This initiative proposal is taking place in Oberlin, Ohio. They have titled the initiative LEAP or Laptop for Equity and Achievment Program. The program wil require a tax levy and as is usually the case where taxes are involved, there is some contention involved. There is a detailed post about the objective itself and some other avenues that are being pursued in conjunction with the initiative, including work with Dr. David Rose and the CAST (Center for Applied Special Technologies). They
"have done remarkable research in the areas of neuroscience, brain cognition and instructional technologies. Their research shows us that every child -can -learn. Their research also shows us that not every teacher can teach in a way that allows every child to learn and not every assessment tool measures whether a child is learning or not. This is the essence of the curriculum called Universal Design for Learning (UDL). CAST is prepared to contract out its services to train Oberlin teachers and to help Oberlin teachers remap their curriculum and their teaching so that academic success is possible for all children in our district."
There are a number of responses already and the site offers an extremely comprehensive set of resource links regarding 1:1 initiatives. There is an obvious commitment on the part of some stakeholders to make this decision "public" and to give the community a chance to easily view research and give a "voice" to their ideas and concerns.
2 comments:
Ann-
You are so diligent with your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday posts. I'm impressed! Although I try, I'm a bit of a procrastinator at heart.
Your post struck a nerve, particularly regarding the following quote: "Their research shows us that every child -can -learn." I was shocked because no more than two minutes before reading your post I was engaged in conversation with a teacher who said "Well, he's slow. I don't think he can learn." I was struck by this statement and I started questioning if, in fact, every child can learn. My immediate reaction was "of course they can" but I'm wondering if there is any evidence to suggest otherwise.
On the flip-side, the idea that "not every teacher can teach in a way that allows every child to learn" seems fair. Sometimes I wonder if I'm included in that category since my background is not in education and I lack much of that core background information. Example: learning styles. Every teacher knows them inside and out, right? Not me. Thank goodness for Dr. Ferdig's assignment because now I have a clue! I just hope I'm reaching each child in a way that suits him or her.
As for the laptop initiative, I checked out the site and was impressed by the discussion. People are passionate about this! It will be interesting to follow the discussion and see what comes of it. Did you read the post about giving kids a hard-boiled egg to see if they are responsible enough to carry around a laptop? Priceless. We actually did that in high school, but the purpose was to show responsibility in parenting children, not a laptop.
Ann, I found all the comments on the intiative to be very intriguing.
Like Laine, I totally agreed with the Techno-LOGICAL's comment that "not every teacher can teach in a way that allows every child to learn". I agreed also with the fact that "not every assessment tool measures whether a child is learning or not".
The in-depth comments and replies these community members are leaving raise valid points. Was a demonstration clas ever thought of? I can see why people might not be willing to get on board if they've never been exposed to the laptop initiative. I think it would be great, but I know there are people in my community who would be questioning their tax dollars if there was never some sort of pilot program.
Oh, and in response to Laine's comment about learning theories, "Every teacher knows them inside and out, right?" I am sure that at one time they learned them but whether or not they committed them to memory is another question entirely.
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