Are mobile labs of laptops just as good as 1-to-1? Many educators explore mobile carts of laptops as an alternative to 1-to-1 initiatives. Often it is just a stop on the road to 1-to-1; an affordable alternative while building toward every student and teacher having their own laptop.
But sometimes there is a perception that mobile carts are just as effective, sometimes even functionally equivalent to, ubiquitous computing.
Researcher at inTASC explored this very question. Are carts of laptops as effective an implementation of technology as 1-to-1? inTASC (Technology Assessment Study Collaborative) is a not-for-profit research group that works collaboratively with schools, educational institutions, and businesses on research and development related to technology and assessment. They are housed in the Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation and Educational Policy and the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.
Their study, "Laptop Learning: A Comparison of Teaching and Learning in Upper Elementary Classrooms Equipped With Shared Carts of Laptops and Permanent 1:1 Laptops" found several qualitative differences between shared carts and permanent 1-to-1. Their findings include the following:
- Technology Was Used More Frequently in 1:1 Classrooms
- Motivation and Engagement Was Higher in the 1:1 Classrooms
- Computers Were the Students' Primary Writing Tool in the 1:1 Classrooms
- Classroom Structure Differed Between the 1:1 and Shared Classrooms
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Created by Mike Muir
Last updated:
March 24, 2005