Action Research ET 8036

Goal: To Increase Junior High Student Achievement in Science and History by Using 1 to 1 Laptops

 

Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Resources Needed	Evaluation
1. Purchase 24 student laptops. Set up laptops for student use with needed software, and have a storage cart.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Donna Garcia (principal)	August 2011 – October 2011	Funding from the Pigs and Pinot fundraising event. Microsoft office suite. Someone to load the software. A storage cart.	We will know this is completed when the laptops are fully loaded with software in the storage cart and located in the 7th grade classroom.
2. Gather data from internet sites that reference states and schools that use 1 to 1 laptops. Gather data from teachers that have used 1 to 1 laptops in the classroom.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Chris Picott (7/8 history teacher)	September 2011 – January 2012	Internet sites from schools and states using 1 to 1 laptops. Teachers who have used 1 to 1 laptops.	Make a list of the top 10 pros and cons of using 1 to 1 laptops in the classroom based on other schools and teachers.
3. Develop one science and history lesson plan per chapter that requires the use of the laptops.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Chris Picott (7/8 history teacher)	Mid-October 2011 – May 2011	Laptops with Microsoft Office Suite. Science and History textbooks to derive lessons from. Knowledge of how to use Excel.	Printed out student work from the lessons will be collected and graded to see the effectiveness of using the laptop for the lesson.
4. Questionnaires for the teachers and students to be filled out after each activity that uses the laptops. The questionnaire will inquire about specific pros and cons of the use of a laptop for the specific lesson.	Theresa Palanos (7/8 science teacher) Craig Urasaki (parent and tech support) Chris Picott (7/8 history teacher)	Mid-October 2011 – May 2011	Questionnaire template. 7th and 8th grade students and teachers	A compilation of the questionnaires with an analysis of the answers to make draw conclusions as to the effectiveness of the activity and conclusions on how to improve the use of laptops in the lesson.