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##  Laptop Computers in the K-12 Classroom. ERIC Digest.                         

Over the past decade, many schools have investigated the educational            possibilities of mobile computing. More recently, an increasing                 number of K-12 schools are implementing the use of laptop computers.            Improvements in portable computing technology and examples of                   successful pilot programs using laptops and other portables have                inspired many K-12 schools to consider laptops for their                        students. EMERGENCE OF LAPTOPS IN SCHOOLSOrganized laptop                 programs in higher education date as far back as 1988 when Drew                 University in Madison, New Jersey, began providing notebook                     computers (paid for from tuition) to all incoming freshman. Now more            than 50 postsecondary institutions worldwide require at least some              of their students to use laptops (Brown, 1999). Throughout the                  1990s, a number of private schools in the United States and abroad              began requiring ownership of laptops.  In 1996, inspired by the                 successful use of laptops in Australian schools, the Microsoft                  Corporation and Toshiba began one of the most high-profile programs             now underway, currently known as Microsoft's Anytime Anywhere                   Learning (AAL) Program (Healey, 1999). Technology corporations, such            as NetSchools (http://www.studypro.com/), NoteSys                               Inc. (http://www.notesys.com/),                                                 Apple (http://www.apple.com/education/), and others are promoting               the use of laptops in K-12 education, providing hardware packages               for schools, and in some cases, software and technical support as               well. TRANSITIONS TO LAPTOPSHow are schools integrating                   laptops into their technology infrastructure?  Microsoft                        commissioned an ongoing study of Anytime Anywhere Learning,                     published as the Rockman Report.  In their study, Rockman (1998)                identified five models of laptop use currently in place at the K-12             level: 
* Concentrated-each student has his or her own laptop for              use at home or in school 
* Class set-a school-purchased classroom             set is shared among teachers 
* Dispersed-in any given classroom,              there are students with and without laptops 
* Desktop-each                    classroom is permanently assigned a few laptops for students to                 share 
* Mixed-some combination of the above models. 
Each model              has potential advantages, either in terms of instructional benefits,            ease of implementation, or savings. In the concentrated model,                  teachers are free to integrate technology fully into instruction as             well as assignments, since all students have access to a computer               for homework, study, and projects. In the class set and dispersed               models, teachers are free to integrate laptops during the school                day; however, there may still be students within the same class who             lack access to a computer in the home, so integration options are               more limited. In the desktop model, although the computers are owned            and maintained by the school, a student working on a computer-based             project during the school day might be allowed to take the laptop               home to complete their work. Also, teachers are better able to                  reconfigure their classroom setup to suit their technology                      integration needs. Laptops can also take the place of desktops in a             traditional lab setting.  For example, the Cuba-Rushford School                 District in Allegheny County, New York, created a 70-computer laptop            lab. These computers are available for checkout to their middle and             high school students. For many schools, the primary advantage of                laptops over desktops is in creating opportunities for all students             to have access to a computer both during and outside of the school              day. PORTABLE ALTERNATIVESTraditional laptops are not the only            portable computers appearing in elementary and secondary                        institutions. Some schools uncomfortable with the high cost of                  laptops have explored the advantages of lower-priced portables                  designed for K-12 students. The AlphaSmart and DreamWriter, for                 example, make it possible to provide each student with a                        rechargeable portable that can be used for word processing or                   keyboarding instruction at a fraction of the cost of a traditional              laptop. Some mini-portables do more than word processing. Casio's               Cassiopeia Computer Extender, for example, includes the graphing                program Maple as well as Geometer's Sketchpad, a dynamic geometry               program. This mini-portable can therefore be used in math and                   science instruction at the high school level. In addition to                    scaled-down portables, manufacturers are also designing full-scale              laptops with younger students in mind. The StudyPro, for example, is            a durable infrared wireless laptop with few moving parts marketed               specifically for K-12 use. Also, Apple's AirPort wireless network               hub is another wireless technology designed to meet the needs of                laptop schools. With wireless networks, schools can allow multiple              users to share a single network connection, as well as avoid some of            the hassle and expense of physical cabling. CLASSROOM                         EXPERIENCESEducators who work with laptops have begun to explore            their unique advantages. The 1999 Laptop Learning Challenge                     sponsored by Toshiba and the National Science Teacher's                         Association (http://www.nsta.org/programs/laptop/index.htm) recently            recognized innovative uses of laptops in K-12 mathematics and                   science education. Some award-winning ideas showed students using               laptops to facilitate group work, to analyze data immediately during            a lab exercise, or to conduct scientific investigations in the field            rather than in the classroom. Evaluators of the Copernicus Project,             a multi-district laptop pilot program in Seattle, Washington, found             laptops to be especially suited for writing activities, student                 projects, and presentations (Fouts & Stuen, 1997). Other uses for               laptops include creating spreadsheets to solve math homework                    problems; creating book reports that inspire student creativity with            presentation software such as PowerPoint or HyperStudio; or having              students routinely hand in assignments via floppy disk or connect to            the school network and save their work to a central file server for             the teacher to review, add comments, and leave for the student to               retrieve. DOES RESEARCH SUPPORT THE USE OF LAPTOPS?Several                studies suggest educational benefits related to laptop use. Specific            benefits noted include increased student motivation (Gardner 1994,              Rockman, 1998), a shift toward more student-centered classroom                  environments (Stevenson, 1998; Rockman, 1998), and better school                attendance than students not using laptops (Stevenson, 1998). In his            study of a laptop pilot program in Beaufort, South Carolina,                    Stevenson (1998) also reported that students with laptops                       demonstrated a "sustained level of academic achievement" during                 their middle school years, as opposed to students not using laptops             who tended to decline during this same period. He also noted that               these academic benefits were most significant in at-risk student                populations. 
