Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Article Critique - One-to-One Computing-Week 3

One to one computing is basically putting a computer in the hands of a student in the classroom. Students are able to research assignments, access to the Internet, work in teams, and able to increase their problem solving and critical skills.

Using computers and technology devices has a greater impact on students. Schools with one to one computing programs had “fewer discipline problems, lower dropout rates, and higher rates of college attendance than schools with a higher ratio of students to computers (Devaney, 2010).” Some schools has realized that learning at a distance is becoming popular and has made it a part of their curriculum requirement.

States such as: Alabama and Florida are taking advantage of this access (one-to-one computing). For example, the project in Maine in the year of 2001 led a successful statewide pilot program. The program lasted 3 years where it showed that the middle school students outperformed the students who were not in the program (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.24). States are still testing this program, where some schools have been unsuccessful in this area.


Study says, in non-one-to-one computing programs has risen to 69%, and 70% of one-to-one computing programs for students (Devaney, 2010). To be successful in one-to-one computing educators must put learning outcomes first, and utilize this method to define technology. Technology devices should match the learning objectives and the student for maximum results. Below is the experiment on laptops. 


1.       Provide the complete article title and author


Laptops and Fourth-Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump by Grimes, D., Hernandez, D.A., Suhr, K.A., & Warschauer, M.


2.       State the intended audience. (What is empirical research and how does it help the classroom?)       


An empirical research is usually data taken from an experiment. Empirical articles are often written in scholarly peer-reviewed journals. Empirical research in the classroom can help explore one’s mind versus depending solely upon raw data. The intended audience for the particular article would be for teachers and parents of a fourth grade student. Based on studies the students with laptops have outstanding written compositions, greater interest in school, and enhanced their learning abilities in laptop literacy.


3.       What is/are the research question/questions or hypothesis/hypotheses?


The research questions are as followed:Researchers investigated the effects of technology (student use of laptop computers) on academic success in the overall language arts department for a two-year period. Also,  can participation in a one-to-one laptop program be used to predict changes in ELA total and subtest scores over the two-year period from third  grade to fifth grade?


4.       Describe the subject (participants) and the procedures (methods) used by the researcher(s)?


The participants included: teachers, students, collected samples of teacher and student artifacts, observed classes, and interviewed teachers. There was a total of 108 participants which was broken down into two groups: control and treatment groups. Both groups were divided into 54 students per classroom where each group had a different instructor each year. The treatment group were the students who participated in the one-to-one laptop program. The control group were the students who were placed in the non-laptop classes. Control group could not have more than six hours per week on computers. The control group had the following access to computers: in-class desktop, computer labs, and mobile laptop carts. When evaluating the scores of the two groups was based off the following criterion: parents education, gender, ethnicity, and ELL status.


5.       What were the conclusions of the researchers? Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions? Support your position.


The treatment group (laptop students) performed better than the control group (non-laptop students). Whereas, writing and literary responses had the best results from the experiment. With that being said researchers think laptops has a small effect on scores increasing.  I agree with the article due to the improvements of technology today.


6.       What suggestions for further research do the authors suggest? What other suggestions for future research would you suggest?


If the sample size was larger, and the study had more diverse students then the results would have scored better. Also, researchers did not have enough gathered data on teachers to provide an accurately information (answers).


Works Cited
Devaney, L. (2010), July 26). Study reveals factors in ed-tech success. eSchool News.
                Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/06/28/survey-reveals-
                factors- in-ed-tech-success/

Grimes, D., Hernandez, D.A., Suhr, K.A., & Warschauer, M. (2010). Laptops and
                Fourth-Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump.
                Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 9(5). Retrieved June
                17, 2013 from http://www.jtla.org

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers.



More information on one-to-one computing Click Here:


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6 comments:

  1. CarolynJune 19, 2013 at 9:40 AM

    Good job! Hope you are learning to navigate around the blog a little better! One-to-one computing is a great tool for students. Seeing that technology use in our society is growing drastically, it's only proper that we teach students how to use them (and provide them with access, since some students do not have the means otherwise) so that they can "keep up" with their peers and be better prepared for their future endeavors.

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  2. UnknownJune 19, 2013 at 10:13 AM

    Yes, I am finally learning how to navigate around the blogger. I am not 100% great at it, but I am better-thank you! Yes, some kids are not financially able to have technology at home so getting the learning at school is a great thing for them.

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  3. Charlotte Anne JohnsonJune 21, 2013 at 1:19 PM

    This blog has been interesting to learn! Brittany, as always you make some good points to consider. I agree with Carolyn, technology is taking over our society. We have to show our students how to properly use technology to help them in "the real world". If we show our students that computers/tablets can be used for more than social media and entertainment, they will be more successful in the long run!

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  4. UnknownJune 21, 2013 at 1:56 PM

    You could have said it any better Mrs. Anne! Technology is not only for entertainment, it is for learning. Learning can be fun and enjoyable in all sorts of aspects.

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  5. UnknownJune 27, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    I can only imagine being in the midst of a topic, lining up your next electronic lesson, and the "lights" going out in the very middle of the lesson. That is also something that concerns me; not just about technology in the educational field, but technology as it relates to a global market. It seems I hear, almost daily, about huge companies being "hacked". From what I understand, many of these sabotage acts are carried out by overwhelming a server or system to the point where it just shuts down. It's not too difficult to realize the potential disastrous effects this could bring about. I know it sounds trivial, but we had a storm blow through Tuesday, the 17th. We are truly blessed that the storm did not damage our house, nor leave us without power, but what it did take was our router/modem that links our home phone and cable together. It fried that little thing. We already rely on wireless Internet, so this was a huge blow. And, because we live in a little bitty town, it took them until the 23rd to get someone to come and replace the singed technology. I didn't mind too much not having cable T.V. or a home phone, but not being able to get onto the computer set me back severely. I know a few people who would need hospitalization if they were to be without Internet that long...But, back to the article's purpose and what we are trying to discern; I ask the question, "Are we getting too reliant on technology, whether it’s in today's educational system or our global market?" I have quite a staunch stance of yes, I think we are. When I covered the educational software that included gaming, many of the concerns written about in the text were similar to the ones I personally have. This is even parodied in today's television commercial where the 13-14 year old kids are sitting around reminiscing about the "olden" days when they had to go to the room where the computer or cable was, where now, you simply put a router in each room and you're connected to everything. I know it's a parody, but it speaks volumes to how quickly things are progressing. I think everyone should have their opinions, and I don't think everyone's should be the same. If this movement to use technology helps these students who are facing this fourth grade hump, then I think the devices should be made available for everyone. This social disparity issue has been going on way to long for my comfort.

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  6. UnknownJune 27, 2013 at 3:23 PM

    You said so much in this post that made so many points to this week's topic. I remember using dial-up to use for internet and had to make sure my parents was not waiting on an important phone call. Now today we can easily hook up routers and wifi's to be easily connected to the Internet on any device. I agree that devices should be made available to everyone if we have some that are facing humps.

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