Laptop Integration in Urban Schools

Warren Petchalonis School of Graduate Studies Chestnut Hill College

Laptop Integration in Urban Schools Warren Petchalonis

This thesis has been presented to and accepted by the Instructional Technology Program in the School of Graduate Studies at Chestnut Hill College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree aster of Science in Instructional Technology!

"efim #ats$ Ph!%! Coordinator$ Instructional Technology Program

Table of Contents &! 'bstract (! Introduction )! Literature *e+ie, &! Laptops in School (! Laptops in the Urban Classroom )! Laptops and Student Climate in Urban School -! Potential *esearch Proposal .! Problem Statement /! Purpose Statement 0! ethodology 1! Population 2! %ata Collection Structure &3! ethodology in %ata Collection &&! 4indings &! Tapings (! Student Sur+eys &(! %iscussion &! %efiance +s! 5ff Tas6 (! %isinterest )! *eluctance +s Confusion -! 4urther *esearch &)! Conclusion &-! *eferences &.! 'ppendi7

'bstract8 's technology ad+ances$ technology is being integrated in our educational practices! With the many challenges faced in an urban school setting$ technology is being loo6ed at as a mean to close the achie+ement gap! In this paper$ the ,idespread integration of laptops and technology in a challenging urban school setting ,ill be e7amined ,ith a focus on positi+e classroom climate$ and incidentally achie+ement gains! 9y using different sources from different parts of media$ an attempt is being made to support the assumption that technology could influence climate in lo,er achie+ing urban schools! This qualitati+e study ,ill gain research through the lens of a narrati+e and phenomenological study hybrid! This study ,ill gather information by teacher obser+ations and ,ell as student sur+eys in an attempt to disco+er the climate of an urban school ,hile laptops are being integrated for in a lesson o+er the course of four days!

Introduction8 School districts are currently being as6ed to :pro+ide e+ery child ,ith access to high;quality education and to close the achie+ement gap!<= ou>a$ (331$ p!--0? 9ecause of this$ many districts see this as :an opportunity to use the po,er of technology as a tool to enhance the school learning en+ironment =@ardoya$ I!$ A 4ico$ !$ (33&$ p!(/(?!< In a +ideo by Bohn Sulli+an =(3&(?$ he e7pounds on this belief

by reporting that :2/C of teachers report that the laptops ha+e enhanced access to educational resources and research materials!< It is not surprising that there is currently a big push to integrate technology into the classroom as fast as possible! Ta6ing this to the most e7treme are urban schools! Urban schools see technology as ,ays to build bridges ,ere there are educational gaps! Urban school settings present many obstacles$ such as in a De, "or6 City school ,here :10C of students ,ho li+e on or belo, the po+erty line!<= ou>a$ (331$ p!--0? This ma6es technology seems to be a logical place to prepare students for :a society ,here learning and employment are increasingly dependent on digital access and e7pertise<=(331$ p!-.&?! 9y gaining access$ technology has pro+ided students ,ith a great amount of academic benefits! What is under reported though is the beha+ioral benefits technology$ specifically a laptop$ could pro+ide students! With a one laptop to one student ratio in the classroom$ students may be more li6ely to engaged in their lesson and may be more li6ely to beha+e in a positi+e ,ay in the classroom! The data on academic aspects of laptop integration in the classroom are ,ell documented$ this study see6s to find specifically the beha+ioral aspects of a classEs en+ironment and climate!

Literature *e+ie,8 Laptops in School ar6 Fd,ards$ superintendent of oores+ille Graded School %istrict said8 :This is not about

the technology! ItGs about changing the culture of instruction H preparing students for their future$ not our past!< =Sch,ar>$ '!$ (3&($ para! )? ar6 Fd,ards ,as referring to the full implementation of

laptops into the school curriculum!

oores+ille is not unli6e many schools of that in the past fi+e years

ha+e used laptops as a ,ay to deli+er instruction$ calm beha+ioral issues$ and close the student achie+ement gap that e7ists among students! This model is not unique$ : oores+illeGs laptops perform the same tas6s as those in hundreds of other districts8 they correct ,or6sheets$ assemble progress data for teachers$ allo, for compelling multimedia lessons$ and let students ,or6 at their o,n pace or in groups$ rather than all listening to one teacher< =(3&($ para! &)?! 5ne thing that ,as glossed o+er in the article about oores+ille$ ,as ho, they had to ma6e budget cuts in order to ha+e such an e7pensi+e

