The mix of devices included in 1 to 1 ranges from desktops and laptops to thin clients, handhelds, and smart phones. Handhelds have become much more viable for school use. And thin clients – “slimmed down” machines with no hard drive or local storage – are helping schools cope with tight budgets.

How is 1 to 1 evolving, and where will it go in the next 1 to 3 years?

• 1 to 1 computing is moving beyond a straight technology definition to what is needed to transform the teaching and learning process. It begins with a focus on educational outcomes first. The devices are only one element of a 1 to 1 program, along with instructional content, the applications, the network infrastructure, ongoing and significant professional development, classroom management, security, integration strategies, and building community support.
• Look for much more student-friendly devices. The current devices still have limitations for widespread school use – due to expense, battery life concerns, vulnerability to breaking, and other issues – and an intense effort is underway to get manufacturers to create better devices for K-12 market. Vendors are now more convinced of the payoff for them.  Expect to see this break open within the next 1-2 years with even better education- and student-appropriate wireless computing devices.

The nonprofit Project Inkwell, for example, is seeking to create a set of detailed functional standards for a school- and student-ready personal-computing device. Such a device would have the battery life, portability, screen size, ruggedness, affordable price, appropriate tools and apps, etc. to advance 1 to 1.

For one possibility of where the market is heading, check out the Fourier Systems Nova 5000, a device that attempts to fill in the gap between handheld devices and laptops with a large 7.5-inch color screen, ruggedness, good battery life, and a patented data-logging functionality geared to math and science.

• 1 to 1 programs that show the most promise and achieve positive results start with establishing a clear vision aligned with educational goals and measurable outcomes. This is why people are paying more attention to the software, applications, infrastructure, content, the implementation process, and training. Schools are coming to understand that they need a range of services to implement and sustain 1 on 1, and companies are delivering more of these services, such as back-end portals, ongoing training, and project management. These services are worth your consideration.
• Once a critical mass is reached of schools that have 1 to 1 learning, and students with anytime, anywhere access to technology, the next leaps forward will come. We are not here today. But once computing becomes ubiquitous and infusing every part of learning, the major content producers will create much more digital content for it.

Lastly, as a superintendent or CIO, here is what you need to think about for 1 to 1:

1. Think about what access students need to network-based applications, what they need it for, and when they need it. This should drive how you think about devices and the goals of having 1 to 1 computing. This is not about hardware, and it’s not about keeping up with the district next door – it is about access and instruction. It is about the entire life cycle of supporting such access, and the applications and infrastructure to do it.
2. Educational applications are moving to the Web; 1 to 1 computing means giving students access to instructional use 24/7. It both personalizes instruction and the extension of the school day. High-tech tools placed in the hands of students on a 24/7 basis are extending their learning and thinking processes. And, importantly, 1 to 1 computing can be built gradually and does not have to be an immediate, large program of devices.
3. 1 to 1 computing does not have to mean laptops only. Laptops are not a one-machine-fits-all solution to students having 24/7 access to instruction and educational technology. In all likelihood – and especially with improving technologies – this means using a variety of devices and applications.
4. What is the bang for the buck? What is your total cost of ownership going to be? And, are there times that a thin client or handheld can give you the same functionality at a lower initial cost with less breakage and support? These are issues that should be considered at the same time you’re determining the instructional need.

The next 1 to 5 years will see dramatic shifts. We’re looking at the underlying issues to push the conversation beyond the traditional 1 to 1 conception of a laptop in every hand. Now that we’ve established the groundwork, let’s take a look at Products and Solutions; a Device Chart that compares functionality, features, and possible negatives; and Best Practices examples of two school districts doing 1 to 1.

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PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS:

Note: The BLE Group does not endorse any of the examples listed below. These products and services were chosen to give a representative sample of what is out there in open source technologies and related companies.

Many companies are offering devices and solutions for 1 to 1 initiatives in K-12 schools. In order to help our audience distinguish what is offered in the market, we decided to examine a selection of key companies and look at how each one defines 1 to 1 computing and tailors its offerings. We focus on the following companies:

• IBM
• Apple
• ClassLink
  
• Dell
  
• Palm

IBM
http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/education/index.jsp

IBM is one of the companies defining 1 to 1 not as simply a set of devices. Rather, it focuses on both a mix of devices and a set of services and core elements that, when combined, enable school districts to change teaching and learning in a thorough manner to capitalize on technology and improve student achievement.

