Recently teachers in my One to One Learning Community of Practice presented lessons they had created to incorporate ubiquitous computing. I streamed the session on Mogulus, and Mike Dronen, the Technology Coordinator from Stillwater, Minnesota listened in.After all had presented, he asked via the chat:
"Do any of these lessons require one to one access?"
After some reflection, we thought that only one would not be possible without 1:1 access. The others could be done in a lab, or without each student needing access to a computer.
The goal of the cohort was to create an integrated lesson or unit that took advantage of One to One access. Our plan is to use these lessons with students in the fall.
While doing research on one to one lessons, we found information, developed by Ruben Puentedura outlining levels of technology integration. While Dronen's question was comparing a lesson in a one to one environment vs. a lesson in a classroom without one to one, I think the chart provides a good model of what integration can do. For lessons to be truly transformational, they need to approach Level 4.
I am still trying to figure out whether the it is necessary for the lesson to require 1:1 to be a good 1:1 lesson. I think the key is the essential questions that they answer and the collaborative inquiry they inspire. I invite you to view the lessons here, and comment on which level you think they reach, and whether or not ubiquitous access is essential to making them good integrated lessons.
Comments
Whether or not having 1:1 is required for the lesson isn't what's relevant. It's the fact that you have the 1:1 and will be able to do things you can't do without it when the situation arises that matters.
I was in a 1:1 classroom today watching a fabulous lesson. Much of what happened could have been possible using carts in a non-1:1 setting, but because there was 1:1, there's an opportunity for the teachable moment that couldn't be tapped without it. You never know that feeling when designing the lesson - you have to live it to see it play out.
After you live in a 1:1 for a few years and have continuously designed learning opportunities around the ubiquitous access, you can sense it pretty well, but you never truly know how/when the moment will occur until it evolves in the classroom and eventually transform the culture.
Thanks for the comment! All of our research points to your last paragraph. Teachers will need to live in the environment for a while! Can you elaborate on the lesson you observed and what the teachable moment that was tapped due to 1:1 was? Thanks!
To some extent the question is artificial and should point back to just plain great instructional design, teaching and all the best practices that go with a 1:1 program.
When any student can immediately validate a point of discussion or when a creative moment hits them at home (or wherever), they have the access to put it together.
1:1 brings that additional piece of near immediate individualization of student assignments/tasks as the teacher observes and can make modifications (remediation, extension, branching) off the student's current understanding and progress - huge!
Which lessons require 1:1? I'm voting for all of them!