Laptop initiative creates equal educational opportunities.

The Freedom to Learn program has dramatically changed the physical and mental climate of our school and classrooms. It has created equal educational opportunities for all of our students. The three-year journey was met with many stresses and frustrations; however, our eager excitement for the potential of the program far outweighed the stresses we encountered. Initially, our staff met as a technology committee to prepare for the arrival of the laptops. We tried to predict all of the changes that would take place in our building as a result of the increased technologies, and attempted to prepare ourselves for them. As our excitement mounted, we began to talk with the students about their entrance to our school. Not having a tangible machine to show the students, they were skeptical as to whether they would arrive at all.

October turned into November, November into December, and so forth until January arrived and we were ready to roll out the machines to our students. Mother Nature had her own ideas though, with a major snow storm forcing us to cancel our parent and student orientation meetings twice before we finally just had to have the meeting regardless of the weather. Fortunately, we had 100% of our parent and student population in attendance at our orientations, and laptops in the hands of our students within the first week. We now had 45 sixth-graders with laptops, which had wireless Internet access, in their possession 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Little did we know, we were oblivious to the changes that were about to occur.

In our early technology meetings, we were certain that in order for the program to be successful we would have to obtain student, parent and teacher ownership of the machines and the program. We began this process by having a parent orientation meeting that required both the parent and the child to attend and learn about the care and applications of the machines. Having this parent and student meeting together laid out our expectations for the use of it at home and in school. We even provided an acceptable usage policy that both the parent and student had to agree to and sign. This policy provided our expectations and consequences for misuse of the computer. Having this buy-in from the parents created a relationship between parents, teachers and administrators that let the students understand which discipline would be enforced if necessary.

Within our classrooms, we created management policies that were similar among all classrooms so the students knew what was expected of them. However, as time went on, we had to modify both our classroom and school management policies due to misuse and improper handling of the computers. We quickly realized that students could find ways to outsmart us since technology was their way of life and something we had to assimilate to. As students began to outsmart us, and found inappropriate uses of the technology in a school setting, we continued to modify our management policies to remain one step ahead of them.

The students drove us not only in management issues, but also in learning and in their new enthusiasm for doing so. Suddenly, doing schoolwork and homework was not such a bad thing if it could be done on their laptops. Students who were previously uninterested in school, or who did the minimum requirements for assignments, were now more involved in their own learning and putting effort into schoolwork. Our special education students thrived now that they had the tools to help express themselves. Our top students started seeking ways to put higher-level thinking into their work. Our average students, who had previously completed the bare-minimum requirements, began to reach their potential because they were genuinely interested in what they could accomplish using the laptops. Our ADHD and behavior problem students made remarkable changes as well. We realized this one day when the only sound coming from our classroom was the clicking of the keys as the students quickly typed their assignments and researched their work on the laptops. We found that there was something about the interaction with the machines that increased student motivation and, consequently, achievement.

Today, we have expanded our FTL program so that all students in grades 6-12 have a laptop of their own. In being part of the lead demonstration site, we have been afforded numerous opportunities to travel with our students and share our experiences with other districts that are in the earlier stages of implementation. The opportunities have not only enriched our students, but they have empowered us as well. We have learned that it is important to be thankful for what you have. We have also learned that with a little desire you can do incredible things in the classroom despite the current pressures, standards, budget cuts and increased accountabilities.

Parents and Communities of Learners

Initiating wireless technology in a school affects not only student learning and changes in teaching, it also has a profound affect on the school atmosphere and relationships with parents. Jason Lundin, an FTL Clare Middle School teacher, has seen this transformation:

"[The Clare community] has come together to support this movement ... to [act] and speak boldly about the future of education. FTL provides great potential for us to achieve our goals. [Student] leaders have emerged where there was silence, role players are empowered to excel and lead.... The excitement has been contagious! The terms problem-presenter and problem-solver have become sight words to the students. They are learning how to think, instead of learning what to think."

FTL teachers point to the development of a "learning community" among their 1-to-1 learners, schools and home caregivers. At Bear Lake Middle School, teachers notice the following:

"The signs of struggle and frustration for low [academic] students are no longer evident.... Students are [now] able and willing to help each other.... A learning community has grown [and] laptops have been the vehicle to create this learning community that we've been striving to reach for years."

In the Berrien County Intermediate School District, an FTL teacher noted: "[Our parents think the project] is great. Our kids are using the computers somewhat to compile their portfolios for student-led conferences."

Whitefish Middle School eighth-graders also see the benefits of linking school and home:

"Class Server (part of the FTL program) allows teachers to assign work and manage student academic records. It also allows students to finish homework online and gives parents access to our academic records."

Student impact

The changes in the school community, in the overall community, and in the teaching and learning environment are all a part of the impact on students--the true reason for a wireless 1-to-1 program. This impact takes many forms, from practical hands-on experience to motivation and engagement to standardized test scores.

Eighth-graders Samantha St. Onge, Jenna Atwood and Alyssa Ackerman from Whitefish Middle School in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula have been involved with the 1-to-1 initiative for two years--the first year as a demonstration site; the second as part of the FTL community. They note:

"Our language arts and science textbooks [now] have online resources. We take practice quizzes, watch videos, research related links and take virtual tours related to the [study] topics. [Now] we get more done in less time!"

Wynn Draper-Bryant, a science teacher at Flint's Whittier Middle School observed:

"[With FTL], students are more motivated and their attendance has improved. [They] think that free time is [using the Internet] to look up answers to the collateral science questions posed during class discussions. Imagine it: Research as free time.... Most significant in a 1-to-1 classroom [is] the ability to teach 1-to-1 [I] tailor assignments and student work loads to reach everyone. The materials and information available are virtually endless.... All of my students are using the laptops."

Bear Lake's 1-to-1 students are more motivated and engaged. Amanda Harthun-Reed and Sarah Hatless point out:

"Students who had little interest and success in school ... are more engaged, more motivated to try to learn and ... feeling more self-confidence. Students [who] once gave up on themselves and created behavioral problems ... [now] have passion for learning and opportunities to shine.... [Their] behavioral problems have decreased [and] students genuinely want to come to school Our gifted and talented kids, previously bored, now have no limits on their assignments and their learning. [We keep] them reaching deeper and deeper into learning and understanding. If a student discovers a component that is interesting to them, they have resources at their finger tips (laptops, software and wireless Internet) that enable them to further research, learn and teach to their teachers and classmates."

Wynn Draper-Bryant's Whittier Middle School students are experiencing the same benefits:

"One of the most beneficial changes ... is that students can now take their own learning [with guidance] to higher levels. Students who take a special interest in any topic have the access and ability to expand their learning almost limitlessly."

As stated earlier, increasing students' achievement and bridging the digital divide are two major FTL goals. The Ross, Lowther and Morrison research shows that 1-to-1 students made significant gains in writing and problem-solving. Michigan's formative and summative evaluation model focuses on measuring student achievement. The results are not in yet, but anecdotally we know there are gains as reported from Bear Lake Middle School:

"Our students are scoring better on standardized tests. One group of low-achieving students improved their English Language Arts MEAP (Michigan Education Assessment Program) scores by 40% compared to scores from two prior years. [Students] had the same teachers throughout.... [What changed] was the addition of the 1-to-1 computing."

Sarah Harless and Amanda Harthun-Reed are middle school teachers at Bear Lake School Middle School in Northern Michigan. They are, both FTL Super-Coaches and Lead Teachers.