Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Impacts, Benefits and Costs of the School Laptop Program Dr. David L. Silvernail, Director Maine Education Policy.

Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Impacts, Benefits and Costs of the School Laptop

Program

Dr. David L. Silvernail, Director

Maine Education Policy Research Institute

Caroline Pinkham, Research Associate

Center for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation

University of Southern Maine

Gorham, Maine, United States

March 2013

Maine Legislative Mandate:

How are the laptops being used by teachers and students?

What are the benefits and impacts of the laptops on instruction and learning?

What are the costs of the middle school laptop program?

What are the relationships between teacher and school characteristics and laptop use?

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Multi-Year Research and Evaluation Strategies: A Mixed Methods Approach

1. Longitudinal survey studies with teachers, students, principals, and others.

2. Selected site visits and observations.

3. Interviews with stratified samples of school personnel.

4. Analysis of documents.

5. Controlled experimental and quasi-experimental studies.

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How Are the Laptops Being Used by Teachers and Students?

www.usm.maine.edu/cepare/recent-cepare-publications

A Middle School One-to-One Laptop Program: The Maine Experience

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Table 1

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

81%

61%

77%

26%

89%

62%76%

57%67%

25%

88%

58%

How often are teachers performing the following tasks?

Middle School Teacher Spring 2011 High School Teacher Spring 2011

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Key: A few times a week or more

Table 2

Researching information

Editing papers

Taking notes

Organizing information

Writing first drafts

Creating presentations

Working on short-term assign

Working with spreadsheets

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

31%

56%

58%

62%

68%

74%

74%

83%

69%

44%

42%

38%

32%

26%

26%

17%

Percent of Middle School Students Indicating How Often They Use Their Laptop

Once a week or Less A few times a week or more

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Students use a computer to gather information from multiple websites to solve a problem.

Students use a computer to gather data or information about a real-life problem.

Students evaluate information obtained on the Internet (for accuracy, relevance, comprehensiveness, bias, etc.).

Students learn things from more than one subject at a time (e.g., math and science) using computers as part of the project.

Students form opinions and solve complex problems by analyzing and evaluating information obtained using a computer.

Students learn by using a computer to interact with the world outside of school (via e-mail, online discussions, etc.).

Students use a computer to create a graph, table or chart as evidence in explaining their point of view to you or their classmates.

0% 20% 40% 60%

40%

30%

26%

28%

21%

22%

17%

Teacher Frequency Use of Laptop in Teaching 21st Century Skills

A few times a week or more

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Table 3

Table 4 Use Levels: High School 1-to-1 Laptops and iPads

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0%20%40%60%80%

100%

21%28%

45%

76% 72%59%

45% 55% 41%

84%63% 69%

How frequently do YOU perform the following tasks USING technology? A few times a week or more

iPad HS Fall 2011 (N=29) HS Laptop Spring 2010- 1 to 1 teachers (N=422)

What are the Benefits and Impacts of the Laptops on Instruction and Learning

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Table 5

Laptops have helped me to shift my teaching from being more teacher-centered to being more student-cen-

tered.

The laptops have become such an important tool in my teaching that I cannot imagine teaching without them.

I am able to explore topics in greater depth when we use the laptops.

I am able to cover more material in class when we use the laptops.

I am better able to individualize my curriculum to fit student needs as a result of having the laptops.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

49%

55%

66%

35%

54%

66%

73%

81%

56%

70%

Teacher Perceived Benefits of Laptops for Themselves*

Middle School Teacher Spring 2011 High School Teacher Spring 2011

* Percent Strongly Agree /Somewhat Agree10

Table 6

11* Percent Strongly Agree /Somewhat Agree

My students take more pride in their work when we do projects using laptops.

I am better able to individualize my curriculum to fit student needs as a result of having the laptops.

Laptops make it easier for my students to demonstrate their learning.

The laptops help my students better grasp difficult curricular concepts.

Because of the skills my students are gaining through work with the laptops, I believe they will be better prepared to compete in the new, knowledge-based economy than will students without a 1:1 laptop program.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

43%

54%

57%

45%

63%

63%

70%

70%

60%

80%

Middle School Teacher Spring 2011 teacher High School Teacher Spring 2011

Teacher Perceived Benefits of Laptops for Their Students*

Evidence Based Impacts

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Impact Study 1: Improving Mathematics Performance: The Importance of Professional

Development

Study Design:Random control trial (RCT) study on mathematics2-year professional development program

Results: Teacher knowledge significantly improved. Teaching practices and uses of technology changed. Students in experimental group classrooms scored

significantly higher on:1. Tests specifically designed for the

study2. Statewide mathematics test

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Impact Study 2: Improving Writing Performance: The Importance of Matching the Technology with the Learning

Process

Study Design: Causal-comparative study Compared writing performance on statewide Achievement test before and after introduction of laptops.

Results: Writing scores improved approximately 1/3 of a standard

deviation. Twice as many students who used the laptops in the writing

program met state proficiency standards as those who used laptops only as a “finishing” tool.

