August 2005 — Features
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The Hidden Costs of Wireless Computer Labs
Curriculum Integration
All of our schools that were polled are using the mobile labs for Internet research and directed writing projects. Several schools also report using the wireless computer labs to immerse students in technology for the life span of a project. “The iBook lab was purchased to support technology immersion in the classroom,” says Appelbaum. “They use Inspiration software (www.inspiration.com) for brainstorming and outlining, the Internet for research, and the local network for collaboration.” Students then use HyperStudio (www.hyperstudio.com) and PowerPoint (office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx) to present their findings to the class. In addition, other schools report using the lab in science classes to research and write reports on diseases.
Editing movies and other colloborative projects works particularly well with the wireless laptops. For example, small teams of students can move to comfortable locations on campus to edit movies or put together slide shows. Students can also sit in a circle or pass the laptops around to each other to share Web sites or view a work in progress.
Laptop Alternative
At Stocklmeir Elementary School, a mobile cart of 33 AlphaSmart computer companions (www.alphasmart.com) has been an inexpensive solution for directed writing projects and teaching keyboarding skills. AlphaSmart computers are compact laptop alternatives with a full-featured keyboard and an LCD display. Maintenance issues have been almost nonexistent, and these computers represent a quarter of the cost of a mobile computer lab with the same number of units. Clearly, the AlphaSmart devices are a mobile product worth considering.
“Collaborative projects that involve small teams are well suited to the flexible computing that laptops and wireless networking enable in a dedicated lab environment.”
Conclusions
Schools with mobile labs generally have a better student-to-computer ratio than those without, but the cost of reliability for the labs is increased tech hours.“Meeting our goal of using the mobile lab in classrooms is not achievable without proper tech support from me, and encouragement from the principal and me, ”says Olga Eidelman, tech aide at Eisenhower Elementary School.
While wireless mobile labs enhance computing technology in our schools, they are not yet ready to replace the dedicated computer lab. Older students can benefit from the independent research and computing that mobile labs allow, but collaborative projects that involve small teams are well-suited for the flexible computing that laptops and wireless networking enable in a dedicated lab environment. Ultimately, as wireless protocols improve, updating laptop software will become easier and connections will become more reliable. This will allow an increasing number of dedicated computer labs to adopt wireless protocols, further blurring the line between desktop computers and laptops.
Una Daly is the technology coordinator at Christa McAuliffe K-8 School in Saratoga, CA. She previously worked as a software manager and engineer specializing in computer networking at Apple Computers and 3Com Corp.
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