In their study of laptop use in middle school science            classrooms, Fisher and Stolarchuk (1998) found that those laptop                classrooms in which skills and the process of inquiry were                      emphasized had the most positive impact on student learning and                 attitudes. According to Rockman, a majority of teachers in laptop               schools reported an increase in both cooperative learning and                   project-based instruction. Other research has not supported the                 educational benefits of laptop use. 
Gardner (1993) found that the             impact of laptops after one year was "at best marginal" on                      achievement in mathematics, science, and writing. Also, Fisher and              Stolarchuk reported a more positive relationship between laptops and            student attitudes than between laptops and academic achievement.                Research into the educational use of laptops has only begun;                    relatively few K-12 schools have had laptops in place long enough to            generate longitudinal studies of their impact on student                        achievement. It remains to be seen what additional research will                reveal about the long-term impact of laptops on student achievement             and outcomes. EQUITY CONTROVERSYWith growing concern over                 equity in access to technology, laptop programs have become                     increasingly attractive. Whether through leasing programs,                      purchasing refurbished hardware, or obtaining technology grants,                many schools hope to reduce their student-to-computer ratio by                  considering some form of laptop program. Critics point out the                  possibilities of theft, vandalism, and accidental damage.                       Newer "student-friendly" laptop models address some of these issues;            not only are they more durable, but some have included                          theft-deterrent technology as well. 
However, despite the creative             educational possibilities of laptops and promise of equitable access            for all students, added costs in the form of hardware, network                  costs, technical support considerations, and faculty training remain            the greatest obstacles. The presence of laptops in a school does not            necessarily imply student ownership; however, some schools are                  advocating or requiring student purchase or rental. Partnerships                between schools, nonprofit organizations, and corporations can                  defray costs, but ultimately parents share the expense with schools             that hope to put a laptop in the hands of every child (Wishengrad,              1999).  For this reason, there is concern among some that laptop                programs may worsen technology inequities among students for                    families who are unable to assume these costs (Jameson, 1999).  The             controversy over laptops is not limited to issues of equity and                 cost, however; the Texas Board of Education recently made headlines             by suggesting the state replace all textbooks with CD-ROMS and fund             a laptop leasing program for all 3.9 million students with the                  estimated $1.8 billion in savings over six years (Mendels, 1998).               Despite these issues, many educators hoping to bring the benefits of            educational technology to more students continue to look for                    creative ways to overcome these obstacles. SUMMARYThe future              of mobile computing in K-12 education is still uncertain. Laptops               may never become as common in classrooms as hand-held calculators.              Solutions for issues of cost, technical support needs, security, and            equitable access are challenging for many schools. Many schools with            laptops, however, remain positive and enthusiastic about the changes            observed and benefits their students derive from access to portable             computers. Although many laptop programs are young and studies are              still in progress, research has shown educational benefits from the             use of laptops, particularly with respect to increasing student                 motivation and creating more student-centered classrooms. Continuing            improvements in student portable computing technology as well as                models of successful programs may make laptops an increasingly                  attractive option for K-12 educators and technology                             planners. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READINGBaldwin, F. (1999).             Taking the classroom home. "Appalachia," 32(1), 10-15. (EJ 586                  599) 
Brown, R. (1999). Notebook colleges and                                  universities. [Online]. Available:                                              http://www.acck.edu/~arayb/NoteBookList.html 
Buchanan, L. (1998).             Three portable options: AlphaSmart, DreamWriter, Apple                          eMate. "Multimedia Schools," 5(1), 36-38, 40, 42-43. (EJ 558                    547) 
Fisher, D., & Stolarchuk, E. (1998). The effect of using                 laptop computers on achievement, attitude to science and classroom              environment in science. "Proceedings Western Australian Institute               for Educational Research Forum 1998." [Online]. Available:                      http://cleo.murdoch.edu.au/waier/forums/1998/fisher.html 
Fouts, J.            T., & Stuen, C. (1997). "Copernicus project: Learning with laptops:             Year 1 Evaluation Report." (ED 416 847) 
Gardner,                              J. (1994). "Personal portable computers and the curriculum."                    Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Council for Research in Education. (ED            369 388) 
Gardner, J., And Others. (1993). The impact of high                  access to computers on learning. "Journal of Computer Assisted                  Learning," 9(1), 2-16. 
