Research supports benefits of 1-1 student device ownership
One-to-one initiatives in schools - in which every student in the class is supplied with a laptop - have had “small but noteworthy” improvements in English, writing, science and maths, according to research carried out by Michigan State University. When combined with “21st Century” skills, one-to-one programs allow educators to personalise their teaching, while students who used the machines for more than simple note-taking had the best results. The study also found that ensuring programs had solid IT support and that teachers undertook “ongoing professional development” would contribute to their success.

Research from Michigan State University has found that one-to-one initiatives, or programs that provide every student with their own device, benefits student learning.

When giving students his or her own laptop, the researchers found that students improved learning achievement in science, writing, math, and English,” said Michigan Radio.

"The results were small but noteworthy, especially for schools weighing the costs and benefits of supplying the expensive devices for their students.”

The lead author of the study, Binbin Zheng, told Michigan Radio that teachers who experienced the most success with one-to-one initiatives utilized devices for more than just note-taking purposes.

For that reason, Zheng recommends that schools only consider implementing such an expensive initiative if they have a curriculum in place that would benefit from technology.

For many teachers, one-to-one initiatives represent an opportunity to provide students with more personalized instruction.

District technology director Paul Mulder told Michigan Radio that despite a costly $500,000 bill to implement a one-to-one initiative, teachers say they could never go back.

"We see teachers able to personalize instruction more...We see them able to give students options to go deeper and improve their learning,” Mulder said.

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Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

4/28/2016