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October 15, 2001
The IT Guy
Maximizing Your Hardware Investment
By Bill Bateman
If you let the computer industry lead you around by the nose, you'll be tossing away equipment before it's even out of the box, trying to keep up with the upgrades and power boosts. On the other hand, if you keep computers as long as, say, a Volvo, you'll have software incompatibility issues to deal with and may not even qualify for certain grants, which require an installed base of newer machines.
And then we have the question of refurbished or donated machines. Lots of schools take all kinds of donations just to fill the classrooms with computers. In some cases this is great-it allows stand-alone access to technology where the budget prevented it before. On the other hand, I've found rooms filled with donated 75 MHz units that would barely accept even Windows 3.1. And don't forget, a mixed bag of brands, speeds, and motherboards can be asking for big trouble in the network compatibility and IT support areas.
With those issues in mind, find out: what are the computer purchasing or acceptance standards for your school? I asked at mine and was amazed that we didn't have any, at least not officially. A bit of prodding allowed clarification of what we do and don't do, and that has simplified things. But I had to ask, and so do you. The prodding may also bring up additional questions: Does every student desk have to have a new computer on it? Should every teacher have a computer with Internet access?
So I went back to square one. My goal was to review our technology plan as well as our equipment and how it was being used. Following are some personal discoveries I've made over the past nine years. I hope you'll find them helpful for making decisions at your own site.
For the record, there does not have to be a computer on every student's desk in the school. Especially not a ten year-old, 75 MHz machine that is barely running Windows 3.1. On the other hand, every student should have computer access daily as part of his or her schedule.
I believe that every teacher should be given the option to have a high-power computer on his or her desk as a basic class resource. Teachers should also be allowed to say "No, thank you." All teachers do not have to like computers and have them in their rooms. After 10 years of conducting staff training and seminars I know that some just don't want computers, they aren't interested, and their machines just sit and gather dust. Before you sit down to order, find out who's in and who's out.
On the other hand, we also have "power users." While not all teachers need or want a state-of-the-art system, some do. Better yet, they know how to get the most out of every megabyte of power they get. They can create CDs, prepare PowerPoint presentations, and teach others to do the same. By allowing some to opt out, those teachers who are interested can get better equipment. Some districts, after insuring all teachers who want a computer are equipped, give computing priority to power users while supporting non-computer-using teachers with books, materials, or in-service training of equal value.
For students, I don't like the idea of a computer lab-the room full of computers that they have to visit at lunch, after school, and by appointment-unless this is Upper Crust High and you have so many of the darn things you need someplace to put them. Equipment should be used as much as possible. I'd prefer classrooms with a significant number (10 or 15) of computers in them that students access daily as part of their normal class rotation. I'll bet there are teachers who would love to have this setup. I use computers in my English classes and work with my team-teacher to allow kids to conduct and write up science research during English.
Refurbished equipment can help meet many needs. If you take donations and reconditioned machines, try to get the most power you can. Make sure you can upgrade the memory. I find that 64MB is almost too low, making 128MB the goal. If there are no expansion ports or the memory isn't available, keep looking. Talk with your IT people before you go out on a quest. How would the installation of 12 e-machines (stand-alone units using discontinued or low-end parts) affect the system, if at all? Finally, group like machines together, be they networked or stand-alones, to minimize service issues.
Set standards for your site. Go to the vendors' Web sites, or wander through a PC superstore, and see what the software requirements are. Remember, they are often the minimum needs. I've found vendors are sometimes a bit "optimistic" about what will work on what system.
Sit down with your IT people and administrators and decide as a team what programs you'll be running not only now, but in the future. Also find out who really wants to do what. (This may require donuts, so everybody should chip in.)
Finally, if you take a room full of anything just to have a computer, you are off the list of those who need something. Make sure what you accept will do the job for your students not only now, but in two years, and not just look good when the parents come by.
In the limited space I have here I can't list everything, but I hope I've stirred you up enough to get you thinking. Look at what you have and what is being done with it. Can you change how you allocate your resources?
It is a lot of work; anything done right normally is. In the end, though, you'll have a well-planned, functional computer system. It may be state of the art or a collection of refurbished machines, or both. But the goal is maximum access and usage for both students and teachers alike, and when it works you can't help but feel happy. You've done a good job.
In addition to being a teacher of at-risk students, Bill Bateman is a Web designer and Webmaster, and he writes frequently for both magazines and the Internet. Watch for his daily tech tips this fall on techLEARNING.com.
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