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Story Posted: 14 November 2007

“With growing teacher and student confidence and expertise, the use of these devices will gradually encompass the teaching and learning of the entire curriculum..."

An education expert is set to revolutionise the traditional classroom set up, with a research project that will see the latest in technology become an everyday tool in the hands of eight-year-olds.

Roehampton University’s Senior Lecturer from the School of Education, Simon Elledge, is to look at the impact of handheld and laptop computers within selected primary and elementary schools in England and America.

His research project will analyse and compare the educational and cost effectiveness of handheld devices and laptops, after integrating the technology into local schools, within the teaching and learning of National Curriculum . The project will involve 30 handheld devices in one class room, and 15 laptops in a neighbouring classroom.

“With growing teacher and student confidence and expertise, the use of these devices will gradually encompass the teaching and learning of the entire curriculum. Ultimately, the project team will investigate existing claim that with the aid of new technologies students may become bricoleurs, constructing their own knowledges and understandings,” he said.

“The way technology is moving indicates to me that these handheld devices could become as frequently used and commonplace as the dictionary is in any classroom.

He said the aim of the research was to provide an authentic purpose for the use of handhelds and laptops while accommodating the school curriculum to support learner responsibility.

After identifying where home access to technology is already high, the project would also identify a very specific role for handhelds. The project will be embedded within a whole school policy with active support from senior management, and the technology itself is integrated with existing technologies, such as interactive whiteboards, data projectors, software and digital content.

“We’ll be analysing student device usage, student outcomes, student critical thinking skills, teacher pedagogies, levels of teacher satisfaction and device cost effectiveness,” he said.

Technology giant Steljes is equipping two experimental classes in the UK with Vodaphone handheld devices while the project schools are providing the control classes with 15 Apple laptops each.