Rethinking projection in the classroom

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of basic classroom technology? A projector, of course. Any why? So all students can see digital content, of course. However, projection technology has evolved and I think schools should revisit their position on this topic.

From the hardware side, many projectors are now wireless-ready. Others allow the teacher to display any PC in the room. Others are integrated into interactive whiteboards (IWBs). And then there is the Tablet PC, because it, with a projector, is an alternative to an IWB.

What about software? In lab, cart, and 1:1 settings, there is software that can display the teacher screen on student PCs. This not only solves the problem of seeing content - it can also be more engaging. For example, DyKnow software delivers teacher content to student PCs for native annotation and the ability to return work. Many DyKnow customers have saved money by not purchasing projectors or IWBs.

Is there something affirming for a student to see his answer up on the "big screen?" Sure, if it is a good one. However, most students are mortified about having their work pulled up for fear that it will be wrong or simply that they will be singled out. Again, this could be another point for screen-casting software for labs, carts, or 1:1s.

Another thing to remember when considering projection is the type of pedagogy it reinforces. A projector or an IWB tends to promote a teacher-centric model that yields less interaction with students than recommended by modern learning research. I understand that a student-centric model sounds scary to many teachers, but it often produces more active learning. I will concede that having younger kids come up to an IWB to manipulate digital content (i.e. frog dissection) can be quite active and engaging, but I believe that this is not the typical usage of projection. However, I'm a bit skeptical that touching material in front of the class produces the best educational outcomes. Research does show that student PCs facilitate student-centric learning, but laptops aren't the only way. Active learning can also be accomplished through things like group work, Harkness Tables, debate, experiential learning, field research, etc.

A bare bones cost comparison:

• desktop PC + projector = $3,500
• IWB + desktop PC + projector = $6,000
• Tablet PC + projector = $4,500

At the end of the day, there certainly are applications for projectors in the modern classroom, but not every classroom. The debate will continue. For now, here are some good resources:

• http://schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Projectors
• http://schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Interactive_White_Boards

The best thing you can do for your 1:1 program

There are a lot of tips out there about how to implement a teacher and/or laptop program. Educating stakeholders, establishing time lines, setting up a WLAN...the list goes on. These things are good things, but there is one step a co-worker suggested that many schools brush over or even purposefully neglect. He believes--and I now agree--that a laptop program can rise or fall depending on this: a staff member dedicated to 1:1.

From a personnel perspective, many schools mistakenly believe that the "executive sponsor" who works to lobby for and approve a laptop mandate should be the same person to manage the day-to-day activity of the resulting project. In my experience, this is not a good recipe for success. Usually an [asst] principal, [asst] dean, or even director of technology gets the project approved but a person in any of these roles already has a full plate of other responsibilities. Focus is so important when implementing a 1:1 project. Administering a successful 1:1 encompasses many responsibilities, most of which are new to the school or department sponsoring the initiative:

• arranging visits to other 1:1 schools
• cultivating teacher buy-in
• negotiating the hardware package with vendors
• building the software image
• communicating to parents
• organizing and conducting initial PD/workshops
• meeting with individual teachers to start related tech projects
• setting up a help desk to fix laptops
• troubleshooting issues and corresponding with vendors
• interfacing with the network manager and/or database manager
• promoting the project to the media
• building and implementing an assessment/feedback rubric
• offering ongoing PD

Clearly there is enough here to warrant someone who is focused on carrying out the 1:1. I expect that the first thing most HR departments will want to do is put someone on the project part time. While not ideal, this is certainly a good step, especially if the role is designed intentionally. For example, you could take an experienced teacher, decrease his teaching load to one course, and put him on as "1:1 specialist" for the majority of his time.

From a financial perspective, schools can't afford NOT to budget for headcount to manage a laptop program. Most laptop or Tablet mandates I work with have 700-1,000 users, so a $1,000,000 price tag is not uncommon for starting a laptop program - and that's just the start-up cost. Spending big money to buy the laptops and hoping that the "tech folks" figure it out will likely result in big money down the drain. Hoping is not a good plan. Let me put it another way: if you had $1M in the stock market and you could ensure yourself a successful return by spending another 5% on an advisor, wouldn't you do it? The stakes are even higher in education because projects are usually deemed a success or a failure. A successful 1:1 reflects well on the school, administration, board, and community while a failed project makes all the stakeholders look silly.

