Whether it comes in the form of a laptop or tablet, the overwhelming majority of American children today use a one-to-one device in the classroom as a learning tool. It is a seismic shift from the bygone days of solely relying on textbooks and notebooks.

According to data from the EdWeek Research Center, 90% of district leaders surveyed indicated 1:1 devices were being provided to middle and high school students. At the elementary school level, 84% o the respondents gave the same response.

While 1:1 devices were on an upward trajectory before the pandemic, their growth skyrocketed when lockdowns and stay-at-home measures were in place in 2020, 2021 and, in some districts, into 2022. EdWeek’s data indicated 66% of respondents used 1:1 devices in 2019, while 40% used them in elementary grades.

The benefits

Educators and School Board members have, by and large, embraced the transformative 1:1 system of education for a number of reasons — chief among them being efficiency at a time when there are growing calls to offer differentiated instruction to meet students’ needs.

It’s no secret today’s youth are already immersed in technology. For most, it is a part of their leisure time, so educators have been quick to embrace it as an extension in the classroom. There have been studies showing a correlation between 1:1 devices and student engagement.

While there obviously is an upfront cost for purchasing 1:1 devices, school administrators and teachers also have indicated the technology might yield long-term cost savings since there is less reliance on textbooks, supplies, and related equipment to supplement lesson plans.

The drawbacks

The pandemic illustrated some of the drawbacks of heavy reliance on 1:1 devices — particularly for communities and regions of the U.S. still lacking in adequate, reliable broadband connections.

A report from EdSurge, for instance, surveyed more than 100,000 Mississippi students on digital learning in the fall of 2021 — a year-and-a-half after the pandemic’s onset.

More than 40% of the respondents indicated digital learning was difficult because of poor Internet connectivity at home. Additionally, 15% of teachers indicated Internet connectivity at schools was “below average” or “poor” in the 2020-21 school year.

While there are still kinks to work out, the high degree of support for 1:1 devices indicates the new method of classroom instruction will likely be a fixture in classrooms for years to come.