With IBM’s sale of its personal-computer hardware business to Lenovo, it’s concentrating much more on services in K-12 schools and other markets. With 1 to 1 computing, the company focuses on what schools need from “cradle to grave” in the process in order to implement such an initiative successfully – including instructional content, technology-integration strategies, professional development, a solid network infrastructure, concrete goals, and benchmarks through which progress against those goals can be measured.

IBM has four core elements to its 1 to 1 approach:

• Providing access to multiple devices (e.g. handheld devices, laptops, thin clients) and to a system that allows flexibility to work with various devices as well as operating systems (e.g. Linux), for more affordable 1 to 1 opportunities;
• Implementing life-cycle services that include infrastructure planning, academic and business goals, procurement, system integration, implementing digital content, professional development, help desk support, and maintenance;
• Integrating appropriate application solutions – human resources, payroll, test scores, and other digital content – to address the needs of students, teachers, and administrators;
• Operating an education portal back-end to store all of the applications and work in which a district’s teachers, students, administrators, and all stakeholders are engaged.

The education portal is a critical component of a 1 to 1 initiative, because it can streamline administrative tasks and information, and increase productivity. The portal is a role-based back end that displays information specific to that user; a parent’s site will be different than a student’s site and than a teacher’s site.

Ultimately, the goal is for each stakeholder in a school system to have access that would be much like the corporate portal – a secure, on-demand workplace in which a student, parent, teacher, or administrator can get everything he or she needs though his or her particular access point.

One example of IBM’s approach: The company completed a strategic implementation plan with the Whitfield School, a private middle and high school in St. Louis, Mo. IBM worked with Whitfield School administrators to create a three- to five-year implementation effort on how best to integrate laptops into teaching and learning. The company also aided Whitfield in integrating an open source model that would lower software and hardware maintenance costs. As part of the effort, IBM connects school leaders to a network of educators from around the country who have firsthand experience in executing 1 to 1 initiatives. 

Apple
http://www.apple.com/education/k12/onetoone/

Apple looks at 1 to 1 as an environment in which there is a laptop for every student and teacher. The company calls iBook laptops the computer of choice in a current model 1 to 1 program. In a 1 to 1 learning environment, students have access to a wireless laptop to use at school and at home. Beyond the device, however, Apple defines 1 to 1 as en entire environment in which technology is not solely a tool but is a pervasive force throughout teaching and learning.

This environment is about developing a whole system that includes wireless connectivity and mobility; a learning infrastructure that enables communication and collaboration, content creation, and ongoing assessment; and an integrated suite of software for creating presentations, movies, and lessons that include video, photos, animation, sound, and music. In Apple’s approach, the classroom needs to replicate the technology students experience around them elsewhere, and to leverage the technology awareness that they have grown up with.

Apple works with school districts, both large and small, to design the components that will support a 1 to 1 environment, including plans for building infrastructure; staffing; and intense onsite professional development incorporating in-class training.There are several other important facets of 1 to 1 adoption, according to Apple, such as:

• Reliability – 1 to 1 doesn’t happen when there is down time
• Community buy-in – strategies for engaging the community to support 1 to 1 endeavors are very important to a program’s success
• Funding – the funding for a 1 to 1 program must be ongoing, and Apple’s premise is that the teaching and learning budget must be reconstructed in order to support the use of pervasive technology on a 1 to 1 basis

To ensure a successful 1 to 1 implementation, Apple Education Professional Services provides a complete solution comprised of project management, integration services, professional development, and setup services. For project management, Apple’s team can coordinate and manage the entire deployment process. Apple’s Professional Development works with schools to effectively transform learning through technology. It features onsite workshops to help teachers make the most of 1 to 1 learning.

Apple acknowledges that a 1 to 1 approach and a “digital school” that supports ubiquitous computing are ambitious objectives – a “vision on the hill,” as Karen Cator, head of education strategy, calls it. Therefore, the company offers a number of incremental solutions that help schools begin on the road toward 1 to 1 learning, such as the Apple Wireless Mobile Lab.

ClassLink
http://www.classlink2000.com/home.shtml

ClassLink helps schools get to 1 to 1 through a thin-client program-management application that enables schools to deploy their tailored curriculum software across multiple computers with minimal computing power. The company’s solution is a customizable computing environment that connects students, teachers, administrative staff, and parents through a single virtual desktop interface. Rather than simply continue to purchase new devices to expand access, a number of school districts have turned to ClassLink as a solution that allows anytime, anywhere access to applications and work.

