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I will continue to learn new ways of doing new things by continuing my professional development in information technology and literacy, namely, by exploring additional ways to use laptops to individualize instruction in order to meet the needs of all learners including the challenged learners and those that need challenging. Basically, I will explore ways in which laptops can support classrooms that are learner-centered and how laptops can help extend learning beyond the four walls of the classroom. One of my personal goals is to spend more time on gradually organizing my private online files. As I believe in life-long learning, I will keep abreast of new programs and online tools as they appear and select those that offer learners greater ownership of their learning and the knowledge they create, and those that encourage learner and teacher collaboration and communication at a global level. I hope to collaborate with colleagues around the world to exchange and gather ideas on how to deliver my curricula effectively using technology, and to share feedback about learning processes and teaching practices based on technology.
Challenges that might impede the smooth running of the 1:1 laptop program include:
• lack of internet connections at home
• lack of release time from teaching for teachers to collaborate in the development of activities that incorporate the use of technology
• the possibility of instant messaging and the sending of emails by the students during class
• student access to inappropriate online material during class. (It might be difficult to monitor all students’ activities on internet at all times.)
• laptop repair due to inappropriate handling
• general maintenance of laptops
• forgetting to bring the laptop
• forgetting to charge the laptop at home for use at school
• loss of completed assignments due to technical problems
• lack of time (block lessons) for in-depth projects using the laptop
• posture problems
• headaches and strained eyes due to overuse of the laptop
I believe that educators will simply have to expect and overcome all of the minor logistical challenges that might be encountered along the path of educational technology in the classroom, and continue with on-going professional development in order to provide the students with the transferable cognitive tools of technology that are necessary for learners to function efficiently and successfully in education in the twenty-first century. Technology empowers the learner, and both facilitates and accelerates learning, therefore, it is safe to maintain that laptops will become indispensable educational tools in education in the very near future.