laptop program! :Si7ty;fi+e Iobs ,ere eliminated$ including )0 teachers$ ,hich resulted in larger class si>es H in middle schools$ it is )3 instead of &1 H but district officials say they can be more efficiently managed because of the technology! Some costly items had become obsolete =li6e computer labs?$ though getting rid of others tested the ,illingness of teachers to embrace the ne, day<=(3&($ para! 2?! The Urban School of San 4rancisco has a similar laptop initiati+e$ ,hich blogger #ir6 Hamilton called the one to one ratio laptop program$ :incredible =and incredibly important? ,ith first class implementation$ unbelie+ably professional student;directed :Telling Stories< documentary series$ +ital and supremely helpful faculty training$ ,ith engaging student ,or6shops< =Hamilton$ (3&($ para! )?! Hamilton =(3&(? does not get into the specifics of ho, the climate of the school ,as changed$ and tends to use cliche terms such as (&st century$ but he does outline ,hat is done ,ith the laptop program in San 4rancisco! :In the schoolGs +ie,$ a laptop is simply a tool li6e any other J pencil$ or a noteboo6$ protractor$ calculator! Teachers at Urban donGt teach students ho, to bro,se the ,eb$ or ho, to type quic6ly J they teach math$ science$ music$ art$ and they use laptops to allo, the students to learn those disciplines more effecti+ely$ and in a ,ay that fits ,ith ho, students =and people? thin6 and communicate in the (&st century< =Hamilton$ (3&3$ para! -?! *i+er 5a6s Flementary school decided to ta6e a different approach to laptops! 's said on their +ideo$ done by WP%F De,s =(3&(?$ they pro+ided Ipads for 6indergarten$ first grade$ and second grade! Grades fourth$ fifth$ and si7th ,ere gi+en laptops! Their ratio ,as one piece of technology for e+ery t,o students$ but the e+entual goal

,as more of a one to one ratio!

ost schools applied the laptops in ,ays ,ere they :deemphasi>ed the

speciali>ation of computer technology as use becomes seamless$ ubiquitous$ and normal<=Le+in$ (33-?! 4inally Fast *oc6 agnet school principal Sal+atore Pun>o e7plained his reasoning for implementing

laptops by saying KWe thought the laptops ,ould help students do research and help impro+e test scores!K =%elisio$ F!$ (3&3$ para! 1? This sho,s us that ,hile the e7act moti+ation of a school district or administrator for bringing laptops into the classroom may differ slightly from school to school$ the core +alue remains the same! Fach of these schools are hoping to either impro+e or continue to pro+ide their students ,ith a top quality education! With the big push to,ards laptops being a part of classroom$ one stands to reason ho, this can be done in one of the most challenging areas$ the urban classroom! Laptops in the Urban Classroom 'ccording to ou>a =(331?$ it is no secret that lo,er;income households tend to ha+e any students ,ho are lo,er on the economic scale tend to come from

lo,ering achie+ing students! urban en+ironments!

ou>a =(331? continues by communicating us that :the effects of a laptop

program initiati+e in a predominantly lo,;income minority school<$ ,ere e7amined! The study follo,ed t,o teachers o+er a one year period to ans,er three specific questions! :In ,hat ,ays did teachers and students utili>e laptop computers in their classrooms to achie+e as instructional goalsL Ho, did the access of laptops influence student attitude to,ards computers and schoolsL Ho, did students use the laptop computers to support the learning processL< = ou>a$ (331? The study found that teachers ,ere able to implement laptops in language$ arts and mathematics on a daily basis! The article stated that their purpose ,as to pro+ide :lo,;income minority students ,ith an enriched$ authentic learning e7periences ,ith s6ills needed to li+e and ,or6 in the our current society!< = ou>a$ (331?! ' limitation ,as that the teachers they selected had already demonstrated a commitment to integrating technology in their classroom! This means the teachers had already used technology in their class before! The students ,ere already used to being e7posed to technology$ and the teachers themsel+es ,ere eager to implement it! This limitation could improperly o+er represent student gains!

If some teachers ,ere not as e7cited to use laptops in the classroom$ then perhaps they ,ould not be as effecti+e teaching a class ,ith full laptop integration! 's said earlier$ oores+illeEs laptop integration

program actually tangled ,ith this$ they decided to lay off teachers ,ho ,ere not ,illing to fully integrate laptops! =Sch,ar>$ '!$ (3&(? @ardoya and 4ico =(33&? focused on ho, students could cross the :urban di+ide through a laptop leading program!< This ga+e fifth$ si7th$ and se+enth grades in the largest urban school district in De, "or6 City access to ,ireless laptops! There has been e+idence of success in terms of student outcomes such as students completing ,or6 more promptly or being more organi>ed = ou>a$ (331?! The buy in also seemed to be arduous as a ten hour course ,as required of parents! This ,as needed in order for the students to ta6e the ,ireless laptops home to continue the use of school ,or6 at home! %espite these challenges$ the gains made Iustified for the district to continue the program into the future! The article ,ritten by Staples$ Pugach$ and Himes =(33.? focuses on three different urban schools laptops ,ere integrated in$ and the challenges that ,ere faced by those schools! The study states that many schools fa+or in+esting in staff professional de+elopment$ rather than the purchase and up6eep of equipment in the classroom! This ,ill often lead to teachers to use the technology :inappropriately or inadequately<=Staples et al$ (33.?! This study also found that the teachers ,ho fa+orably approached the integration of technology tended to fairly better than their less enthusiastic counterparts! 't first each of the three schools mention that the computers ,ere collecting dust< or simply :used as an incenti+e =Staples et al$ (33.?$ rather than an organic part of the classroom! The study ,ent on to say that most schools did fairly better o+er time ,ith the integration of laptops o+er a ) year period! Teachers ,ere e+entually able to use laptops to support the maIor subIect areas such as mathematics! language$ and arts$ but not ,ithout the help of a technology specialist! Without someone facilitating$ the technology ,as not used properly! This is something to consider ,hen implementing laptops in an urban classroom! If used correctly$ laptops ha+e been found in some ,ays to impro+e school climate!

