Introduction    

What does G1:1 mean?

G1:1, pronounced as "G one one", is a global initiative for collaborative research that supports increased international sharing and coordination of 1:1 TEL . Currently, this global network of research teams aims at promoting the rapid advancement of research-based understandings of 1:1 TEL that will provide the foundation and disseminate information for progressively extending its impact throughout the world.

1:1 is founded on the success of a sequence of international workshops associated with WMTE 2002, WMTE2004, WMTE2005, CSCL2005 and mLearn2005. G1:1 members have discussed G1:1 missions in panels in various international conferences. The following are a subset of researchers who have participated G1:1 activities

Our vision

1:1 Technology - The Potential for Great Change in Education

When everyone was able to afford a pencil, it changed how one learnt. Similarly, when everyone could own a book, instead of sharing with others, it changed how people learnt deeply. The same will happen, if everyone owns a computing device.

In one-to-one (1:1) technology enhanced learning (TEL) , every learner has a personal computing device that is mobile, wirelessly connected, and enables multimedia input and output. The ubiquitous wireless access and network bridge classrooms, homes and workplaces to allow learners to access digital resources at anytime and provide deeper opportunities for fieldwork, museum visits, and community projects. The 1:1 scenarios include learning individually, with another student or teacher, a small group, or a large online community, with possible involvement of teachers, mentors, parents, librarians, workplace professionals, and members of other supportive communities, at places such as classroom, campus, workplace, home, zoo, park, forest, and so forth. With 1:1 technology, the definition of a classroom is extended to include various learning scenarios with respect to people and space, enabling a learner to switch from one scenario to another scenario easily and instantly, that is, to learn seamlessly among these scenarios.

The fundamental infrastructures of education are being dramatically transformed with 1:1 technology together with other interactive media. Ultimately, with "everything on one device", then learning, working, playing, shopping, and many other daily activities would occur on the same digital platform. Researchers must actively work to insure that these new infrastructures are designed in ways that support and enhance how learners can learn, work, and play in the knowledge society of the 21 st century.

The emergence of 1:1 classrooms

Over next 10 years, there will emerge a growing number of 1:1 digital classrooms where learners will have powerful wireless portable computing devices with Internet access and communication capabilities. These may be general computing devices such as notebook computers, tablet PCs, sub-laptops, handheld devices (e.g., Pocket PC or Palm personal digital assistants, cellular phones), as well as augmented versions of popular electronic tools used in classrooms such as graphical calculators in North American high schools, electronic English dictionaries commonly used throughout Asia (upgraded with wireless communication capability), or even portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo Game Boys). It is anticipated in 1:1 classrooms that these devices will be used frequently and integrally as part of learning activities, becoming indispensable learning tools that will allow learners to learn more efficiently, more deeply, and with more fun.

Parents and teachers of learners at all grade levels will increasingly encounter compelling examples and stories about 1:1 classrooms. Also, the cost of these learning devices will become more affordable to the majority of parents of school age children or college learners. At the same time, wireless services and access to the Internet will become ubiquitously available in most schools and universities and in public areas, from coffee shops to libraries. It can be envisioned that the potential for dramatic changes in how, where, and when learners learn is likely to be greater over the next few decades than in any previous time in history since we had the formal school systems.

The emergence of 1:1 classrooms

Over half of a century, TEL research has experienced several paradigm shifts, continuing as a co-evolution of learning theories, learning practices, and learning technologies. The 1:1 TEL has its philosophical and conceptual roots in computer supported collaborative learning that include social, cognitive, cultural, and media literacy perspectives on learning in the future ubiquitous learning society. With 1:1 technology, researchers will also be able to better share a variety of tools and novel methods used to advance research on the nature of learner engagement, support for deep content understanding, and other aspects, both individually and socially. Most importantly, 1:1 technology is a platform for evolution and integration of all TEL research subfields at present and in the future ?for example, computer supported collaborative learning and community knowledge building, intelligent tutoring, powerful cognitive tool supported learning such as Logo, the upcoming digital game based learning (possibly wirelessly connected to digital toys and educational robots), and ubiquitous learning (learning in places where one can interact simultaneously and unobtrusively, possibly with digital wearables, with abundant physical objects around embedded with multiple micro-sensors reacting to external stimuli). All these subfields may be informed by the new findings of human attention, memory, and emotion in learning from brain science, which may inform the biological learning subfield itself. All these will result in the emergence of new learning strategies and new learning paradigms that promote active, productive, and creative learning..

Mission

Our missions are actively to raise a joint consensus among international researchers of the need and urge to collaborate globally and encourage international collaborative projects on 1:1 TEL, by establishing a worldwide network of projects, testbeds, and demonstration sites. In particular, we seek to:

• Organize the sharing of designs, methods, strategies, software, and findings;
• Explore learning with similar technologies across multiple cultures;
• Coordinate related research projects occurring in different parts of the world;
• Establish an international agenda to conduct high quality and synergistic 1:1 research; and
• Foster collaborations among researchers, teachers, and industry.