I-pads fill many of our classrooms today. Technology is everywhere, and many school districts are evening the playing field for students by making sure that everyone has equal access to individualized technology today. This access and interaction with technology is crucial, but is it hurting our classrooms?
There are many advantages to having 1:1 technology within our classrooms. Providing a student with this individualized technology not only gives each and every child the same access to technology, but also encourages a curiosity to learn more about computers and technology in general. The more exposure students have to cutting-edge technology, the more they will be curious and wonder about what may be possible in the future.
There are, of course, some disadvantages as well. Namely, keeping order within the classroom while these 1:1 technology devices can be distracting is a huge issue for many teachers. There are, however, strategies and expectations that can be put into place to help students focus on tasks at hand and to help them engage with material more during each activity. One such suggestion is to collect the I-pads when moving on to a new activity. Another idea is to give students more time to self-teach themselves using the technology at their tips.
The tricky part for teachers to find out as they begin organizing their classrooms each year will be: how can we best utilize our 1:1 technology within the classroom in order to optimize student learning each day? I think this is a question that will need to be continually addressed by the very best teachers.
Maeve A. Olson 