Laptops and Student Climate in the Urban Classroom %r! Lynne Pere> =(3&(? has said that$ :High performing urban schools ha+e school climates that nurture the commitment and engagement of their students!< 5ne ,ay many schools are trying to create a climate of engagement is by ha+ing a school;,ide laptop program! Laptops ,ere found to ha+e influenced student attitudes to,ards learning by increasing their ,illingness to participate in school! Students gre, more confident to participate in ,hole group acti+ities$ because of their e7pertise using laptops! Technology ,as found to ha+e le+eled the playing field for most students! ou>aEs =(331?study reported that8 Students ,ere no, moti+ated to read their peersE ,riting because of the legible print! There ,as also an increase in the quality and quantity of the students ,or6 in ,riting throughout the year! 5ne teacher found that the laptops also fostered impro+ements in mathematics! =p! -//? This e7ample pro+ides an idea of ho, laptops :bridge the digital di+ide for students and pro+ide lo,; income minority students ,ith enriched learning e7periences = ou>a$ (331 p! -0(?! The article mentions often ho, laptops positi+ely increased the studentsG achie+ement and moti+ation to,ards the learning process! Ho,e+er$ it also mentioned that laptop students did not enIoy school more than non; laptop students! The study also mentions that is possible that the an7iety o+er learning ne, computer s6ills and the fear of damaging or ha+ing the equipment stolen influenced student responses = ou>a$ (331?! The article goes on to say ho, training must ta6e place for students to use laptops$ but does e7plain the teacher perspecti+e in the article! 's mentioned before it merely states that the participating teachers had already integrated des6tops$ and Iumped at the chance to integrate laptops in the classroom! While the article mentions plenty of the benefits technology brings into the classroom$ it 6no,ingly neglects some limitations schools could feel integrating laptops ,ith teachers ,ith less than stellar attitudes to,ards a more current technology! Sometimes$ the limitations of a teachersG ability to facilitate lessons ,ith laptops can hamper the class management$ rather than the technology to be

ineffecti+e by itself! If the teacher has a :deep understanding of ho, technology relates to curricular goals$< =Staples et al$ (33.? then the technology can be a po,erful tool! The main limitation to this study ,as that it did not pro+ide ans,ers ho, the students learning outcomes ,ere achie+ed through the use of laptops! It simply uses :to meet learning goals< =Staples et al$ (33.? multiple times ,ithout mentioning ho, and ,hat they ,ere! ou>a =(331? mentions that :school climate impro+ed ,ith a

)C increase in daily attendance!< This ho,e+er does not seem =or Eto beE? a large enough increase in attendance to be of consequence! Some unintended consequences ,ere that some students ,ere distracted by the use of laptops! any students ,ere unprepared for a teacher;as;facilitator model

= ou>a$ (331?! If the students are prepared for the laptop integration and the ne, responsibilities it gi+es the students a better sense of control! ost teachers do tend to see impro+ements ,ith studentsE

attention! 5ne teacher at *i+er 5a6s Flementary ,as quoted saying$ :The children no, are so much more engaged!<=WP%FDe,sChannel&.$ (3&(? Potential *esearch Proposal8 With the challenges of an urban school setting comes the opportunity for technology to le+el the playing field! While the inclusion of laptops in an urban school setting has seen gains$ it also requires a fair amount of teacher and administrator buy;in! While some side effects of distraction of students appear in t,o of the studies$ o+erall each district ,as pleased ,ith the gains that they made through the implementation of technology! It also must be cautioned$ as in the Louis+ille case$ that implementing technology could lead to staff layoffs$ ,hich could alter some staffEs +ie,s of laptops being incorporated into the curriculum! The trend though seems to be mo+ing firmly to,ards more integration$ ,ith or ,ithout the teachersE consent! Changing the climate of a school seems to be doable ,ith laptops$ if a teacher a+oids some of the pitfalls that can sho, up from using a particular technology! The urban school setting is a setting that could desperately use something to impro+e conditions of a school! Laptops appear to be a logical choice$ as long as they are implemented thoughtfully and effecti+ely!

Climate$ ho,e+er$ appears to only measured in an incidental fashion!

ost sources made a

mention of children ,anting to come to school$ or becoming more e7cited to ,or6 ,ith computers$ but no direct measure ,as made! 's such$ to adequately measure ,hether or not laptops do impro+e climate$ a singular study ,ould need to be created to measure the effects of climate itself! The study ,ould not pay attention to academic gains$ but rather measure them incidentally ,ithin the realm of ho, the climate of the classroom ,as effected by the introduction and continued incorporation of laptops in the urban school setting! With climate as the main focus of the study$ it ,ould lead$ hopefully$ to a more accurate read of the measuring the true impact of laptops being used in the classroom! Problem Statement The Literature a+ailable on the impact of laptops in the classroom typically state gains in language arts acqusition and mathematical principals! Staples et al! =(33.?$ found that ,ith the appropriate staff and technology in placeit ,as possible to mo+e :to,ards fundamental goals of supporting student learning!< With these goals supported student ,ere able to gain to :foster an appreciation for mathematics<= ou>a$ (331? and :impro+e their ,riting!<= ou>a$ (331? Laptops also ga+e the students an :impro+ement in the o+erall quality of student ,or6 =@ardology and It ha+e iteachers ,ho are properly trained to use it! =Stapes et al$ (33.? ou>a$ (331?

