By Catherine Wilde
Staff Writer | May 7
A committee has been formed at Northern Valley Regional High School to explore the possibility of transitioning to a 1:1 student to computer ratio.
Currently the district has a 1.5:1 student to computer ratio counting laptops and stationary desktops, Superintendent Jan Furman said.
The 1:1 system, which is used at Pascack Valley Regional High School, could provide each student with his own laptop to use in classes.
In order to gauge the educational benefits of a smaller ratio, the committee has been charged with answering a number of questions regarding the current accessibility of computers for students and teachers. These questions include examining the need for 24/7 connectivity, exploring how this technology would change instruction and looking at whether or not specific areas of instruction would benefit from this.
Lola Szobota, the district’s science supervisor and committee chair, said the committee, comprised of students, teachers, administrators and a parent has met several times and is doing research to make a recommendation to the board May 30.
She lauded the committee’s charge as being a reflective one, which considers "where we are and where do we need to be and what steps do we need to take to get there."
She stressed the committee is still exploring the topic and could not speculate on what its recommendation would be. The discussion to date, however, seems to question whether the current "connectivity" of the district garners a need to transition to a 1:1 ratio.
"We have enough wireless laptops in each department to give students within classes connectivity as needed," Szobota said.
All Northern Valley teachers have their own laptops and each classroom has a ceiling projector so they can present to the class what is on their screen. This is a different situation than what many of the districts were in when they implemented the 1:1 computer ratio, Szobota said.
Another committee member and science teacher, Maryann Lovelace agreed, saying the current structure enables her students to be connected to online resources when she wants them to be, yet doesn’t allow unintended use of the computers.
"There are times I want them to be connected and the current structure allows me to do that. I want to choose when they are and when they aren’t [connected]," Lovelace said.
"We are at a point where we are so close to 1:1 we are wondering do we need to expend the extra amount [to get there]," she said.
Szobota said the estimated cost of implementing the 1:1 technology in the district would be more than $1.3 million annually in additional technology expenses. This includes the price of leasing the computers for the 2,500 students, an annual figure that amounts to more than $700,000.
Another consideration for the committee, said Szobota, is the rapidly changing technology. In five years laptops could be replaced with something else that "may be better for our needs," she said.
"There is going to come a time for a 1:1 technology device per student [ratio]. We are trying to decide if that time is yet," said Lovelace.
But Technology Supervisor at Pascack Valley, Erich Tusch, had nothing but the highest praise for the 1:1 ratio. Students were each given their own laptops in 2004, said Tusch, adding that it has benefited the educational experience exponentially.
"It has done a remarkable job changing teaching and learning," Tusch said.
Every area of study has been enhanced, according to Tusch, who said the interactive simulations and demonstrations available on the laptops surpasses the written material in textbooks.
According to Tusch, 65 percent of students from a survey of approximately 1,300 said the laptops made them "more responsible for their learning."
Tusch said this means students are "more aggressively taking ownership of learning." The laptops eliminate the temptation to passively accept the delivered instruction of the traditional classroom setting, he said.
As to the expense of transitioning to 1:1 technology, Tusch stressed the "vision needs to be one of educational benefits to the kids" not about the money.
A 2006 graduate of Pascack Valley High School, Rachel Guyt was a junior when students were given laptops. She agrees they encourage students to be more actively involved in learning but thinks she received the same quality of education both before and after they were introduced.
"I don’t think they really improved the way I learned," said Guyt, who thinks what the student gets out of it depends on their personal learning style.
"They help the student get more involved in the classroom instead of just listening to the teacher lecture. Yet I can listen and pay attention and take notes," she said, adding that the laptops were a valuable tool for research projects and certain classes.
E-mail: wilde@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6706
