Emerging Market Analysis: School-Based One-to-One Laptop Technologies

Introduction

One-to-one laptop programs refer to a one to one ratio of students to computers, usually in K-12 education. The first one-to-one program began in 1985 with Apple’s Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) program (Apple, 1990). Over the past two and a half decades technology has significantly dropped in cost allowing many more districts to experiment with one-to-one programs. More recently the availability of cost efficient laptops, netbooks and now iPad’s have allowed for portability that has previously been impossible.

As a business venture one-to-one initiatives can, at best, be categorized as risky. As discussed later, one-to-one initiatives often fail after implementation. For example, both School District 23 (Central Okanagan) and School District 58 (Nicola Similkameen) have made unforeseen adaptations to their one-to-one programs due to problems with how the original program was running. In our case study analysis we would like you to consider the situation of SD 23. Please read School district to scale back student laptop program on the changes at SD 23 and keep this article in mind as you move through the sections our emerging market analysis.

Sections

1. Leading Learning Applications

2. LearningSolutions

3. Stability

4. TCO

5. TeacherReluctance

6. Potential

7. Discussion Questions

8. ReportCard

References

Apple Computers. (1990). Apple Computers of Tomorrow Research: Report Number 9. Retrieved from Apple Computers: http://www.apple.com/euro/pdfs/acotlibrary/rpt9.pdf