Laptops

In the classrooms I have been in, the type of technology I see most is laptops.  Not only does the teacher have a laptop but there are usually laptops for student use.  For years schools, including elementary schools, have had computer labs for the students use.  Many still do but what I am seeing is “mini” computer labs in the classroom. With laptops is becomes much easier for the computers to be in the classrooms. The students can work at the computer area or take the laptop to their desks to work on.  Below are pictures of computer areas set up in the classroom in two different districts.  

Having these laptops in the classroom teachers can use them during center time as one of the centers.  Teachers can have students get on the internet and do research for a paper or play educational games from certain sites. I have also been in classroom where the students put together PowerPoint presentations for parent teacher conferences or to present to their classroom peers. Some districts have reading programs where after the student reads a book they take a comprehension quiz over that book.  These quizzes are taken on the computer under the student’s personal log in and throughout the year their totals are accumulated.  The district that I am familiar with has a program like this called Reading Counts. The school as a whole keeps track of the total Reading Counts points accumulated throughout the year. Prizes are giving quarterly for the highest points earned in each grade level.  I even thing the class with the most reading count points gets a pizza party at the end of the year or donuts.  

Please feel free to leave comments on how you use laptops in the classroom.