Abstract

This case study is an exploration of the social challenges surrounding laptops in the learning environment. Student engagement, the use of the laptop and professional development are the major components of this study. The ethnographic design methods of interviewing and attendance at a laptop conference all informed this case study. The Eastern Townships School Board began implementing a laptop project in the Fall of 2003, it is the largest laptop integration in Canada and will be in full operation by the Fall of 2005 when grades 3--11 will be using Apple iBook laptops. The new laptop program is known as the Dennis McCullough Enhanced Learning Strategy (Enhanced Learning Strategy). The sample population of this research consisted of grade 5, grade 11 students, and teachers in the elementary and high schools with varying teaching experiences. The use of laptops in the classroom is a new field of research, with very little research data available from a Canadian perspective. In addition to adding to this body of work, the thesis discusses the challenge the teachers were facing when blending instructionist (passive learning) and constructionist (active learning) teaching practices