Article Critique

This week we will explore one of the biggest educational issues of our day and one that was not yet a conversation when I left the classroom eleven years ago. Placing a laptop or other mobile computing device in the hands of each student is known as one-to-one computing (Robyler &Doering, 2013, p. 24) and is a hot topic among today's educators. Personally, I have watched my children's school system wrestle with this initiative. My fourth and seventh grader were both issued Nooks this year for classroom use as well as to assist with homework. The high school seniors in our school system were all issued iPads this year, and the sophomores and juniors will have them next year. I have watched and observed and have come to the conclusion that while the use of technology in education is wonderful, there are many important factors to consider before making major purchases that place devices in the hands of every student.

 "The current role of educational technology is shaped primarily by two factors: available technology resources and our perspectives on how to make use of them."(Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 4) I believe the "make use of them" component is critical. This article adds great insights to the one-to-one computing conversation and should be read by all administrators considering purchasing devices for their schools. It discusses the pros and cons of the issue and brings up the valid point that teachers who are already overworked have difficulty learning new technology, much less planning appropriate lessons to go along with it. Studies described in our textbook confirm this, such as the Project RED Initiative which found "one-to-one initiatives are improved quality indicators, but only if certain optimal conditions are in place." (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 24) This again reinforces the point that school systems should proceed down the one-to-one road with caution and a great deal of education. In my research this week I read an article that studies the effects of laptops on learning in a typical upper elementary classroom. Although the findings push the reader towards the benefits of one-to-one computing, I still believe caution is needed when planning and purchasing technology that is almost out-of-date before it is placed in the hands of the student.

 Below are some pertinent questions and answers regarding my article critique:

  1.     Provide the complete article title and author.

;     The article I read this week is titled "Laptops and Fourth Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump" by Kurt A. Suhr, David A. Hernandez, Douglas Grimes, & Mark Warschauer.

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

The intended audience for this article includes educators, administrators and school boards seeking to determine best practices for students and the most effective ways to use technology dollars. Empirical research can be defined as "a way of gaining knowledge by means of direct and indirect observation or experience" (Wikipedia, 2013). "Some of the most promising research results to date have come from the so-called one-to-one computing initiatives, sometimes known as laptop programs." (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 24) This type of research is invaluable to school personnel seeking to make informed decisions. 

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

Three research questions were used to compare participating students:

1. Were there significant differences in the total ELA score changes in the California Standards Test (CST) over the two-year period from third grade to fifth grade between the one-to-one laptop group and the non-laptop group, after controlling for other factors?

2. Were there significant differences in the six subtests used to compute those total ELA scores for the same two groups?

3. 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)?

Participants in this study included 108 students at two elementary schools and two middle schools. The students were from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and included an almost even number of males and females. Participants were largely Asian and Caucasian and most had parents who were educated. One group of students was given laptop computers to utilize over a two-year period while one group was not. Classes were observed and teachers and students were surveyed throughout the course of study. English language arts test scores were compared between laptop users and non-laptop users to see if significant improvements were made by the laptop users.

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

     The findings of this study show that the laptop users made greater strides in some  areas, particularly those related to skills that the laptops themselves developed such as  internet research and writing skills. Overall, however,  the findings were not significant  enough to conclude that the laptops were a resounding success. The results do add to the  popular belief that laptop use over time will increase test scores, but the effect was not great  enough in this particular study to convince me that all school systems should purchase  laptops immediately. One teacher surveyed in the study mentioned the time she spent  teaching the tool rather than teaching the subject. This is of great significance in my opinion.  Placing technology in the hands of individual students can cause roadblocks to learning, can  take away valuable instructional time, and can cause a variety of social issues. (Roblyer &  Doering, 2013, p.13) I am all for technology in the classroom, but am very cautious when it  comes to one-to-one initiatives. This year I experienced my fourth grade daughter's Nook  sitting on a shelf for most of the school year as she complained that it was too slow and  "didn't ever work right." Technology is changing rapidly. Our text illustrates this by comparing  the Pre-Microcomputer Era, the Microcomputer Era and the mobile technologies of today.  (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 8) Computers are expensive and are almost out-of-date by the  time they are purchased. The cost of one-to-one computing is still extremely high which also  makes me pause and consider the risks versus the benefits. Although the results of this  study and others cannot be denied, I believe there is more research to be done in this area.

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

The authors of this article make several suggestions for future research including larger  sample size, a lengthier study, more students from under-represented ethnic groups and a  cost-benefit analysis to compare the cost of laptops to other means of intervention. I agree  that further studies should be done and I also suggest using something other than  standardized test scores to measure success, although I recognize this is not a widely held  opinion. I would be interested to see a similar study done using a program called "Bring Your  Own Device (BOD)," which would enable students to bring familiar technologies from home  for learning purposes. BOD programs could cut costs significantly among other benefits. This research article provides much food for thought and definitely sparks my thinking on this  hot topic. 

Twitter is also full of opinions on on-to-one computing and my tweet below lists some of the positives. Don't forget to follow me @lathamllisa for more hot topics on technology in education. 

How to sell #1to1Computing! http://t.co/wkDYsy5Chc #ED5059413UWA

— Lisa Latham (@LathamlLisa) June 12, 2013

References

Robyler, M.D. & Doering, H. (2013). 

        Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (6th ed.).Upper Saddle River, N.J.      
        Pearson

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