Integrating a 1-to-1 tablet initiative at primary level

ICT educators: Dimitris Primalis

I met Dimitris last year at a TESOL Greece conference, and was impressed by the 1-to-1 tablet initiative at his school. In this guest blog post Dimitris shares his experience from Doukas school in Athens which integrated ICT into the syllabus (one tablet PC per student) in 2009 and has become a Microsoft Case Study for adopting this approach.

Feeling your school should introduce innovation and enter the digital era but you are not sure how?  Do you dream of using Interactive Whiteboards, computers, the Internet and gadgets on a daily basis in your lessons but you are afraid this may turn into a nightmare?

Here’s a brief survival guide to integrating technology into the school’s curriculum in 10 steps:

Step 1: Share your vision with your teaching staff and be prepared to modify or enrich it. Set clear aims -this will instill a feeling of security and act as a compass. Invite teachers to contribute with ideas when designing the syllabus. Their creativity and experience can be the key to success.

Step 2: Even though teachers may be familiar with technology, training from both technology experts and teacher trainers will give them the necessary qualifications and insight to actively implement innovation in class.

Step 3: Allow ample time for piloting activities and material using technology in class. Teachers are like pilots. They need time and practice to feel confident to use the equipment and new activities extensively rather than showing off once or twice a year.

Step 4: Receive feedback in various forms such as observations, questionnaires, interviews and assess what works and what doesn’t. Modify the syllabus accordingly.

Step 5: Present the changes to parents and students separately. Parents can be powerful allies if they perceive the benefits of technology. Be receptive to their fears and concerns. Provide training sessions to acquaint them with what equipment and tasks their children will be using. Technology stirs enthusiasm among students and increases motivation.

Step 6: Set clear rules from day 1 in class and define what is acceptable and what not. E.g. uploading photos with derogatory comments about your classmates is NOT acceptable. In the case of one-to-one (1 computer to 1 student) propagate the idea that computers are valuable tools apart from expensive toys.

Step 7: Implement innovation on a large scale. What seems to be working when piloting with a smaller group may need to be modified or diversified in order to accommodate the needs of other groups.

Step 8: Reward effort and good practice. Teachers and students go out of their way to implement change and often feel that their previous achievements seem to be at stake. Acknowledging their effort, keeps them going. Encourage teachers to work in groups and share material and experiences (peer support group). It relieves the workload and creates team spirit.

Step 9: Receive feedback from all stakeholders (teachers, students and parents) in various forms.

Step 10: Like a good orchestra conductor, based on feedback, make the necessary modifications and redefine the aims for next year.

Don’t bluff your way to innovation. Experience it!!!

Dimitris Primalis
August 2012

For a longer version of the post with more tips and hints, see Dimitris’ blog.