FUNDING:  

1) What were your main funding sources? 

AUBURN: General funds and federal fund currently 

IRVING: Bonds and some local money

2) About how much did it cost per student to launch -- and to continue -- the program?  

AUBURN: $750 hard cost and $425 soft costs. the hard cost is spread over a four year period and the soft cost are annual costs. 

IRVING: We estimate it costs about $300 – $400 per student per year to keep all the technology running. You have to consider laptops, network, salaries, training, etc..

3) What costs did you not plan for/anticipate that you discovered after implementation? 

AUBURN: The only thing that comes to mind is the battery warranty. 

IRVING: Though we did a good job of planning, districts should consider the ongoing costs of batteries, parts, and labor for repairs.

NETWORK/SECURITY ISSUES:

1) Auburn talked about 8e6 security. Can you provide a bit more info on how it works and a URL where others can learn more? 

8e6 has an agent that resides on the student tablet. the agent reports back to a server within the ACS domain that directs the student to the filtering system that the district provides. 

2) What security system does Irving ISD use and can you provide the same sort of info about it ?

We have several systems to help provide secure access for students. We used to have Websense as our web filter and have just changed over to Deep Nines. Deep Nines also has a module that blocks proxy sites. We use group policies in Active Directory to limit student access to rights that allow them to run inappropriate content on their laptops

3) How did you handle viruses, spyware and similar problems when they did come up? 

AUBURN: We use McAfee enterprise software. Have not really had a problem with viruses. We do lock the student units down; the students are not allowed to run installs on their units. 

IRVING: We have automated systems to update virus protection on laptops. We have district technicians who monitor for viruses and spyware on a regular basis. Lists are sent each day of violating laptops. Campus technicians help clean up problems at each campus.

HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION:

1) Can you explain a bit about the logistics of offering the same access at home and at school -- ie. directing students to the school network from the moment they log on? 

AUBURN: This is only within the school day. The redirection occurs once the child launches the internet. 

IRVING: We only provide filtered access at school. At home, parents must provide any filtering. Students are free to access other wireless networks in the community.

2) Is the $50 usage fee annual or one time?

AUBURN : Annual...the cost for imaging the machine to a specific single student plus replacement parts 

IRVING: Our fee is an annual maintenance fee that helps cover the cost of our district asset tracking software.

3) Can you comment on the pros/cons of having the school issue the computers as you're doing vs. requiring families to buy (with help from the school if they can't afford it)?

AUBURN: One of our goals was equitable opportunities for all...we wanted each student to have access to the same resource...parent purchased units were never an option for us 

IRVING: Most of our families could not afford to buy the laptops. That is the main reason we got into this type of program. You can also ensure consistency and support when the laptops are owned by the district.

4) Did you get much push-back from parents ... what were their greatest concerns as the program progressed?

AUBURN : responsibility, textbooks, theft/lost units, Internet safety 

IRVING: Most parents think the program benefits their student and helps them get ahead for college or the work force. The laptop is also for family use as well. Some complain about the fees, but we provide scholarships as needed.

5) What happened if parents didn't attend meetings or sign required forms

AUBURN : We only had a small percentage who did not...we met with them individually...student did not get unit with classmates to take home--parents eventually came in or called 

IRVING: Some campuses will not give the laptops to 9 th graders if the parents do not attend registration. Others are more lenient. That is one requirement we are tightening up right now in our planning meetings with campuses.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT and ADMINISTRATOR SUPPORT

1) What can you tell us about the GAP analysis and where can we view an example?

AUBURN: We administered to all... http://www.futurekids.com is link to the document we used 

IRVING: Gap Analysis is a facilitation tool that anyone can use during a planning process. It basically asks teams to dialogue around three questions: What are the current conditions at your school? What is your ideal for your program? What will it take to get you there?

2) What are the main PD topics for high school training?