ousa =(331? has stated that ousa =(331? also

students ,ho use laptops in the classroom tend to be more moti+ated in school!

states that using laptops in school does not ma6e the students ,ant to come to school anymore! This contradicts Staples$ Pugach$ and Himes =(33.?$ ,ho mention that attendance rose )C ,hen laptops ,ere implemented in the classroom! %espite these findings the effects of classroom climate from a teacherEs perspecti+e ha+e only been indirectly measured! Students in an urban setting ha+e not had conclusi+e studies from a teacherEs perspecti+e that measure a posti+e en+iroment using laptops! This study see6s to pro+ide e+idence that laptops can ha+e either a posti+e or negati+e affect on the climate of the classroom!

Puporse Statement8 The impact on ho, classroom climate is affected by laptops in a classroom$ as stated earlier$ has only been indirectly measured! 5nly through student moti+ation and engagement statistics can ,e someho, gauge if there ,ere fe,er problems in the classroom because of technological integration$ not to mention ho, student beha+ior may impro+e ,ith the introduction of laptops in a school setting! The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the impact of laptops on middle years students in an urban school en+ironment at 4airhill Flementary in Philadelphia! The purpose is to see if technology used as means to deli+er instruction can ha+e a positi+e change in the school climate! TeacherEs indi+idual e7periences ,ill be used to de+elop an idea of ho, the climate of the school ,as impacted! Through reflection$ ,e ,ill find the teacherGs perspecti+e on if the climate impro+ed in the classroom because of the a+ailability technology! ethodology 'pproach8 y research ,ill consist of if laptops ,ill ha+e a positi+e or negati+e impact on class climate in a high needs urban school! Class climate ,ill be defined by a set of positi+e and negati+e beha+iors that ,ould effect a positi+e learning en+ironment! It ,ill use guidelines and reoccurring themes of proper climate set by popular educator resources! Using Clea+erEs =(33/? article as a guide$ I ,ill be measuring climate is by citing beha+iors from obser+ing students! Students ,ill be obser+ed ,ith the permission of their parents or guardians$ those grade ,ho ,ish to not participate ,ill be mo+ed into my grade partners room for the duration of the lesson! The students ,ill be +ideotaped ,ith parents permission! I ,ill then analy>e ,hat ,as +ideotaped and if it the beha+iors obser+ed ,here conduci+e to a positi+e classroom climate! The research ,ill be conducted as both a narrati+e and phenomenology study! There are many aspects of the qualitati+e research that correspond to the frame,or6 of the research! The natural setting is one that is 6ey to my research! It must be in a functioning classroom in order to obser+e climate authentically! Fmergent design is a process I intend to integrate thoughtfully! I may need to modify +arious aspects of my research as I am conducting it! If

a student happens to become +iolent or increasingly disrespectful$ I may ha+e to call outside sources to mo+e that student! This ,ill affect ho, the other students ,ill react to that situation! Perhaps laptops ,ill 6eep the children occupied more$ and thus ha+e a positi+e influence on class climate$ despite the maIor disruption that is ta6ing place in the classroom! I ,ill demonstrate refle7i+ity in my research because I ,ill position myself in a qualitati+e study! 's it is my -th year teaching$ I feel it gi+es me an accurate bac6ground! I am also part of the research by teaching the lesson myself$ ,ith can factor in the holistic account as ,ell! I ,ill need to adapt my research$ and perhaps modify some parameters that go ,ith class climate! The other part of my research is that I ,ill be using phenomenology! y research

,ill use data collection by obser+ations$ but could also ha+e some impromptu student inter+ie,s! I ,ill ha+e the unique e7perience of obser+ing the students first hand$ yet also ,atching the +ideo of the e7perience$ and recording information from that! I ,ill then analy>e the data ta6ing into ho, the students e7perienced the lesson$ and if laptops had positi+e impacts in the implementation of that lesson! y definition of class climate can go hand in hand ,ith clusters of meaning! 9y this I mean

,hat is the o+erlapping beha+ior I see ,ith students as I conduct the lessonL Is this a positi+e beha+ior or negati+e beha+iorL %oes technology ma6e this beha+ior become more pronounced through the lesson$ or ,ould ha+e this happened no matter ho, the lesson is being administered! 4or e7ample a student ,ho forgets to ta6e his medicine might start to act out$ ,hether or not a laptop is being used in the lesson! The narrati+e aspect of my study ,ill be used as a frame,or6 to present data! Using the fifteen students ,ithin my classroom I ,ill attempt to ,ea+e a general consensus of ho, laptops impact the day to day happenings in a si7th grade classroom! This in itself ,ill be the narrati+e that I ,ill try to gather from my fifteen students participating! I ,ill also include the thoughts of my students using a sur+ey gi+en at the end of the study! Population8 y study ,ill be comprised of fifteen si7th grade students$ ,ho are aged ele+en to thireen in Dortheast Philadelphia! The maIority students racial bac6ground is Puerto *ican$ ,ith the rest being