ClassLink offers what it calls a Universal Learning Environment in which students, teachers, and staff are connected to the applications and data they need and use. It will work on nearly any computer (PC or Mac-based, desktop or laptop, wired or wireless, new or old). Applications are loaded and maintained at a central server. With the thin-client computing, students can log onto the ClassLink system from any device onto the network and access the virtual desktop.

This environment is facilitated and supported by ClassLink’s Universal Learning Suite, comprised of three modules:

• The ClassLink Information Console is a flexible, scalable server-based platform through which school IT personnel manage the network.

• OnTrack is a tool that allows schools to track teaching and learning that identifies and collects students’ records of skills, proficiencies, and achievement tied to state and national standards and rubrics. It also enables automated updates and distribution of district lesson curriculum, lesson plans, and tracking rubrics.

• LaunchPad is the centralized access point to the learning environment, which can be individually customized. It provides anywhere, anytime access for students and staff at school, community, and home through logons. It also facilitates real-time virtual conferencing.  

ClassLink doesn’t envision its product and services as the be-all, end-all solution to student computing and a district’s instructional technology access. The company sees it as part of a hybrid approach that can use server-centric computing for legacy computers, in combination with newer computers on the network that are configured to be able to access to the central network and data.

Dell
http://www.dell4k12.com/resource_detail.php?ri=66

For 1 to 1 computing, Dell provides built-to-order technology solutions tailored to an individual district’s educational goals. Dell incorporates a combination of managed services and a variety of products into its 1 to 1 offerings. The company believes that a successful 1 to 1 initiative goes far beyond a student and a notebook – it requires a total architecture solution in support of teaching and learning, including curriculum and content management, service and support, student portfolios, enterprise-wide access, and professional development.

Dell’s model recognizes that while the idea of putting a computing device into the hands of every student is often an objective, schools define and implement 1 to 1 in very different ways.  Dell supports 1 to 1 for teachers, for students, and for classrooms, using either a turnkey or customized solution, depending on the district’s needs. Dell encourages schools to consider the following questions before embarking on any 1:1 program:

• What are the educational goals?
• How will technology help you achieve those goals?
• How will you measure the success of your program?
• How will you sustain your initiative?

• Curriculum Integration
  • Using technology in curriculum and lesson plans
  • Software solutions to meet curriculum needs
  • Providing dynamic learning communities through education portals
• Services and Support 
  • Infrastructure planning and project management services
  • Network management including wireless access and security for teacher and student work products
  • Implementation services including asset management, image development, deployment, break/fix, and help desk
  • Summertime refresh services for systems and recycling options
• Professional development for IT specialists, teachers, students, and parents
  • Aimed at building capacity at the school level, solutions range from online content and lesson plan coaching to mentoring and workshops
  • Solutions for evaluating teacher technology and data usage
• Computing Products, Peripherals, and Accessories
  • Helping school districts define and select the right device, from laptops to handhelds, to Dell Intelligent classroom devices such as interactive whiteboards, student response units, and probes
• Sustainability
  • Funding strategies and options
  • Communication planning for community outreach
  • Defining service-level agreements and measurements for success

To assist in contributing to the growing body of research around 1 to 1 and educational computing, Dell is funding a research study in Henrico County Schools, Va., where Dell has a four-year contract to supply laptops to all high school students, teachers, and administrators. Dell is also funding research at Round Rock ISD in Texas, where students participate in Dell Intelligent Classroom environments. These studies examine both traditional 1 to 1 computing programs and differentiated 1 to 1 environments to determine the effects of these technology programs on teaching and learning.

Palm
http://www.palm.com/us/education/

In its 1 to 1 definition, Palm doesn’t envision its devices replacing laptops but forming part of the technology mix, due to their cost, ultimate mobility, and other attributes that schools have found useful and compelling for teaching and learning. In the company’s view, schools have different usage paradigms of computing devices, and 1 to 1 is one of those, but not the only one.

According to Eric Johnson, general manager of education for Palm, handhelds are a solution to the “appropriate technology for the appropriate use” – meaning there are ways that these devices can infuse the instructional process. Two examples, among many instructional uses, are as e-book readers or for listening to podcasts. Improvements in their processing power and functionality, wireless availability, and cost concerns have made handheld devices such as those of Palm much more widely used as personal devices for students. These issues include the following:

• Networkability that supports student interaction in the classroom (e.g. connections such as Bluetooth allow kids to share data)
• Ready broadband access to the Web for research and many other instructional uses
• Students are familiar with small devices due to MP3 players and tiny gaming machines, etc.
• They provide an easy way to perform tasks such as probes, calculations, and writing journals
• Affordability: Johnson says there is a 6:1 ratio in equipping students with computing devices, when comparing handhelds to laptops. He maintains you can provide 6 students with a handheld device each at the price of one laptop. Palm devices come with some software such as school schedulers
• Mobile device breakthroughs such as the LifeDrive: Instead of Flash or RAM-based memory such as other PDAs, this mobile manager has a 4-gigabyte hard drive. It has wireless support. Users can carry Word, Excel, and other docs from their desktop or laptop computers, in a secure environment.

