One-to-One That Works: Essentials

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Leadership

Without a visionary steward, One-to-One is a hollow and unfulfilled promise. This visionary leader (or leaders) would have a solid grasp on education, be a true proponent of the classroom teacher, work to provide the support, infrastructure, professional development and other components to the program and be committed to the long haul success of One-to-One. He or she would ensure that the One-to-One vision is clear and resonates with all, that teachers have what is needed to succeed, that all components described herein are available, and that the program is sustained.

Planning

This is often the area given short shrift, yet is essential. Planning that is thorough and thoughtful, rooted in the school’s mission and philosophy, involves all the schools’ stakeholders, includes continuous communication to all stakeholders, and that is lead by visionaries will make the One-to-One promise become reality. Most schools/districts create a Vision Committee that meets to understand the schools’ needs and what One-to-One will bring to the table and regularly provides updates on its progress. Members of this committee would be active researchers on One-to-One by reading books and articles and sending representatives to schools and conferences (two excellent choices are NECC which has a One-to-One thread and the Lausanne Laptop Institute in Memphis).

Teachers On Board

It’s a given that the Vision Committee include teachers and that the leaders are educators at heart. But taking the time to help all teachers get on board is what ensures success. Any school improvement program only works if the teachers believe in it day-to-day and bring it to their practice in meaningful ways. This is doubly so with One-to-One. Getting teachers on board can mean different things to different schools, including professional development (see more below), regular communication and feedback, solving logistical and support issues, addressing philosophical questions, ensuring every teacher has a laptop before the students, and respecting everyone’s individual arc of change.

Professional Development

Here’s where money should never be cut. Professional development needs to be planned by understanding adult learning theory and the ideas of Malcolm Knowles. Knowles tells us that adults have a wealth of knowledge, need to do and not just view, want relevancy, need time for hands-on use of the learning, and want to maximize their own learning style. Workshops that are practical, hands-on, give teachers something they can use right away, and provide opportunities to question are best. It’s best to understand teachers as adult learners and to initiate and support a learning community where it’s safe to not know everything but where progress is continual. Too many times professional development takes the form of one or two workshops with no follow-up. Instead, keep professional development alive all through the school year. This doesn’t have to mean more formal workshops, it may mean online support in the form of a group Ning network for teachers to join, share their successes and challenges, and support one another; regular Webinars from experts in the field; partnering with another One-to-One school and meeting regularly in person or virtually; monthly faculty meeting time to showcase One-to-One projects; specific times for learning support that includes practical but informal “make and take” opportunities. The idea is to keep One-to-One teaching and learning alive and on the front burner, continually refreshed with new ideas, led by teachers who are energized and supported.

Logistics

Along with One-to-One comes complexity so be aware there will be logistical issues to solve. You will have to be sure your wireless network is everyone and robust enough for 30 or more students in a classroom all hitting on your wireless access points. You’ll need to deal with having many mobile devices moving around your school and going home where there may (or likely may not) be antivirus and secure networks. So you’ll have to consider how to keep your network safe. Transporting the laptops or tablets home and back and cases will be a consideration – do you want “always on” cases, hard-sided cases, backpacks, or a combination? You’ll want to consider insurance on laptops which can be dropped or receive unexpected Coca-Cola showers. Other issues include power and batteries because once your laptops or tablets start becoming used all day, they’ll also be on all day. Anticipating to and planning for the logistical issues will mean a program that’s truly integrated and not a source of frustration.

Support

Integration of One-to-One in the school day requires that the devices are working reliably. You don’t want to require your teachers to have two lesson plans, one for when the computers are working and one for when they’re not. This means support, either inhouse staff, or a vendor help desk, or a method of getting hardware to your vendor and back quickly. Nothing kills One-to-One so quickly as many broken, unusable computers with no set timeframe for repair.

Sustainability

This component is all about commitment – making sure that the resources, the support, the funding and the vision is for today and tomorrow. Without commitment, schools will go through a frustrating budget crunch involving justifying the program every 12 months.

Assessment

Whether this is in the form of an online survey; informal conversations with stakeholders; or a formal higher education study, One-to-One that is assessed is One-to-One that lasts and is renewed. Find out what people think worked and didn’t work, react and adjust, and let everyone know they’ve been heard. Good teaching requires formative assessment, so does your program

Pieces of the Puzzle

Paying attention to all these components will mean that your program works and flourishes. Stay tuned every month for more One-to-One columns as we explore some of these integral pieces, and more.

Pamela Livingston is a technology educator and author of the best-selling book,"1-to-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work."