School+Laptop+Programs

Opinions concerning school laptop programs

From a technical perspective a 1:1 or Cart based laptop program can provide some solutions to problems faced by IT departments and can make for some new problems: · Having everyone on a standard image can minimize config problems or at least allow for the deployment of standard solutions to those problems. · Software and operating systems can be standardized so that faculty can depend on all students having access to the software that they need. · It was interesting to note that at most schools the ratio seemed to be about 100 students/faculty:1 “tech guy”. It was noted that this can be a challenge. · Mixed schools, ie Mac and PC, - this can cause complications.

Schools approach this differently: · Admin rights o Some are allowing students no administrative access to install new software and hardware. This helps to keep their computers stable. o Others are leaving them wide open but warning students that if they develop a severe software problem that their machine will be reimaged and they will lose anything that is stored on the machine. o Others are pursuing a hybrid. Machines are tightly controlled during the week but opened back up nights and weekends. · Internet o Many are locking down internet access during the day. They note that kids always seem to find a way around the barriers that are put into place. o Others are leaving the internet fairly wide open and depending on teachers to maintain reasonable order. o There is a growing concern about internet and game addiction though we did not get into much detail.

· Other Computers o Some are no longer allowing students to connect anything but their school laptops to the network. · Damage
 * o All laptop schools expressed the need for the Accidental damage policy and loaner machines.
 * o An informal survey indicated that IBM products were pretty trustworthy, Dells “break all the time”, and that HP is somewhere in the middle. The schools using Macs generally liked the machines but found them hard to work on and very slow to be repaired (6-8 weeks). There are some third party facilities that might get the job done faster.

· Ownership: o Most of the machines are leased. o Some schools treat the machines as theirs while others treat the machines as if they belong to the students. o One participant stated that they collect the laptops every summer and reimage them with the latest software. This is an interesting approach as it does assure that the machines are ready to go on day one of the next school year. o It looks like costs run to about $750/unit per year. · Laptops and teachers! o Faculty expectations and the expectations placed on faculty can be high. o One estimate is that it takes five or six years for a laptop program to bear fruit at a school. Editors note: we need to delve into this to see if it is actually the case. o Most schools, at least up front, are not demanding integration into the curriculum. § Therefore, usage varies quite a bit between departments and individual teachers. o A few suggestions: § Adjust yearly evaluations to include a technical or an innovation component. § Increase faculty development concerning technology. · One school mentioned that they do a one week tech development program with teachers. · Some schools meet once a week with teachers for tech workshops which might include software training, brainstorming, curriculum development. It is important not to let people opt out of this if you are serious about getting it done. If it is going well you can move some of the work off into wikis, Moodle, etc and allow folks to complete it asynchronously. · Another school has hired someone to work with teachers concerning technology · Develop department champions to drive technical innovation. Have them present new technology during faculty development opportunities. · Review a potential teacher’s history of innovation and technology usage when they are going through the hiring process. § Publicize successes and give credit where it is due. § Administration should set both the tone and the example when it comes to using the technology that is available.

· Other notes o MS School agreement helps to level software costs. Schools should look into it if they are not already. o Think about where these laptop programs come from. They are often not driven by pedagogy as much as they are driven by marketing. This may be why it takes so long for the curriculum to catch up with the technology. Changing the way we teach can take 5 – 6 years. o **Make sure that the infrastructure is robust before you start the program – not after.** § If users can’t use the machines because of the network etc. rapid disappointment will set in. o Student education concerning capabilities and care and feeding of machines § Varies. Some schools do specific training during the course of the semester with students. Some depend on faculty to get that information across. Some advocate adding concepts such as file management to the grading rubric. § Most agree that a single session when receiving the machine is not enough to bring most students up to speed. It is widely assumed that students intrinsically know how to make their PC work. Most administrators are finding that this is not the case. o Is the computer a $1500 distraction? § Not sure. o Useful software to look into § Slate for sharing projector control with students. This is a bandwidth hog however.