'frican 'merican or a mi7 of both! Why the racial factor may not seem important$ it is possible for someone conducting a study to approach their research ,ith a possible racial bias! I feel ha+ing ,or6ed four years in such an en+ironment$ that I am free of this! I ha+e been e7posed to all the :culture shoc6< during my initial t,o years of teaching! The students are identified as being on the lo,er end of social; economic scale! Their neighborhood is identified as :4airhill< and has murder rates that are eight to ten times that of the national a+erage! 5f the people li+ing in my students neighborhood$ only about &3C of those students ,ill graduate from college!=9enson C! A cCoy$ *! &220 par! 0? 9ecause my

studentsE high needs$ they tend to ha+e more beha+ioral issues than students you ,ould perhaps see in a suburban school! I spend a good piece of my day dictating discipline to my students$ and ha+ing them follo, proper procedures! #no,ing this$ it is almost as if the en+ironment itself ,ill being pro+iding some material for the narrati+e! y students tend to +ie, computers as :free time< and tend to sho,

resistance in something educational being presented to them on a laptop! I frequently ha+e to remind them that laptops are educational tools and not toys to play ,ith! With this in mind$ I ha+e did se+eral sample lessons before the study in order for my students to be prepared to use the laptops ,ith the lesson$ rather than using laptops for something that is not educational! %ata Collection Structure8 The ,ay I intend to collect data is by recording my students during a regular lesson$ and then record my students during a laptop lesson!=See 'ppendi7 L? I plan to compare both lessons and trying to decipher if laptops ma6e a difference in classroom climate! Climate ho,e+er must be defined! I plan on ha+ing a chec6list of things that constitute a positi+e climate in the classroom! Positi+e climate ,ould entail student not degrading one another$ students spea6ing in an appropriate tone$ students follo, school procedures$ students sho,ing respect to their teacher$ students coming prepared$ and e+en as simple as students staying in their seat! I ,ill use this chec6list to see if less problem beha+iors occurred ,hen the students ,ere using the laptops during the lesson! The less problem beha+iors$ the better the student climate! This ,ould be applicable of course$ unless there ,ere e7treme

circumstances! If a student becomes +iolent and tosses his computer and ,al6s out of class! That is technically only se+eral :fa+orable climate< +iolations$ but ,ould still impact the class +ery negati+ely! Students ,ill also be gi+en a sur+ey on ho, if they feel the climate impro+ed in the classroom! Gathering the e7periences of obser+ed beha+ior ,ith my obser+ing my students on +ideo and then combining that ,ith preconcei+ed beha+ior of my students opinion$ I should be able to gather an accurate idea if the laptops impro+ed or did not impro+e classroom climate! =See 'ppendi7 B? It is ,orth mentioning that +ideotaping in the classroom has been sho,n to affect data outcomes! While the study :The Fffects of Videotaping on Student Performances in the 9asic Communication Course!< by 9an6ston$ *! A Terlip$ L! =&22-?$ deals ,ith college aged students$ it has a principal that can be related to students in the si7th grade! 9an6ston and Terlip =&22-? found that +ideotaping ,ill impact students in the immediate short term$ but as the students become used to +ideotaping$ the impact ,ill lessen! It is for this reason that I am going to gi+e my students a fe, moc6 lessons$ before I gi+e them the actual lessons I ,ill be using for the study! This ,ay the information that I recei+e ,ill be more authentic! 'chie+e )333 is the name of the program my students ,ill be using as I gi+e the lesson! Fach student ,ill ha+e a laptop on their des6$ as I ,ill use my laptop and a proIector! Fach student ,ill ha+e the lesson on their laptop$ and ,ill s,itch from loo6ing at their laptop to the board for their information! y laptop ,ill be used mainly as a guide to ma6e sure the students are on the appropriate

lesson! The lessons ,ill be language arts article that the students ,ill ha+e to read! 'fter the students read the article they ,ill ans,er 1 multiple choice questions! They ,ill recei+e points from the program based on ho, many questions correct they ans,er! The students ,ill then ans,er a poll$ and then a thought question! The thought question is a constructi+e response the teacher corrects on their o,n! 's I correct the thought question I can gi+e points to the students that ha+e fulfilled the requirements! ethodology in %ata Collection8 y methodology ,hether using laptops in the classroom can positi+ely impact classroom

