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Computers are not just stuck in a lab or in a corner of the classroom anymore. Find out how handhelds, laptops, and tablet PCs are landing in the hands of so many students, what the differences are among those three one-to-one computing devices, and where to go for more information. Included: The advantages and disadvantages of handhelds, laptops, and tablet PCs in the K-12 classroom.

One-to-one computing is happening now! In K-12 classrooms across the United States, laptops, handhelds, and tablet PCs are replacing pens and pencils as the accepted "tools of the trade" for students. You already might teach in a classroom that provides a computer device for each student's use. If you don't yet, however, with K-12 technology use predicted to continue to rise in the years ahead, the trend toward one-to-one computing is sure to impact your classroom in the not-so-distant future.

ONE-TO-ONE COMPUTING?

Exactly what is one-to-one computing? Simply put, the trendy term means "anytime, anyplace technology for every student."

In the past, a high school history teacher, for example, might have had students conduct a semester-long research project. To help with their research, the teacher would schedule time in a computer lab, rotate groups of students on a few classroom computers, or simply expect students to use a home or library computer. Such irregular use of technology did not prove helpful for building students' technology skills or for successfully integrating technology into the classroom, however.

Students in one-to-one computing situations, on the other hand, have constant and immediate technological access to the world. Their teachers can address teachable moments immediately, break down classroom walls, and engage students in real world learning. Students can take the technology with them throughout the day, continuing their school work at home, on a riverbank, in a waiting room, even at the mall.

One-to-one computing means that every student has regular, reliable access to technology: Regular means once a week or more (once a semester doesn't count); reliable means hardware, infrastructure (such as Internet access and bandwidth), and software that is in working order most of the time; every student means that each student has immediate individual access to technology.

WHAT ARE THE BASIC TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY?

Schools use laptops, handhelds, and tablet PCs to provide students with one-to-one computing. For most tasks, any of those devices will get the job done. Each, however, has advantages and disadvantages that help determine how classroom teachers use (and why districts/schools purchase) a certain device. Those include:

Laptops
Laptops, or notebook computers, are by far the most prevalent one-to-one computing devices. For more than a decade, classrooms, schools, or entire districts, have used laptops. In 2003, more than 24 million laptops were sold in the United States alone!

Advantages of laptops include:

• Functionality: Laptops have almost all the functionality of regular desktop computers, allowing students to perform all the tasks they have traditionally done on a PC, including surfing the Internet, creating presentations and reports, e-mailing experts, and collaborating with other students.
• Speed of implementation: Laptops are easy to learn, if you already know how to use a desktop computer.
• Support availability: Technical support, software, peripherals (such as mice) are readily available.
• Integration help: Educational materials such as case studies, lesson plans, mail lists and more are easy to locate.
• Cross-platform capability: Numerous laptop models are made for both PCs and Macs, ensuring a smooth transition from existing technology.

• Cost: Many laptops costs $1000 and up, too high for many schools.
• Weight: Laptops are the heaviest of the three devices.
• Mobility: Laptops aren't truly mobile; you can't walk and work on a laptop.
• Physical barrier: The laptop screen can make it difficult for teachers to monitor work and communicate with students.

Handhelds
Also called Personal Digital Assistants, Palms, Visors, and Pocket PCs, handhelds have exploded onto the education market in the past five years. Those in the business world are familiar with handhelds as organizing and calendaring tools, but, in education, the true strength of the device is its ability to collect and analyze data. Think Mr. Spock's tri-corder: a computer, no bigger than your hand that can take information from its surroundings (with attached probes, digital cameras, and more) and make that information available to students to use and interpret. The data, along with relevant student files, also can be synched (sent wirelessly) to desktop computers for further use.

• Cost: Handhelds can be purchased for $100-$450, almost a tenth of what tablets or laptops cost.
• Functionality: Handhelds can perform up to 80 percent of the tasks a desktop computer can do
• Task-specific software/hardware: Schools can buy only the programs and the tools they need, saving money and preventing off-task behavior by students.
• Mobility: Nothing beats a handheld for mobility. Worried about river pollution? Take a van full of students to the riverbank and have them test the soil and water with the probe attachments on their handhelds.
• Weight: The handheld is the lightest of the three devices.
• Cross-platform: Handhelds can transfer data to Macs or PCs (with some limitations).

• Size: While portable, the handheld's screen makes it difficult to read large bodies of text.
• Limited features: If you want to create complex PowerPoint presentations or other extensive documents, the handheld isn't the best for your classroom.
• Learning curve: Even seasoned computer users will need to spend some time learning how to install, use, and troubleshoot handheld-specific software.

Tablet PCs
The tablet PC looks like just the screen off of a laptop. Instead of a keyboard, students and teachers use a tablet pen or their voice to navigate and add data, later attaching the tablet to a dock with a keyboard, CD drive or other peripherals if desired. Currently, tablets are used by doctors, claim adjusters, and others needing technology on the go, and higher education use of tablets is high. K-12 use, however, is still relatively small.

Advantages of tablets include:

• Mobility: Combining the working-while-walking feature of handhelds with the full functionality of a laptop, tablets are perhaps closest to the ideal in mobile computing.
• Handwriting capability: Users can handwrite e-mails, add handwritten notes to PowerPoint presentations, and draw graphs or other images for lectures. That capability is particularly helpful in math and science classrooms, where graphs and other drawings often communicate concepts better than text can.
• Intimacy: The tablet rests on the arm like a legal pad; no screen between teacher and student impedes monitoring or communication.
• Compatibility: All Windows applications, including Office, also run on tablets.

• Limited software and support: With sales rising slowly, few programs or technical support materials are available yet.
• Limited educational materials: Teachers using tablets in the classroom will have a harder time finding lesson plans and integration ideas.
• Cost: Tablets can run $200 or more above the price of a laptop.

Carefully compare your computing needs with the advantages and disadvantages of each of the three devices above. Chances are, whichever device your school or districts chooses, will prove to be an effective teaching and learning tool.

For more information, be sure to read next month's article "One-to-One Computing: Lessons Learned and Pitfalls to Avoid in the K-12 Classroom," in which you'll discover reasons to teach -- or not teach -- in a one-to-one computing classroom.

Article by Lorrie Jackson
Education World®
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