Gold, R. A. (1999). Leadership, learning,              and laptops: How one district brought everyone on board. "Multimedia            Schools," 6(4), 32-36. 
Gottfried, J., & McFeely, M.G. (1997-1998,             Dec-Jan). Learning all over the place: Integrating laptop computers             into the classroom. "Learning and Leading with Technology," 25(4),              6-12. (EJ 557 248) 
Hardy, L. (1999). Lap of luxury: School laptop             programs raise issues of equity. "The American School Board                     Journal," 186(3), A33-A35. 
Healey, T. (1999). Notebook programs               pave the way to student-centered learning. "T.H.E. Journal," 26(9),             14. 
Jameson, R. (1999). Equity and access to educational                      technology. "Thrust for Educational Leadership," 28(4),                         28-31. 
Jenny, F. J. (1998) The information technology initiative              at Grove City college: Four Years Later. "Proceedings of the                    Association of Small Computer Users in Education Summer                         Conference." (ED 425 718) 
The Laptop College. (1999, Spring).                 Learning technologies report [Online]. Available:                               http://thenode.org/ltreport/issues.cfm 
O'Donovan, E. (1999) Mobile            Computing Grows Up. "Technology & Learning," 19(8),                             53-56. 
Mendels, P. (1998, May 20). "Texas weighs the value of                 laptops vs. textbooks." The New York Times. 
Rockman, et.                      al. (1998). "Powerful tools for schooling: Second year study of the             laptop program." Rockman, et. al: San Francisco, CA. [Online].                  Available: http://rockman.com/projects/laptop/ 
Stevenson, K.                  R. (1998). "Evaluation report-Year 2: Schoolbook laptop project."               Beaufort County School District: Beaufort, S.C. [Online]. Available:            http://www.beaufort.k12.sc.us/district/ltopeval.html 
Stevenson, K.            R. (1999, April). Learning by laptop. "School Administrator," 56(4),            18-21. 
Stoll, M. (1998, June 9). Lessons on laptops. "Christian               Science Monitor." 
Wishengrad, R. (1999). Are paper textbooks ready            to fold? "The Education Digest," 64(6), 57-61. 
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This ERIC              Digest was prepared by Yvonne Belanger, ([email protected]),                AskERIC Q&A Project Manager. ERIC Digests are in the public domain              and may be freely reproduced and disseminated. ERIC Clearinghouse on            Information & Technology; Syracuse University, 621 Skytop Road,                 Suite 160; Syracuse, New York  13244-5290; (315) 443-3640; (800)                464-9107; Fax: (315) 443-5448; E-mail: [email protected]; URL:                http://ericir.syr.edu/ithome 
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This publication is funded in            part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under             contract number ED-99-CO-0005. The content of this publication does             not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department            of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products,              or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. The                  Department of Education's web address is: http://www.ed.gov/                 **Title:** Laptop Computers in the K-12 Classroom. ERIC Digest.                         **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology, Syracuse                      University, 621 Skytop Rd., Suite 160, Syracuse, NY 13244-5290. Tel:            315-443-3640; Tel: 800-464-9107 (Toll Free); Fax: 315-443-5548;                 e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://ericir.syr.edu/ithome.         **Descriptors:**  Computer Uses in Education, Educational Equipment, Educational                 Practices, Educational Technology, Elementary Secondary Education,              Microcomputers                                                               **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests,  Laptop Computers, Technology Integration                      
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