climate is centered the narrati+e perspecti+e! While some elements of phenomenology ,ill be present$ such as trying to gather the essence of ho, all my students collected e7periences impacted classroom climate as a ,hole$ the lens of the narrati+e perspecti+e ,ill be applied throughout the data collection and analy>ation! *iessman =(331? states the narrati+e approach :refers to a family of methods for interpreting te7ts that ha+e in common a storied form!< Cres,ell =(330? adds to this e7plaining that :the data collected in a narrati+e study must be analy>ed for the story they ha+e to tell$ a chronology of unfolding e+ents$ and turning points or epiphanies!< This relates to my study as the collection as my story ,ill chronicle ,hen the laptops ,ere gi+en to the students$ and the subsequent interactions that occurred bet,een the students among themsel+es$ and ,ith me their teacher! 's a teacher$ participant$ and the one in charge of the study$ I must be a,are of certain biases that may e7ist! Wies and 4ine =(333? mention a :set of self;reflecti+e points of critical consciousness around the questions of ho, to represent responsibility< in studies! I as a participant in this study must recogni>e my o,n possible biases as I approach this study! It may differ ,hat consistutes as a :normal< classroom setting in a urban school as opposed to one in a suburban school! Some student interactions may be more harsh or outlandish in an urban en+ironment ,hile they may be more controlled in an suburban setting! Urban schools also ha+e the stereotype of being failing or :bad< schools$ ,hile suburban education is generally recei+ed as a :better< education! Cres,ell =(330? describes the need to for :refle7i+ity in ,hich the ,riter is conscious of the biases$ +alues$ and e7periences that he or she brings to a qualitati+e study!< I must be a,are that because I ha+e been in an urban school setting for four years$ and that I am using my o,n students for the study$ not to use my attachment to the urban setting or my students as a determent to the study! Cres,ell =(330? goes further into being refle7i+e by mention ho, it is important for the researcher to add their o,n comments into the study to sho, ho, you are a,are of ones o,n personal biases! Using Clea+er$ S! =(33/? :' positi+e classroom climateMen+ironment for learning<$ ,e can ha+e uni+ersally e7pected parameters that must be met in order for the classroom climate to be posti+e! This ,ill enable me as a researcher not to fall into the trap of not accurately

transcribing their beha+iors! With these uni+ersal standards$ if I can be sure ,hether a studentEs beha+ior is appropiate or not! When I recongni>e my o,n biases and uncertianityEs$ and ha+e standards to Iudge my students beha+ior$ I ,ill ha+e an more accurate study and better chance of reaching the :6ey e+ent< Cres,ell =(330? describes as the :epiphany< in research! 4indings Tapings 9efore the students ,ere recorded$ I did three practice lessons ,ith the laptops to familiari>e them ho, the lesson ,ill ,ould be presented to them! %uring my first practice lesson$ it is interesting to note that some felt that learning on a laptop ,ith teacher directed instruction ,as completely alien to them! 9y the time I began filming students$ ,e ,ere embedded in a predictable enough routine that the students understood ho, the lesson ,ould go on! 'fter my first day of recording =See 'ppendi7 '?$ more students seemed more engaged in interested in my lesson than the traditional pencil and paper lesson! The o+erall atmosphere appeared to be quieter and less chaotic! I found ho,e+er$ that I had to direct some students to log off inappropriate ,ebsite$ and bac6 onto the program ,e ,ere using! 5ne student rationali>ed their beha+ior by stating$ : ister$ I am on the page$ but I am also on "ouTube!< The student did not seem to see that I ,as conducting direct instruction and seemed only to be concerned ,ith if it loo6ed li6e on the surface if they ,ere :doing the right thing!< In all$ ,hile more students ,ere engaged in the lesson I ,as teaching ,ith laptops$ more students ,ere also ta6ing the opportunity to be off tas6! Some students also seemed rather confused by my instructions$ despite ha+ing three untapped practice sessions! These ,ere also students ,ho ,ere on sites such as "ouTube$ Google images$ and +arious gaming sites! They used their confusion as a reason to not follo, class instructions! F+en though numbers ,ere lo,er for ma6ing fun or defiance$ each beha+ior occurred more ,ith the pencil and paper lesson! %ay t,o =See 'ppendi7 9? brought again more students interested or engaged in the laptop lesson$ but the difference ,as that the number of students ,ho ,ere off tas6 ,as the same for both

lessons! It can stand to reason that the article that ,as being co+ered ,as a high interest article$ so it is possible that students may ha+e Iust simply li6ed the lesson material more! Students ,ere also more defiant and more prone to ma6e fun of one another ,ith the traditional boo6 lesson! Three students had to be redirected after the out,ardly refused to engage in the pencil and paper lesson! Do student sho,ed an defiance ,hen the laptops ,ere being used! If they ,ere off tas6 and then redirected$ the student complied ,ithout any hesitation! %uring the %ay three =See 'ppendi7 C? taping the students again ,ere more disinterested during the traditional lesson! This day ,as significant because the students that ,ere off tas6 ,as only a one beha+ior occurrence difference! Students in general appeared to be more engaged in both lessons$ until near the end of the paper lesson ,hen one student sho,ed se+ere defiance and ,al6ed out of the classroom! T,o students then follo,ed suit in become defiant$ but ,ere promptly redirected ,hen their parents ,ere threatened to be called! The final day =See 'ppendi7 %? sho,ed a massi+e difference bet,een students ,ho ,ere off tas6 during the laptop lesson and the paper lesson! The ratio ,as 28) in fa+or of students ,hen using the laptops! Do students ho,e+er$ ,ere ma6ing fun of one another or becoming upset during the laptop lesson! The ,as only one student confused during the paper lesson compared to t,o students ,ho ,ere confused during the laptop lesson$ ,hich ,as not a large difference! Student Survey When the students ,ere sur+eyed fifteen students said they enIoyed the laptop lesson$ ,hile only one student said that they did not! Their complaint ,as that some students ,ere on "ouTube! =See 'ppendi7 4? Dearly all the students said they ,ere able to concentrate better! When as6ed this question one student said :"es because ,e ,as quiet and got ,or6 done!< 'nother student said :"es because ,e donEt bother the teacher!< "et another said :"es because people are less annoying!< Three students made mention ho, they li6ed using technology! ost ,ere some form of these four ans,ers! 5ne student

