1-1 Learning/Laptop Program

Matthew Flinders Anglican College’s 1-1 Learning/Laptop Program is a response to the way that technology has reshaped our world.

This innovative program ensures that Flinders students are able to keep pace with the ever-changing digital environment.

The program was introduced across Years 7 to 12 in 2011. Since the beginning of 2012, all students from Years 5 to 12 have received their own personal laptops.

Matthew Flinders Anglican College Dean of E-Learning, Mr Steve McLean, said discussions about moving towards a 1 to 1 Learning/Laptop Program first started at Flinders about seven years ago.

“The first 1 to 1 Laptop Program was introduced at MLC in Melbourne in 1990. Over this 20-year period we have accumulated overwhelming research-based evidence that 1 to 1 programs have significant benefits for student learning,” Mr McLean said.

“A 1 to 1 Learning/Laptop Program is about teaching and learning. People often make the mistake of thinking it is about the technology. Our focus has been on how integrating this type of technology can enhance teaching and learning and, as a result, improve student outcomes.

“It’s not about producing students who are excellent users of laptops – it’s about producing students who are excellent learners, well equipped for the continually changing needs of the ‘real world’.”

Research shows that students today generally feel very at ease with technology; learning needs to be relevant to their interests and abilities; they are multi-taskers, team oriented and suited to collaborative learning; and they prefer hands-on, active learning with an emphasis on higher order thinking.

Matthew Flinders Anglican College Principal, Mr Anthony Vincent, sees the 1 to 1 Learning/Laptop Program as a demonstration of Flinders’ commitment to providing appropriately integrated technology to improve student learning outcomes.

“We must recognise that the world has changed, and continues to do so at an ever increasing rate,” Mr Vincent said.