One key change is that while Palm continues to promote various mobile-computing devices, it plans to focus much of its investment in smartphones, the company said. There are a plethora of devices that offer personal digital assistant features along with voice calling – and these devices are improving constantly. How much this plays out in the education market remains to be seen, but Palm is promoting these devices to administrators, such as the meeting of the Texas Computer Education Association in February.

Johnson also noted that the Palm TX is a good fit for schools implementing a mix of devices for a 1 to 1 program, with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for networking and Web connections, larger screen, range of software, and price point of $299.

Devices: A Comparison of 1 to 1 Devices

This chart compares the functionality and features of various hardware devices in 1 to 1 computing.

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BEST PRACTICES :

For best practices on 1 to 1 computing, Super Tech News is looking at two example school districts: Henrico County, Virginia, a large school system, and Guernsey-Sunrise Schools, Platte County, Wyoming, a smaller, rural district.

Henrico County Public Schools, one of the pioneers of 1 to 1, is in the fifth year of a program that provides a laptop to every middle school and high school student and teacher. Guernsey-Sunrise Schools gets to 1 to 1 through the use of a wide array of computing devices and connection setups, including desktops, laptops, handhelds, and thin clients.

These are two distinct approaches. Some schools believe that giving a laptop to each student best achieves the goal of 24/7 computing. Other schools, however, find that a mix of devices works better. It costs less than an all-laptop program and it’s flexible because particular devices work better for certain uses than others (e.g. handhelds are good for recording notes on a field trip or infrared beaming of data while laptops are good for creating multimedia projects).

In both of these models, the school systems are not simply providing devices to kids but are facilitating their use through Internet access, training, professional development, technical support, community outreach, and resources and tools.

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CONFERENCES:

Following is an annotated list of educational conferences that you may want to attend in the coming months (complete with links to information).

American Association of School Administrators: Stand Up For Public Education
This conference includes three days of briefings, receptions, and access to Congressional representatives. This initiative focuses on getting children ready for school, getting schools ready for children, and getting children ready for democracy.
May 9-11, 2006
Arlington, Va.
http://www.aasa.org/about/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2061&snItemNumber=2400

15th Annual edACCESS Conference
Through presentations, panels, roundtables, and focused discussion, this peer-centered conference is a resource for administrative computing personnel at secondary schools and small colleges. Keynote looks at the Web as a content platform for all ages.
June 19-22, 2006
Newport, R.I.
http://www.edaccess.org/conference.html

NECC 2006
The premier ed-tech conference provides state-of-the-art resources and solutions on current issues such as leadership, assessment, emerging technologies, online learning, and technology and accountability. Includes demos, roundtables, workshops, and student showcase.
July 5-7, 2006
San Diego, Calif.
http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2006/

Savvy Cyber Teacher Summer Institute
Hands-on professional development institute helps educators learn to create Internet-based resources to improve student learning in science, math, language arts, literacy, and other disciplines. Curriculum materials focus on real-time data and telecollaboration.
July 10-14, 2006, Grades 9-12; July 24-28, 2006, Grades K-5, 6-8
Hoboken, N.J.
http://www.savvycyberteacher.org/programs.html

American Association of School Administrators: Summer Leadership Conference
The Summer Leadership Institute is a high-level interactive discussion of relevant system-building issues such as value-added assessment. Among the key topics: working with the media and the public, professional career standard updates, a systemic approach to instructional leadership, and initiating and sustaining change.  
July 16-19, 2006
Keystone, Colo.
http://www.aasa.org/conferences/iMisEventDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=5649

Washington Interactive Technologies Conference
The 2006 gathering brings together pros from the education, industry, and government sectors to exchange information on technology-based learning systems, management systems, research, and applications. The Society for Applied Learning Technology’s conference explores new technologies as well as existing applications.
Aug. 23-25, 2006
Arlington, Va.
http://www.salt.org/salt.asp?pn=washington&ss=m

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NOTE: The BLE Group does not endorse any of the products mentioned in this newsletter.
These were selected to illustrate the types of products currently available.