said there ,as no change! When as6ed if they feel they acted better or ,orse in class=See 'ppendi7 G?$

ele+en students felt their beha+ior impro+ed! The ones that said they acted better mentioned ho, :I acted better cause it ,as quiet<$ or :I paid more attention!< The three students ,ho said it there ,as no changed cited :good and bad because some people Iust go on "ouTube$ ,hile other people do their ,or6!< ost students also said that they could concentrate better ,ith the laptops =See 'ppendi7

H?When as6ed if they ,ould use laptops again =See 'ppendi7 I?$ all of the students said they ,ould li6e to! 4inally$ ,hen as6ed ,hat ,ould ma6e the lesson better =See 'ppendi7 B? fi+e students said free time! Three students said that nothing ,ould ma6e it better! Three said more laptop lessons! T,o said they ,ould li6e to ,or6 in partners! T,o other students said they ,ould li6e the classroom to be quieter during the laptop lesson! %iscussion Defiance Vs. Off Task 's mentioned many times in this lesson$ most students thought the class ,as quieter during the laptop lesson! ost students also thought that the ,ere able to concentrate better ,hile using the laptops! 5ne

thing that stic6s out to go along ,ith this is the number of students that are off tas6 during the laptop lesson! So ,hile the students may preconcei+e the en+ironment as being a more fa+orable en+ironment$ there is a higher chance that a student may be off tas6 ,hile using the laptop! Students also ,ere less li6ely to be defiant ,hile engaged in the laptop lesson! So ,e ha+e students more li6ely to be off tas6 during a laptop lesson$ but to be less defiant! Is it ,orth it as a teacher to ha+e a better climate ,ith the ris6 of more students being off tas6 in an urban classroomL While using a paper and pencil it is easier to monitor students and to chec6 if they are on tas6! ' teacher Iust needs to loo6 at the class of students and it is clearly e+ident ,ho is and ,ho is not on tas6! While using laptops though$ the teacher must circulate around the classroom and be ready to deal ,ith any student ,ho is off tas6! Interestingly though$ if a student is off tas6 during a paper lesson$ they are more li6ely to be defiant to,ards the teacher! The same students ,ho are defiant to,ards their teacher during a paper and pencil lesson$ and off tas6 during a computer lesson$ still ha+e less of a chance to be defiant during the computer lesson!

Disinterest While the students ,ere less li6ely to be on tas6 ,ith the laptops! The students ,ere more li6ely to be engaged and participate in the lesson! This can be seen because either the students enIoyed using the technology in the classroom$ or maybe perhaps because they are not on tas6! It is tric6y to e+aluate if they are truly interested in the source material$ ,ith such a high rate of students attempting to be off tas6! That being said ,hile this ,as not e+aluated officially$ students ,ere more li6ely to ,rite better quality constructi+e responses during the laptop lesson$ than the regular paper and pencil lesson! It could stand to reason if this ,ere e+aluated further$ to actually use academics as a predictor if they students truly ,ere more engaged in the lesson! In the fe, responses I did correct$ students ,ho normal hate ,riting ,rote reasonable responses! Whether this has a true impact on disinterest can be debated though! eluctance Vs. Confusion Students ,ere more li6ely to be confused during the laptop lesson than during a traditional lesson! This could be because they ,ere off tas6$ as pre+iously mentioned! Students ,ere less li6e to be reluctant to complete an assignment on the laptop! Possibly because students ,ere more li6ely to get upset or ma6e fun of one another during a traditional less$ they ,ere more li6e to complete an assignment using the computer! It could be that because they ha+e less distractions from their peers$ they are less li6ely to ha+e a confrontation! They are not entirely safe from distractions though$ as the laptop can offer plenty distractions! !urther esearch any opportunities can be present here for further research! It ,ould be interesting to see if o+er an e7tended period of time ,ould student engagement stay has high as it ,as the four days of the tapings! Would the students be less li6ely to be off tas6 if the school too6 a harder stance on going on school inappropriate sitesL 't this point$ discipline ,hile using the computer is at the teacherEs digression! There is no protocol to deal ,ith students being off tas6 ,ith laptops$ unless it is an e7treme

condition such as adult sites$ or +iolence! The gray area of music +ideos and online games ,ill need to be e7plored and itEs impact on students ability to stay on tas6! This study ,ould also lend itself to see if students ,ith se+ere beha+ior disorders ,ould benefit from using laptops in the class more often! This ,ould be because the number of defiant occurrences ,as lo,er using laptops! Conclusion8 There are many conclusions that one can gather from this study! What is apparent is that students do enIoy using laptops$ and they see an impro+ement in the en+ironment ,hile using the laptops! The students are more li6ely to be off tas6$ so it ,ould be up to the teacher to patrol the room to ma6e sure that the students are not on other sites! The en+ironment ,ill appear more pleasant$ but it could be only surface deep! While the students may not be openly defiant$ they may Iust be brea6ing the school rules quietly! Students are less li6ely to ma6e fun of one another or become upset ,hen using the laptops! So laptops are a po,erful tool to use in the classroom$ but the teacher ,ill need to circulate constantly to ma6e sure the students are on tas6! In a sense$ it may actually be more ,or6 to use laptops in the classroom rather than teach traditionally$ but you could gain a more quiet$ learning appropriate atmosphere!

