Part One of this working draft checklist provides a way to monitor the policy and administrative progress toward successful deployment of mobile PCs, especially Tablet PCs and Ultra Mobile PCs, in most K20 schools. Research and some teaching universities follow different procedures from ones described in this checklist.
Part One elaborates the short form checklist. Adapt and adjust these checklists to fit details of deployment of mobile PCs in your school.
Part Two (to be released separately, soon) indicates instructional decisions related to increasing student learning rates with Tablet PCs and other mobile PCs.
Checklist of Tablet PC School Successes
This checklist is based on observations, literature, and project development logic about using Tablet PCs and other mobile PCs successfully in schools.
Part One of this checklist consists of four sections. Each section indicates policy and administrative decisions leading to ubiquitious authorized use of mobile PCs in schools and for school related learning off campus.
Each item of each section stands as a single outcome contributing to the ultimate result of mobile PCs increasing learning rates and breadth of content for all students anytime, anywhere, every day.
School personnel may use this checklist to monitor their progress toward that ultimate result.
1. Awareness of Mobile PCs
Someone at school said she or he saw a mobile PC in another venue, such as at a professional conference, at a hospital, in a news or entertainment medium, or in a store.
Someone heard a student, parent, or educator at school talk about others using mobile PCs in business, healthcare, entertainment, or schools.
Board of Education members, educators, students, or parents openly talk about others using mobile PCs in schools.
Local teachers and administrators discuss the potential use of mobile PCs in their school.
2. Familiarity with Mobile PCs
An educator reports seeing at least one student or educator use a Tablet or other mobile PC to complete a school assignment.
A Board of Education member or an educator report using a mobile PC.
A teacher brings a personal mobile PC to school and uses it during a lesson.
A teacher offers to other educators in the school a demonstration lesson with a mobile PC.
The school principal uses a mobile PC to draw focus to a faculty meeting agenda or item on an agenda.
3. School Policies
Authorize school administrators to develop a plan to deploy mobile PCs on campus for use by educators and students to increase learning and related administrative effectiveness and efficiency.
Require that the plan include periodic, routine cycling in and out of new and older mobile PC and related equipment and software.
Require that the plan include annual operating budget adjustments to account for increased effectiveness and efficiency.
Require that the plan include adjusting teacher recruitment to give priority to candidates fluent with mobile PCs in schools.
Authorize educators, students, parents, and selected others to use mobile PCs on campus for school related assignments.
Authorize wireless Internet connections for school related use.
Authorize mobile PC related wireless transmissions on campus for school related use.
Authorize technical support for mobile PCs and related wireless transmissions for school related use.
Authorize contracts for student, teacher and administrator preparation for using mobile PCs effectively and efficiently.
Authorize leases and purchases of relevant equipment.
Authorize relevant software use license leases.
Authorize administrators to require use of mobile PCs in teacher contracts.
4. School Operations
The school principal and a teacher team up to plan implementation of Board of Education authorizations for using mobile PCs on campus.
Prepare your plan as a sequence of overlapping stages.
Stage One – Count, Record, and Report:
Assign someone to count, record and report daily increases in acceptance of Tablet PCs in your school. Post the report daily in a public location and on your school website.
Assign someone to count, record and report attendance at building meetings to prepare teachers to use Tablet PCs in their classrooms daily.
Assign someone to count, record and report the daily frequence of teachers as a cohort and as individuals independently initiating Tablet PC.
Assign someone to count, record and report the frequence of students as a school and classroom cohort as well as individuals independently initiating use of Tablet PCs for academic performances.
Stage Two – Student Learning:
Count, record and report increases in student learning when students use Tablet PCs, first in anything, then in targeted subjects, then in state standards, then beyond these thresholds toward independent learning.
Report Your Successes
Many of us beyond your school and district are interested in your progress. Consider posting progress on your school website blog.
Context
More notebooks and other forms of mobile personal computers are sold than desktop computers. Manufacturers and software publishers plan for all new notebook PCs to support updated digital ink and other features of current Tablet PCs.
Over 100 schools with uncounted hundreds of teachers and administrators use mobile PCs with thousands of students for probably millions of learning and administrative transactions daily. These numbers appear to continue growing.
And, 1:1 learning, paperless classrooms, etc. exist as does one Tablet PC per classroom for the teacher to use to augment tangible board and chart illustrated lessons.
The wireless function of Tablets and UMPCs is arguably an unparalleled tool for both learners and teachers. It allows both to develop new strategies and curricula to increase learning.
Request: Please consider commenting about the strengths and weaknesses of this draft. Your comments are welcome.