Computer literacy is essential to students who are preparing to enter the work force. Workers need to be adept not only in the technical skills required to operate a computer but also in the critical thinking skills necessary to compile and analyze data.
Students at the Center for Arts & Technology are learning to integrate the computer in all aspects of their academic and career studies. To assist them in this process, the school has implemented the one-to-one laptop initiative. Its goal is to prepare students for learning and working in the 21st century.
The initiative was launched during the 2005-06 school year as a pilot program. During its inaugural year, 235 full-time students at the Center for Arts & Technology Brandywine and Pickering campuses received a laptop. This year, the program was expanded to include all full-time students at both campuses. In addition, the faculty at both campuses received a laptop a year in advance, so they could get a jump start on their tech-savvy students.
According to Dr. Alan Slobojan, director of Career, Technical and Customized Education at the Chester County Intermediate Unit, the laptop initiative was implemented for three reasons: To improve student learning and increase student achievement; to help bridge the digital divide; and, to prepare students for higher education.
“We need to prepare students for the work place by giving them access to the tools they will use when they enter it,” said Slobojan. “We wouldn’t expect to teach a carpentry class and not provide students with access to wood. It’s the same concept. Computers are pervasive in our society and by providing students with laptops to use for their schoolwork, we ensure that all of our students have the same access to the educational tools and resources necessary for success.”
Teachers began to see the advantages of the program almost immediately.
“I recognized two main benefits: First, for students with poor organizational skills, the laptops improve their ability to keep track of work and due dates,” said science teacher David Tschachler.
“Second, I can challenge the super achievers much more by providing educational opportunities and materials not previously available in the classroom,” said Tschachler.
Social Studies teacher Dave Purdy agreed.
“It’s allowed me to integrate creativity into assignments,” said Purdy. “It’s the old story of tricking them into learning.”
Purdy then described a project in which students watched Martin Luther King’s speech, “I have a dream.” Then, they downloaded the speech as an mp3 and imported it into Garage Band, added music and cropped it to a two to three minute section. With the ‘song’ they created, they downloaded pictures from the Internet and then added relevant titles to the photos and created a music video.
Meanwhile over in the environmental science class, Tschachler's students were using their laptops to view real-time data of sea level changes in response to hurricane conditions. They then used this information to predict the tides and flooding. Following the hurricane, students compared the actual results with their predictions.
Social studies teacher Lew Gordner summed up student reaction to the laptops: “Technology has improved their motivation, and there is so much more enthusiasm and effort placed towards learning. Students like using technology. So integrating learning objectives using it, makes even basic classroom instruction more enjoyable.”