Economically disadvantaged students outperformed economically advantaged students in some situations.

Overall writing performances significantly improved- both using laptop and paper/pencil.

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Impact Study 3: Improving Science Learning: The Importance of Matching the Technology with the Learning Content

Study Design: Field-based quasi-experimental study Using animation to learn earth science

Results: Students using animation scored significantly higher on

comprehension tests. Students who used animation had significantly higher retention

scores. Students who used animation reported experiencing “hard fun”.

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What are the Costs of the Middle School Laptop Program?

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2009-10 State MLTI Costs

Item Units Yearly Cost1. Middle School

Student 29,570 @ $242 per unit $7,155,940

2. Middle School Staff 4,468 @ $242 per unit $1,081,256

3. Network Fee per School 225 @ $7,817 per unit $1,758,825

4. MLTI Staff Ten full and part-time staff $471,905

  Total Costs $10,467,926

  Cost per Unit per Year

$308 per Unit per Year

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Table 7

2009-10 Local School District MLTI Cost

Local District No of Laptops

Ave Cost Per Laptop

Range in Yearly Cost Per LaptopLow High

Small SAUs(0-149 pupils) 1247 $215 $24 $333

Medium SAUs (150-399 pupils) 3062 $342 $39 $976

Large SAUs (400-2000 pupils) 5113 $288 $146 $412

All Districts (n=28) 9422 $283 $24 $976

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Table 8

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Average Cost per Laptop Unit per Year

District\State No. of Units

Yearly Cost per Unit

Pre 1-to-1

Yearly Cost per

Unit Post 1-to-

1

District 1 4401 $262 $780

District 2 850 $577 $541

District 3 1079 $603 $516

District 4 540 N/A $748

Non-Maine 1-to-1 Program Cost Average  N/A $481 $646

State of Maine 34,038 N/A $591

Table 9

Research in Progress

• Discrete mathematics• Comparing achievement across states• Characteristics of different adopters

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Research in Progress: Success has led to a new challenge

• Benefit of MLTI program=created equity of access to technology for all students.

• Challenge of MLTI program=created inequities in opportunities to learn well using technology.

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Research Question: “How do we cross the chasm”

• Analysis using two paradigms for examining technology use:

• Rogers (1962) theory of the diffusion of innovations.

• Moore’s (1991) theory of disconnect between adopter groups.

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Rogers’ Categories of Innovation Adopters• Innovators: The groundbreaking teachers who place a high value on trying new

technologies like laptops, and are eager to use these new technologies even if they are not sure how to use them.

• Early adopters: These are teachers who believe strongly in the value of innovative technologies such as laptops and are willing to try those new strategies that innovator teachers have used with success.

• Early majority: These are teachers who can be convinced to implement new technologies like laptops once they have seen others teachers they respect use new these new technologies successfully, and have been given professional development.

• Late majority: These are skeptical teachers who need to be encouraged to use new technologies like laptops even when they have received professional development. These teachers have various reasons for their reluctance, but will conform to the cultural norms of the school.

• Laggards: These are the teachers who resist implementing new technologies such as laptops, and will use these new technologies only when they are mandated.

Rogers Innovations Adoption Curve

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Comparison of Rogers and Maine Teacher Innovation Adoption Curves

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Moore’s Revised Innovation Adoption Curve

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Comparison of Rogers and Maine Teacher Innovation Adoption Curves

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Perceptions of High and Low Users

• Scale: Higher scores for Categories A, B, D=more positive perceptions; Higher scores for Categories C and E=greater barriers.

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Perception Categories High Users Low Users

A. Administrative Support 3.70* 3.50

B. Professional Development 2.31 2.11

C. Use Infrastructure 1.94 2.02

D. Perceived Benefits 3.84 3.19

E. Innovation Characteristics 1.79 2.43

Differences in Perceptions

• Administrative support is important, particularly to low users.

• Administrative expectations and modeling behavior are important.

• Low users less likely to take the initiative in acquiring training, and turning to colleagues for help.

• More low users believe using technology will require too much work to change their established curriculum.

• More low users do not believe that using technology is compatible with the way they like to teach.

• More low users do not believe using technology will improve their students’ learning.

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Observations on the Maine MLTI School Laptop Program

1. A clear strategic vision and plan is important.2. Articulation and management of expectations is important.3. Technology use should be appropriate to the task.4. Administrator support, expectations, and modeling are

important.5. Strong, meaningful and sustained professional

development are crucial.6. Professional development may need to be customized for

different categories of adopters. 7. Costs will vary depending upon program design. 8. Ongoing formative evaluation is very important.

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http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare

Inquiries may be directed to:

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Copies of MLTI research and evaluation reports available on the following website:

Dr. David L. Silvernail: Telephone: 207.780.5044 E-mail: [email protected]

Caroline Pinkham: Telephone: 207.228.8072 E-mail: [email protected]

Amy Johnson: Telephone: 207.228.8221 E-mail: [email protected]