Two of our 1:1 customers that are doing a good job are Duchesne Academy and Auburn City Schools. Duchesne is a private Catholic girls school in Houston, TX that has had a 1:1 for several years. Auburn is a public K12 system in Alabama that just started a 1:1 Tablet PC project in one high school. Both schools rolled out the laptops to teachers before students and both schools have former teachers managing the day-to-day of their 1:1. Each of these people works closely with his or her respective tech director and both have been intimately involved with their DyKnow software installations. Having a 1:1 specialist doesn't mean things won't go wrong, but if and when they do, schools like Duchesne and Auburn City are ready. We are proud to be associated with both schools and their successful 1:1s!

How to digitize your textbooks

The folks over at Student Tablet PC have a very detailed "how-to" for using Adobe Acrobat to scan and digitize texts in masse. This is a good read for schools with a 1:1 or hoping to go paperless.

DyKnow on Facebook

I just accidentally ran into a DyKnow group on Facebook. Nate just posted a fun video. Check it out!

VT update

Our customer care manager just shared an update on Virginia Tech's DyKnow/Tablet usage:

Tom Walker called and thought you all should know that they have 13 classes over 125 students each (one of which has 309 students). The professor of the co-taught 309 student class loves DyKnow so much that during a short trip to Portugal, he decided to use DyKnow + Skype to assist with the class from afar and had great success.

VT continues to lead with computing in the lecture hall. Let me know if you'd like to know more about the innovative pedagogies faculty are using to engage so many students.

Summer is for travel

My wife tells me that summer is for traveling, but she is a teacher. I think she is a biased. Work travel to Atlanta, Memphis, D.C., and Colorado Springs has been interspersed by personal trips to Alaska and the Smoky Mountains. Even though I value my time at home, this summer has reminded me that our great country has such diverse beauty.

Where have you been this summer?

Monitoring classroom PCs

As you may know, DyKnow develops a software solution for monitoring and controlling classroom PCs. This puts us in an interesting position as schools grapple with issues that classroom PCs can cause: distraction, cheating, cyberbullying, teacher frustration, etc.

I still believe that the best teachers find ways to engage their students through active learning and don't worry about competing with PCs. Regardless, looking up a quiz answer on the Web is quite tempting for many students. The thing that is frustrating to me is that even if there was a perfect tech solution to eliminate or curb negative outcomes, some school officials would not agree to use it. They know students need digital access (aka 21st century skills) yet they don't really want to install PCs for fear of what students will do. This has created a quickly-growing philosophical debate that K12 and HiEd officials see very differently.

K12 technologists generally believe that they have a right to monitor and control computers, regardless of computer ownership. I suppose this is justified by the age of the students and the fact that they are using school bandwidth, networking, etc. HiEd technologists, however, are in a much tougher position between frustrated faculty and adult students with a sense of entitlement. I have heard from administrators worried that students will rebel against faculty using classroom monitoring tools and create legal action over privacy. Other administrators say that their faculty want to ban classroom PCs because either they refuse to compete with email and IM or they just don't want to deal with students complaining about privacy.

One of our customers tackled this sensitive issue by holding a forum for students who felt that their privacy and rights were being compromised. He asked a student if a professor was allowed to walk through the classroom during an exam and look at what students were doing. The student quickly agreed that this was ok. The administrator then said that classroom monitoring software simply automates this process with classroom laptops. He continued by suggesting that students are custodians of knowledge, not university customers. That was a bold move! Really, though, this may be where HiEds differ: who is the university's customer? Is having a classroom laptop a privilege or a right for students?

My opinion is that even if a laptop is student-owned, he is still using school resources and until he can resist Googling answers [and respect his teachers], schools have the right to monitor and control PC activity in the classroom. Sure, college students pay for most everything, but if your goal as a student is to get a degree and a good education, why would you argue that it is your right to waste your dollars on surfing the Web at every possible moment, including during class?

The debate will go on. We would like your suggestions for how our software can help, so please contact DyKnow.