Pennsylvania teachers were surveyed about their perception of the outcomes of one-to-one technology programs. Results quantified teacher perceptions regarding: (1) educational resources; (2) the effects of school environments; and (3) standardized test scores. Results demonstrate that Pennsylvania educators do not perceive one-to-one programs…

Many school districts across the United States have enacted one-to-one (1:1) programs to boost students' "21st Century Skills". These programs provide a laptop or other personal digital device to every student, with the expectation that teachers will employ modern instructional processes and students will benefit from greater access to…

Considering the prevalence of mobile technologies among secondary students, this case study examined a new mode for reflective writing: mobile journaling. Because reflective writing is spontaneous and continuous, mobile journaling, using a mobile device to record, store, and share personal reflections, is an innovative approach to improve the…

It is a simple fact that access to high-speed broadband is now as vital a component of K-12 school infrastructure as electricity, air conditioning, and heating. The same tools and resources that have transformed educators' personal, civic, and professional lives must be part of learning experiences intended to prepare today's students for college…

Over the last ten years, the emergence of 1:1 programs has grown increasingly in popularity. More and more schools are implementing 1:1 programs as a means for increasing student achievement and performance. In fact, few modern educational initiatives have been as widespread and costly as the integration of laptop initiatives into education. As a…

The basic tenet of one-to-one computing is that the student and teacher have Internet-connected, wireless computing devices in the classroom and optimally at home as well. Also known as "ubiquitous computing," this strategy assumes that every teacher and student has her own computing device and obviates the need for moving classes to…

The Quakertown Community School District, or QCSD, is a traditional K-12 public school district in rural southeastern Pennsylvania, located in Bucks County, about an hour north of Philadelphia. QCSD has ten schools, including one high school, and serves approximately 5,500 students, 24 percent of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch…

Fourth-grader Nicholas is a homebound cancer patient who attends Plainview Elementary School in rural Chesterfield County, South Carolina. This year he was provided a laptop and webcam as part of Chesterfield County School District's Student Technology and Education Proficiency (STEP) initiative. Prior to the implementation of the STEP program in…

In spring of 2006, a task force was charged to look at the feasibility of acquiring hand-held inventory devices for the Pennsylvania State University Libraries (PSUL). The task force's charge was not to look at the whole concept of doing an inventory, but rather to focus on the feasibility of acquiring hand-held devices to use in an inventory.…

Along with their students, faculty have become co-learners and pioneers in the classroom. With no models to work from, they have had to explore, practice, and discover the iPad's potential for expanding learning. Given the recent and rapidly growing access to a dazzling array of intellectual technologies, faculty and staff at Seton Hill, a liberal…

This quasi-experimental investigation considers the second year of implementation of wireless laptops (1:1 ratio) in three 6th grade mathematics classrooms in one school compared to non-laptop classrooms (5:1 ratio) in seven other schools in the district. Comprehensive mathematics software from CompassLearning delivered via the internet was…

University based teacher education programs are slowly beginning to catch up to other professional programs that use modern digital tools to prepare students to enter professional fields. This discussion looks at how one teacher education program reached the conclusion that students and faculty would use notebook computers. Frequently referred to…

Funded by an award from the state of Pennsylvania, Quaker Valley School District launched a Digital School District initiative, a program to equip every student in the district from 3rd through 12th grade with a laptop computer, set up wireless networks in all district buildings, and provide wireless Internet connections in all of the students'…