AUBURN: Integrating tech resources into lessons currently being used...enhancement of what we already have...web quests...movie maker...content specific sessions 

IRVING: Classroom Management, Laptop 101 (basic use and troubleshooting), Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTI), Gizmos, Web 2.0 resources, shifting away from textbooks to digital materials and primary documents, subject areas reinforce technology integration in the content. Campus Instructional Technology Specialists provide just in time training at campuses (from software proficiency skills to integrating productivity tools into specific subject areas). Teachers share best practices in professional learning communities

3) In addition to teacher training, how were students shown how to use the computers? Did the classroom teachers do this in the classroom as the notebooks were given out?

AUBURN: Classroom teachers taught use and responsibility with support of district resources and outside agencies...this was done at time of rollout for two to three days  "out of the box training" 

IRVING: There is an overall orientation of 9 th graders. Some campuses conduct a Fish camp for freshmen with several weeks of training during school. Other campuses have done training during content area classes. Sometimes students provide training for teachers and students during the summer.

4) Have you done any PD for school administrators to help build buy-in and understanding?

AUBURN: PD in the form of research, site visits, attendance to workshops and conferences...these items were very helpful to me 

IRVING: LoTI training, planning for expectations, brought in national speakers such as Alan November, David Warlick, Angus King, David Weinberg, several people from the Maine project

5) How have non-techie administrators been involved in the planning of the 1:1 program?

AUBURN: Same as above 

IRVING: All were involved in helping set the expectations for the program. All must help observe teachers in classrooms and have learned how to do walk throughs on their Palms using the LoTI rubric.

6) Have you seen examples of a bottom-up approach to 1:1 (where an individual school lobbied for and got permission to implement 1:1 before the district came up with such a plan)? 

IRVING: We have some principals who are lobbying now to get more laptops at their campuses. We try to provide them as many as possible, but funding is always an issue.

INFRASTRUCTURE/SUPPORT: 

1) How many support folks are needed to support a specific number of laptops? Do you have a formula you use? 

AUBURN: We try to maintain 500 to 1 ratio.

IRVING: We have two campus technicians at each site who support the hardware and two instructional specialists who support the teachers and integrate technology into teaching. Our tech to computer ratio is about 1:1000. No special formula, that is just what it is.

2) What special skills do the on-site IT people need for supporting 1:1? 

AUBURN: the technicians are part of the Authority Service Providers program. We do also require that they have certifications in the areas of their expertise. 

IRVING:

• Ability to work and communicate with teachers and students
• Flexibility
• Patience
• Good organizational skills

3) What life-cycle do you use for the laptops and what happens to them afterwards? 

AUBURN: We are rotating the units on a 4-year rotation. The idea is to cycle the units back to the vendor at the end of the cycle. We have to adhere to a very strict surplus sale law in Alabama.

IRVING: We have a 4 year warranty, but sometimes we have had to keep them for 5 years. We put old laptops in carts and give them to elementary or middle schools, cannibalize them for parts, or declare them obsolete and sell them at auction.

4) Are you doing anything with open source to help keep costs down? 

AUBURN: Not at this time. We are investigating Moodle.  

IRVING:   We are experimenting with Linux servers, some open source software on laptops such as CutePDF, Audacity, some experimentation with Open Office. We are shifting more to that direction. But a cautious shift toward open sources and Web 2.0 is inevitable. We are also examining the new ultramobile PCs that are less expensive than regular laptops.

CURRICULUM/RESULTS:

1) What type of online software is used for course or student management?

AUBURN: We have several options available for our teachers--Dyknow is the most popular, we also have One Note and the Smart Notebook some teachers use 

IRVING:    Blackboard is our main content management system. We also use many online subscriptions for instruction such as: Netrekker, LearnStar, BrainPop, Gizmos

2) How are teachers teaching differently as a result of this program?

AUBURN: Simply stated, our classrooms are much more student centered rather than teacher centered...hands on learning, discovery, critical thinking instead of "stand and deliver" instruction.

IRVING:   Most all agree the one to one program has caused them to change their teaching practices. Many report they are doing more group work than before and think the students learn better using the laptops

3) Where can we learn more about the results/findings from your program?

AUBURN: Please feel free to call us or come see us if possible (334)887-1960 or www.auburnschools.org  

IRVING:   Our site, http://www.irvingisd.net/tip/evaulations.htm, has the last year of study from the TIP grant which examined our 1:1 program. You can also check out www.irvingisd.net/one2one