{"id":28623,"date":"2017-08-24T15:06:23","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T20:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=28623"},"modified":"2017-12-01T11:53:43","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T17:53:43","slug":"as-more-oklahoma-schools-give-students-computers-experts-say-teacher-training-is-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2017\/08\/24\/as-more-oklahoma-schools-give-students-computers-experts-say-teacher-training-is-key\/","title":{"rendered":"As More Oklahoma Schools Give Students Computers, Experts Say Teacher Training Is Key"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_28626\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 612px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28626\" alt=\"student-laptop\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop.jpg 612w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-32x32.jpg 32w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-50x50.jpg 50w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-64x64.jpg 64w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-128x128.jpg 128w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-550x550.jpg 550w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2017\/08\/student-laptop-470x470.jpg 470w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Lewis Elementary \/ Flickr\/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n<\/div><p>This year, two of Oklahoma\u2019s largest school districts are embarking on an expensive technological experiment: They\u2019re giving students their own laptops to use in class \u2014 and take home.<\/p><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/339346791&color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=false\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<!--more-->Rich Anderson is in charge of making sure Edmond Public School\u2019s laptop program rolls out smoothly.<\/p><p><b>\u201c<\/b>In my mind, I\u2019m calling it \u2018C-day\u2019,\u201d he says.<\/p><p>That\u2019s \u201cC-Day\u201d for Chromebook Day. The day when every 8th, 9th, and 10th grader gets their own. The Chromebooks are small laptops that will become a part of each student\u2019s daily learning experience. They\u2019ll use them in class, for research, and at home for homework. Anderson tells parents that, eventually, these computers will replace textbooks.<\/p><p>In total, the district will distribute about 5,500 Chromebooks to students in Edmond this year. Anderson says the move is an attempt to ready kids for the future.<\/p><p>\u201cOur goal is to prepare students to succeed in life, in college and in the job market,\u201d he says. \u201cBeing confident with technology is part of that.\u201d<\/p><p>Norman Public Schools is doing something similar this year, too: The district is giving its middle and high school students MacBooks. Other districts in Oklahoma, including schools in Jenks and Enid, have been giving kids computers for a couple years.<\/p><p>These programs cost millions. Some are funded by grants, but usually the programs are financed by bond money. Anderson thinks it\u2019s money well spent.<\/p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s a transformation of the way teachers teach,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about a new way of learning that\u2019s more student driven, more collaborative.\u201d<\/p><p>Research shows giving kids their own computer can definitely be worth it. When done the right way, laptop programs\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.3102\/0034654316628645\">have proven to increase learning in writing, math, and science.<\/a><\/p><p>But experts say the way public schools carry out these take-home-tech programs is key, and without the proper preparation they can be a waste of time and money.<\/p>\n<h3>Making It Work<\/h3><p>Schools across the country have botched the rollout of their tech-device programs.<\/p><p>The most notorious is<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2015\/05\/los-angeles-edtech\/\">the Los Angeles Unified District\u2019s experience<\/a>. The country\u2019s largest school district spent $1.3 billion on iPads and online curriculum, but after two years of technical difficulties, district officials told Apple they wanted their money back.<\/p><p>The Fort Bend Independent School District in Texas<a href=\"http:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/news\/education\/article\/Fort-Bend-school-district-shelves-iPad-program-4867456.php\">scrapped a $16 million iPad program<\/a> after just a year. The district purchased 6,300 iPads with the hope of improving science scores, but instead experienced problem after problem. An independent review of the program found the district\u2019s timetable for rolling it out was too fast, the online curriculum didn\u2019t match the state\u2019s standards, and the district failed to hire people with the right skills to manage the plan.<\/p><p>Maine, on the other hand, started the first statewide laptop program 15 years ago \u2014 and it\u2019s still running. Bernadette Doykos works for the Maine Education Policy Research Institute, and studies the state\u2019s program.<\/p><p>She says districts can\u2019t simply put laptops in classroom and expect things to change. First, schools have to train their teachers to use the technology.<\/p><p>\u201cI really cannot stress enough how much teacher prep plays into this,\u201d she says.<\/p><p>Doykos says teachers need help navigating the enormous selection of online curriculum that\u2019s available, because some of it\u2019s good and some of it\u2019s bad. With the right software, Doykos says educators can personalize learning, and communicate better with parents.<\/p><p>\u201cThat is so exciting,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd when it\u2019s done, it really has such a powerful impact on kids, but it takes a lot of preparation to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Positive Potential<\/h3><p>Anderson, Edmond\u2019s director of technology, understands it\u2019s a delicate process.<\/p><p>His district is rolling out its laptop program slowly, targeting a few grades each year. Edmond schools also held lots of training sessions for teachers over the summer, and piloted the program in a few classrooms last year.<\/p><p>Eighth grade science teacher Cara Stephens was part of the first trial runs, and said she saw a lot of potential.<\/p><p>\u201cIt just opens up so many doors for them,\u201d she says.<\/p><p>Stephens says her students\u2019 tech skills are surprisingly lacking, but she thinks the laptops will help them improve.<\/p><p>\u201cPeople think eighth graders know how to use technology, and they don\u2019t,\u201d she says. \u201cThey know how to text, they know how to Snapchat. They don\u2019t know how to turn on a Chromebook. They don\u2019t know create a Word document.\u201d<\/p><p>The laptops also expand learning opportunities beyond what\u2019s possible with textbooks or traditional classroom labs, Stephens says.<\/p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s actually a lab where they can drop different objects on different planets, and then we talk about the gravity on different planets,\u201d she says. \u201cThey can\u2019t just do that on paper. They can\u2019t drop a piano on Jupiter.\u201d<\/p><p>Stephens thinks there will be a new learning curve this year, because now kids are actually taking the Chromebooks home, where as last year the computers stayed in the classroom.<\/p><p>And, while the idea of trusting students with laptops sounds like a pricey gamble, Stephens says that\u2019s one part of the tech program she\u2019s not too worried about.<\/p><p>\u201cUntil it happens, I don\u2019t know what to anticipate,\u201d she said. \u201cThey don\u2019t have a problem holding onto their cell phones.\u201d<\/p><p>Overall, she\u2019s optimistic.<\/p><p>\u201cIf you expect things consistently from your students, they tend to meet your expectations,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year, two of Oklahoma\u2019s largest school districts are embarking on an expensive technological experiment: They\u2019re giving students their own laptops to use in class \u2014 and take home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":28626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[855],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28623"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28623"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28632,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28623\/revisions\/28632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}