So You Want to Build an Internet Classroom?
Our classroom
is small for 24 children and 13 computers...25' x 35'. With such
a small space there is no way to avoid the prominence of the computers. However,
the situation is workable. For example, by choosing colors carefully the
computers look more like the rest of the furniture. In
1996 we selected a configuration that enabled all the
children to see the board and projection screen and which made it easy to
move from place to place. By
1997 we had added an overhead LCD projector and
teacher's console (adjacent to the yellow overhead projector) and moved the
tables to provide a group space in front by the board.
The children were found to be too active to use the group space well, so in
late 1997 the configuration was changed again to
provide better control. Notice how inconspicuous the computers have
become! In
fall 1999 we moved into a new school with no floor
wiring system. The classroom is the same size, but the layout is now largely
determined by the ceiling tile lattice, sprinkler system, and conduits.
Here is a checklist of issues that might help
others build a classroom as quickly as possible.
The Big Purchase
Most planners know how to deal with the purchasing process. Dealing with computing
vendors can be frustrating because their business practices are often more
primitive than those we teach our children. Most computer companies still have
salespeople who add to product costs while being inaccessible and difficult to deal
with. Many companies do not have clearly articulated product lines and pricing, and
that adds confusion and lengthens the purchasing time. Here are a few ideas that
might be helpful.
- Bidding adds a month to a purchase...find out what contracts already exist.
- If you can't find up-to-date configurations and pricing on the www, find another
vendor.
- Get your vendor's technical support number and see how long it takes to reach a
human.
- Can you get software drivers for your equipment from the vendor's www site?
- Are there any special components in a vendor's equipment that will lock you into
that vendor? If so, look elsewhere.
- Have you included shipping in your cost estimates?
- Make sure you know who will resolve later problems with the equipment.
- Often local companies can give you excellent prices, but if they have to bid,
they may not win.
Site Planning Issues
- Will the room A/C handle the heat load from the computers in all seasons?
- Are there sufficient outlets for each workstation...computer, monitor, printer,
and speakers?
- Will the wiring system provide sufficient flexibility without a serious
rat's nest of wires around each workstation?
- Has the classroom layout been carefully planned? Will the students all be
able to see the teacher comfortably? Is there glare from lighting or from the
sun at any time of day?
- Is there a space where the students can gather to function as a group, free of the
technology?
- Are all the tables easily accessible, or is it diffcult to move between some
of the workstations?
- Is the equipment secure? Is it insured?
- When and how will the equipment be turned off? There may be many switches!
- Are the tables large enough for books and papers as well as the computing
equipment? Get putty tops instead of textures or brown.
- Consider an analog phone with which modems can be tested and which can
provide a reliable sound channel for remote conferencing.
- Who will install the equipment and the network? Who will maintain it? Who
will help with routine software problems?
Equipment Usability and Maintenance
- Consider multiple keyboards so that children will not have to push them back
and forth.
- Give thought to reliability. Are there network or utility components that
threaten the system usability?
- What software will be necessary to conduct classes? Is it easy to use?
- How should the computer desktop be structured to make all the important software
easily accessible?
- Is there a sufficient budget for expendable supplies? Even inkjet cartridges cost
$25 each!
- Do teachers and aides have identical computers at home?
- Who will train the teachers? Will they have enough time to restructure their
classes to use the new technology?
- Can the teachers count on stable access to network services?
- Are all computers set up the same way? If not, there will be problems in
giving instructions on the use of inconsistent configurations.
- Is there a complete inventory of equipment and software registration numbers?
- Are the manuals and disks that came with each system organized and secure?
- Since paired students do not always get along, they may have to be moved
from one computer to another. How will email accounts be moved from machine
to machine as the students move?
- Who will update anti-virus and site-blocking databases?
- Who will maintain and coordinate computer accounts for student WWW
publishing?
- Who will restore the icons and software that are deleted or altered by the
students?
- Are there backups for critical data and software?
Ethics and Security
- What measures will be used to control browsing of offensive www sites?
- How will viruses be controlled?
- Have network ethics been discussed with the students? Have they been advised
never to send their name or address over the network without authorization?
- Is all software properly licensed?
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