ASIJ’s Middle School students share their excitement about the new 1:1 laptop program. ASIJ
The start of the new school year saw The American School in Japan’s middle schoolers heading off for boot camp—not for American Idol, but to learn how to use their new Lenovo ThinkPads and how the school’s new 1:1 program would work. “It was very evident that the students were thrilled with having the computers and the prospect of using them for all of their coursework during the year,” said Jim Erwin, Middle School Instructional Technology Coach.
“Actually, we already had more computers in the Middle School than students, but they were mostly desktops. The fact that students were already using technology in the majority of classes meant making the transition to one laptop per student was an obvious one,” said Gene Witt, Director of Information Technology Services. “Now access is equitable for all classrooms and all subject areas and students enjoy anytime, anywhere access through our campus-wide wireless network.”
“Our faculty have a wealth of prior experience using technology in their courses and so they are well-prepared to integrate the laptops smoothly into their classes. The teachers will be using various tools to enable the students to collaborate and explore new ways of expressing their thoughts and ideas through their use of their laptops,” said Erwin. “Teachers had some excellent professional development prior to the beginning of school and there will be ongoing technology workshops offered for the faculty each Monday after school to help them really develop the way we use these laptops.”
One of the goals in moving to a 1:1 laptop environment in the Middle School is to also help focus student learning on the 4 Cs: critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration. Whether it is taking soil samples using Vernier Probeware, working on a shared project via a Wiki or Google Doc or designing and creating multimedia projects on video, students will be able to seamlessly move from one activity to another. “With a laptop I can do more things and can access the internet to research. I can type in a few key words and see a lot of information. I can then choose the material for what I am studying,” said 6th grader Jacob Gagnon.
Student laptops also allow for flexible grouping in classes and during presentations, and the students are encouraged to organize and manage their own work. “It is a great educational tool. I had a laptop in 5th grade and now I have a bigger one and I am well organized with my folders,” says middle schooler Ryan Nishida. “It is easier [to work], as this laptop has all of the programs I need. It is great to be portable,” said fellow student Alicia. — MATT WILCE
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