Entry #4: Article Summary
LAUSD Shifts Gears on Technology for Students
by Howard Blume
June 29, 2014
This article marks a different approach on technology for some LAUSD schools. Officials in the LA school district have allowed students in a select group of high schools choose from six laptop models for use in schools to test its usefulness in student learning. This fall, schools will decide if the use of laptops is helpful alongside curriculum. LAUSD board member, Monica Ratliff, states, "Why would we treat all our students — whether they are a first-grader or a high school freshman — as if they all had the same technology needs? They don't.... To have a one-device-fits-all approach does not make sense." She says this in lieu of the previous year's decision to supply schools with the same product: Apple iPads, to save cost from a bulk purchase and eliminate the stresses of dealing with multiple vendors and products. Thomas Rubin, a consultant for a committee that oversees spending states that the district should listen to the people who know best and work hands on with these products: the teachers, parents, and students. Using their input, the best form of technology can be selected.
High schools that were chosen to select and test laptops were given multiple choices that exceed the cost of an iPad. However, these devices may prove to be more helpful in implementation. Students are given the chance to choose from less inexpensive devices like the Chromebook and more expensive models like Lenovo Yoga Touch or the Dell Latitude. Some of the laptops have both the functionality of a laptop and a touchscreen like the iPad or other tablets. One teacher stated that her students enjoyed using laptops more and were more comfortable using them for standardized tests due to their size and ease of typing with a keyboard. The trial with these laptops has garnered positive attention from many. Many people praise that the district is looking into different options that may be better suited to their students.
by Howard Blume
June 29, 2014
This article marks a different approach on technology for some LAUSD schools. Officials in the LA school district have allowed students in a select group of high schools choose from six laptop models for use in schools to test its usefulness in student learning. This fall, schools will decide if the use of laptops is helpful alongside curriculum. LAUSD board member, Monica Ratliff, states, "Why would we treat all our students — whether they are a first-grader or a high school freshman — as if they all had the same technology needs? They don't.... To have a one-device-fits-all approach does not make sense." She says this in lieu of the previous year's decision to supply schools with the same product: Apple iPads, to save cost from a bulk purchase and eliminate the stresses of dealing with multiple vendors and products. Thomas Rubin, a consultant for a committee that oversees spending states that the district should listen to the people who know best and work hands on with these products: the teachers, parents, and students. Using their input, the best form of technology can be selected.
High schools that were chosen to select and test laptops were given multiple choices that exceed the cost of an iPad. However, these devices may prove to be more helpful in implementation. Students are given the chance to choose from less inexpensive devices like the Chromebook and more expensive models like Lenovo Yoga Touch or the Dell Latitude. Some of the laptops have both the functionality of a laptop and a touchscreen like the iPad or other tablets. One teacher stated that her students enjoyed using laptops more and were more comfortable using them for standardized tests due to their size and ease of typing with a keyboard. The trial with these laptops has garnered positive attention from many. Many people praise that the district is looking into different options that may be better suited to their students.
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