*eferences8 9an6ston$ *! A Terlip$ L! =&22-?! The Fffects of Nideotaping on Student Performances in the 9asic Communication Course! *etrie+ed arch &.$ (3&)$ from http8MM,,,!eric!ed!go+MF*ICWeb

PortalMcontentdeli+eryMser+letMF*ICSer+letLaccnoOF%)01/39enson C! A cCoy$ *!! =&220?! In Phila!$ a pattern of murder statistics$ a common thread!

Philadelphia Inquirer! *etrie+ed from http8MMinquirer!philly!comMpac6agesMcrimeMhtmlM3-&120 !asp Clea+er$ S! =(33/?! Ho, to Identify Good Climate in "our ChildEs Classroom ! In "ducation.com *etrie+ed climate %elisio$ F! =(3&3?! Learning ,ith laptops8 'n urban school sho,s gains! In "ducation #orld! *etrie+ed Do+ember 32$ (3&($ from http8MM,,,!education,orld!comMaPissuesMschoolsM schools3(3!shtml Hamilton$ #! =(3&3$ 4ebruary 1?!Ho,ard Le+in and the ama>ing urban school laptop program Q9log postR! *etrie+ed from http8MM6ir6hamilton!comM(3&3M3(M31Mho,ard;le+in;and;the; ama>ing;urban;school;laptop;programM Le+in$ H! =(33-?! Learning unleashed8 ' high school e7perience!Learning and Leading $ith Technology$%&=0?$ /;&(! ou>a$ C! =(331?! Learning ,ith laptops8 Implementation and outcomes in an urban$ under; pri+ileged school!'ournal of research on technology in education$()=-?$ --0;-0(! Pere>$ L! QschooltransformerR! =(3&($ arch 1?! Steps for School Success ,ith %r Lynne Pere> ; arch &.$ (3&)$ from http8MM,,,!education!comMmaga>ineMarticleMclassroom;

Impro+ing School Climate QNideo fileR! *etrie+ed from http8MM,,,!youtube!comM

,atch+O+nmU#fFW4Fg Sch,ar>$ '! =(3&($ 4ebruary$ &(?! oores+illeGs shining e7ample =itGs not Iust about the laptops?! De,

"or6 Times! *etrie+ed from http8MM,,,!nytimes!comM(3&(M3( M&)MeducationMmoores+ille;school;district;a;laptop;success;story!htmlLpage,antedOall Staples$ '!$ Pugach$ ! C!$ A Himes$ %! =(33.?!*ethin6ing the technology integration Challenge8

Cases from three urban elementary schools Bournal of research on technology in education$ )0=)?$ (1.;)&&! Sulli+an$ B! Q%igital Wish ChannelR! =(3&($ 4ebruary (&?! The importance of technology in 'merican schools QNideo fileR! *etrie+ed from http8MM,,,!youtube!comM,atchL +OUg9,lPBrC.3 WP%FDe,sChannel&.! =(3&($ 'ugust (3?! De, school puts iPads$ laptops in studentsE hands QNideo fileR! *etrie+ed from https8MM,,,!youtube!comM,atchL+Oya)U%e+1'iF @ardoya$ I!$ A 4ico$ ! =(33&?! Urban students cross the digital di+ide through laptop leasing

program!Fducation$ &((=(?$ (/(;(/0!

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Student F7it Sur+ey8 %5 D5T W*ITF "5U* D' F Ho, did feel about using laptops in the classroom for a reading lessonL

Were you able to concentrate better ,hile using laptopsL

%o you feel the class beha+ed better$ ,orse$ or the same ,hile using laptopsL

Would you li6e to use laptops again in class li6e thisL

What ,ould ma6e the laptop lessons betterL

'ppendi7 L8
CLASSROOM VIDEOTAPING PERMISSION FORM Date: Parents, From one class a week, I will videotape students in the classroom. This is for the purpose of collecting data for my graduate school class. The video will only be used to academic purposes, and will be deleted after the study is over. Please check and sign below if you give permission for your child to be videotaped in the classroom. Thank you,

I give permission for my child, !y child,

, to be videotaped in the classroom during presentations. , may not be videotaped in the classroom.

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################################################################################################################################$%&""'((! )ID*(T&PI+, P*'!I""I(+ F('! Date: Parents, From one class a week, I will videotape students in the classroom. This is for the purpose of collecting data for my graduate school class. The video will only be used to academic purposes, and will be deleted after the study is over. Please check and sign below if you give permission for your child to be videotaped in the classroom. Thank you,

I give permission for my child, !y child,

, to be videotaped in the classroom during presentations. , may not be videotaped in the classroom.

Parent "ignature

Date

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