#TechTipTuesday – Lack of 1 to 1 Devices

1:1 Programming. (2020). Uploaded by Kirsten Thompson. Available online at: http://fishbowlteaching.blogspot.com/

Now that our educators are back in school buildings we have started conversations that touch on the 2020/21 school year (as much as you can without knowing what health recommendations will be during that time).  One thing that I have heard a few times is that, “I would use tech more next year if I had more ____”.  In MVSD the amount of tech available in our buildings vary quite a bit in terms of what type of devices are available:
– desktops
– laptops
– iPads
– SamSung Tablets
In terms of physical quantity we have some schools who are able to offer 1:1 while some are closer to 1:3.  However, how those devices are distributed and shared among staff in the building is up to each individual school.  Some admin have their staff sign up for specific schedule slots, some have a specific amount of devices that are assigned for use in a particular classroom, while some have a “first come – first serve” approach.  This autonomy in device organization can sometimes mean that the ratio our inventory indicates is not necessarily the ratio a staff member experiences.


However, I do not believe that the use of technology in a classroom is limited to having a 1:1 ratio available.  I feel that the desire for 1:1 stems from the mindset that educators often want to substitute more traditional practices with tech options.  In this case it would be large-group instruction or whole-class activity being substituted by an online version; thus a desire for each student to have their own device.  My personal instructional preference is to actually build in project-based learning, group activities, and centers; which provide the perfect opportunity to make limited devices numbers work.  When I was still in the classroom I wrote a few times highlighting different ways that I made tech one of our options while working with limited devices.


– Why I Replaced Myself With A Machine
– Introducing 3D Shapes
– Welcoming a New Set of Gr 8s to the Blogging World


What are your thoughts? Do you have 1:1 for your students or do you work around shared devices?