“Studies of laptop programs in schools report that they increase students' engagement in school, improve technology skills, and have positive effects on students' writing. However, evidence of the effectiveness of large-scale laptop programs in other learning domains is scarce.” So say Andrew Zucker and Daniel Light, authors of an extensive feature article in the January 2, 2009, issue of Science magazine.

With help from ultra-low-cost computers such as One Laptop Per Child and Intel-powered Classmate PCs, Zucker and Light suggest, prices are dropping and interest is growing in one-to-one computing in schools all over the world – from the U.S. and Australia, where some of the first programs were launched, to Uruguay, Portugal, Venezuela and South Africa. The reasons for the interest include:

There are economic arguments, based on improving students' technology skills, creating a better educated work force, and attracting new jobs; equity concerns, to support students from low-income families whose access to technology and information is otherwise restricted; and education reform issues, as policy-makers try to make schools more effective and provide students an education that prepares them for life in the 21st century.

In looking more specifically at research studies about outcomes, the authors report that:

* Programs providing computers to schools increase the technology skills of teachers and students;

* Laptop programs increase students' engagement with academic work, which is an important finding given the large dropout rates in many secondary schools;

* Students use laptops frequently to search for information and report that they benefit from this ability to access information more quickly and efficiently;

* A year-three study of the Texas TIP program (reported on recently by K12 Computing Blueprint) found that the availability of computer technology by itself had little or no impact on the intellectual challenge of teachers' lessons;

* Most of the studies of learning outcomes showed consistent, positive effects on students' writing skills (although this was not true in the TIP report);

* Evidence of other academic achievement gains in laptop programs varied considerably, with some studies showing an advantage for 1:1 students and others not;

* A profile of a public charter high school in Colorado with positive results shows some key factors likely to lead to success – including ongoing assessment of students and the program.

The authors’ overall conclusions:

Computers are an increasingly important educational tool, but only as part of carefully designed policies affecting many aspects of education. A laptop program that does not seriously address the need for education reform is not an appropriate option for any school or nation.

Source: Science Magazine, Laptop Programs for Students, by Andrew A. Zucker and Daniel Light,