Tag Archive for onetoone

Richard | August 24, 2010
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Firmly On the Ground

Do you run a 1:1 student laptop program? Do your teachers and students do all of their work in the cloud, without any local system configuration? I have two questions for you.

What do you do when no cloud equivalent exists for a desktop application?
How do you provision network, antivirus, and security configurations?

Our desktop applications include:

  • Fathom
  • Geometer’s Sketchpad
  • ComicLife
  • Inspiration
  • LoggerPro
  • Flip4Mac
  • iBackup
  • Microsoft Office
  • Adobe Creative Suite

System configuration includes:

  • 802.1x system profile or WEP pre-shared key
  • Custom machine name (for network identification)
  • DHCP reservation (to assist with network identity)
  • Server certificate for Global Address List lookups
  • Sophos antivirus client
  • SafeConnect (network access control) client
  • Altiris (inventory and remote control) client
  • Allow remote administration via Apple Remote Desktop
  • Local administrator account for Apple Remote Desktop access
  • Apple administrator account to facilitate Apple repairs
  • Root user for some remote tasks

Category: Laptop programs, Software/desktop | Tags: , ,
Richard | April 16, 2009
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Laptop Program Report: Effectiveness and Impacts

In the spring of 2008, IT staff conducted a survey of students, teachers, and parents to better understand opinion about the effectiveness and impacts of the 1:1 student laptop program. The survey format followed a similar study of 2003, so that the school could compare the results over this five-year span. The school has published a 20-page report detailing findings of the study.

Major Findings

Laptop use in English and computer science classes is nearly ubiquitous. Among other subjects, students use laptop computers more often in history and modern languages classes and less often in math and art classes.

Laptop computing has increased student access to computers at home. Parents felt more strongly about this effect in 2008 than in 2003.

The survey found a small impact of the laptop program on teaching methods and curriculum. Respondents felt that the laptop program had significantly improved writing skills, improved collaboration, and increased communication overall.

Teachers feel that girls are more willing to use computers and demonstrate stronger computers skills as a result of the laptop program.

The survey suggests that the laptop program support the ability of students to learn in a way that matches their learning style.

Students and parents feel that laptop computers help students keep their academic lives more organized. Teachers feel the same way about their use of laptop computers.

Respondents expressed concern about a decrease in face-to-face communication as a result of the laptop program.

Students found great value in the ability of social network sites to overcome separation from their friends by distance or time.

Category: Laptop programs | Tags: , ,
Richard | October 20, 2008
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How fragile is the new MacBook?

Update January 3, 2010: It’s been over a year since the unibody MacBook was released, and I am pleased to report that they have held up very well! We have seen far fewer instances of case and hard drive damage than with the white MacBook model. Good work Apple, and please remember this in future redesigns!

I continue to wonder at the gulf between the needs of our student laptop program and Apple’s recent laptop releases. No kidding, they have won the heart of our kids, what with 80% of incoming ninth grade students choosing Mac over Lenovo both this year and last. At the same time, we have seen hardware repairs go way up, as kids drop the Macs, and they crack, dent, and break. I am a solid Apple enthusiast, but I also run a school technology program with pretty reasonable needs.

In recent years, we have cautioned parents and students away from the Aluminum MacBook Pro. Aluminum is a soft metal (it makes great foil and not so good jewelry). Most of our students (and teachers) who have the aluminum laptop have suffered dents and warps, some of which have increased stress on internal components and caused them to fail.

Now we have no plastic Mac to sell (at least once Apple’s inventory of white MacBook is exhausted). I recognize that the new aluminum case is cut from a solid piece of aluminum, but how will it withstand impacts? Will it still dent and ding? Will the hard drive, located right at the corner, take the brunt of the blow? I want to see crash test ratings!

The new glass screen face is another point of concern. We already experience cracked plastic screens, and now it’s covered by a layer of glass?

glass screen

Let me be clear. This is not our students’ fault, but their families get to foot the bill. If I had to move my computer from room to room ten times a day, mine would probably also get dropped or stepped on as well. Congrats to Apple for producing a machine likely to win the hearts of home users, graphic designers, and college students. That’s not enough for our students. We need toughness, too. Why won’t Apple produce a school-appropriate laptop?

Our “Mac tax” is currently $300. Families pay that much more to purchase a MacBook compared to a similarly equipped ThinkPad T61. The ThinkPad is more solid and comes with both a four-year warranty and accidental damage protection for the price. For the MacBook we start with a higher base price, pay a premium to get a four-year warranty that you can’t buy in stores, and then charge another fee to fund a limited, school-sponsored accidental damage protection program.

As the economy tightens, families are not going to accept this different much longer. We may end up with two tiers of laptop purchase, a Mac for those who can afford it, and a ThinkPad for those who want a tough machine for the money. I’m glad that my son is only in first grade.

Category: Hardware | Tags: , , ,