Convertible laptop devices gain traction in area schools

A half-year into the Cape Girardeau school district's initiative to introduce convertible laptop computers into its learning culture, teachers and students are adjusting well, said instructional technology coordinator Ron Farrow.

In January, about 1,200 ASUS Transformer laptops were delivered to Central High School students and teachers. IPad pilot programs also were implemented at all five elementary schools, plus third-grade students at Franklin Elementary used ASUS books this year.

Proceeding with a slow and steady plan to help ensure long-term success for students and teachers, Farrow said he's been pleasantly surprised at how both have adapted.

"They're already starting to look at more advanced features, they're embedding more programs than I had originally imagined. They're using the device in more ways than I thought we would after this first semester. I think we're ahead of my original schedule, which is great," Farrow said.

Devices will be distributed to students in seventh and eighth grades this fall. And the plan is to continue one grade at a time, with sixth grade next, followed by fifth grade, Farrow said.

Technology coordinator Brian Hall said about 1,700 students and 150 staff members will be using devices by then. This past year, about 1,100 students and 100 staff used them, he said in an email.

The devices are selected for age-appropriate learning activities and will complement each other for the overall program, Hall said. Recently purchased ASUS devices will go to seventh- and ninth-graders, Hall said.

"We did expedite a little bit by going seventh and eighth this ... coming year," Farrow said. "It made more sense, both instructional-wise and training-wise, to have the whole building go at once rather than the initial plan of eighth grade and then seventh grade. I think it's going to make for a more effective rollout doing both grades at once."

Although the elementary schools are in iPad pilot programs, Farrow said no official decision has been made yet to go "completely 1:1" at the elementary level -- grades kindergarten through four.

"I definitely can foresee that as a possibility in the future, and I think that could have some positive effects for our students, but we don't have an official plan for that in place," he said.

Farrow said he predicts a decrease in schools using pen and paper, but he doesn't think they will ever go away, especially for certain courses.

"There are some things that it's just more effective for students to write, to have that tactile function of actually drawing a graph or graphing something out by hand, especially in industrial technology and art courses and even some mathematics," he said.

Classes that involve a lot of reading, such as English, still may use books, Farrow said, because they're easier on the eyes.

"In the future, if we're talking long term, I can see computer screens getting much better, more like Kindles with Paperwhite, to where students will be able to read more," he said.

Many tests also are being given online, allowing districts to get results faster so officials can analyze data and help students improve.

"That's really what this technology is all about -- is how can we continue to help our students to achieve [and] how can we help our teachers to be more effective with their instruction?" Farrow said. "Any way that we can use technology to do that, we're going to try."

Many middle-school teachers will receive training in the summer and fall. Tech academies will be held later this month and July.

The idea, in part, is to help students balance the devices' entertainment value with their educational virtues.

"We take all the safeguards we can to make sure that they're using it responsibly, so we block everything at home on their device that's blocked here. We do allow some things to remain open because we want them to be able to look at the balance between entertainment and education, so Pandora is still open to listen to music and things of that nature," Farrow said. "But for the most part, we want them to understand how to responsibly use it for school."

A graphic that ran in February in the Central High School newspaper, The Tiger, showed of 200 students, 25 percent most enjoyed listening to music on the device, followed by 22 percent each for accessing Web resources and taking notes. Checking email clocked in at 20 percent and watching videos, 10 percent. Students receive headsets with their devices, district communications director Dana Saverino said.

Farrow said some teachers have said students seem more engaged and get more classwork done when they listen to music as they work. "If a teacher can manage their class and it works well for them, fantastic."

However, other teachers may struggle with that, which is why Farrow said training is available to keep students on task. A couple of ways to keep focus are not allowing students to use Pandora in class, or having the device closed while the teacher is doing class instruction.

"One of the strategies that we use is headphones are out of your ears unless you are doing something that has audio," Farrow said. Another approach to be more widely implemented next year is secure Web browsers that lock the student into one application "so ... they can't open up any other applications or have anything else running until they're done with that quiz. If they close out of that secure browser, they've ended their quiz session," Farrow said.

This kind of strategy also helps students with appropriate multitasking. "I don't know how many adults sit in meetings and check emails and do all kinds of other things because [their device is] there. We want to try and teach [students] how to do that responsibly," Farrow said. Some students have expressed frustration about learning without laptops the first half of the year, then adjusting to the devices.

"I think people often misunderstand, or don't understand, that this is a huge transition for students, even though we think of students as being very tech-savvy, this is a huge change in the way that they learn. It's a positive change because there are so many things that are available to them now," Farrow added. "They can create, they have a wealth of resources at their fingertips, but the way that they learn is drastically changing."

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

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