Technology Recycling for Excellence in Education
Independence Day?
Are we moving toward platform-indepenent computing? Perhaps. A lot of great software is now available on multiple platforms--the recent release of Firefox 3 is a good example. Earlier today I was working in Wink, an open-source screen-capture program available for multiple platforms. This week I also checked out 280Slides, a new web-based presentation application, similar to Google Presentations but with a very slick and easy-to-use interface. And there are lots more; OpenOffice.org, etc.
In a lot of cases, what appears to be limited choices turns out to be merely successful branding. Just as for many people a soft drink means Coke or Pepsi, or a tissue is a Kleenex, the words "computer software" mean WinMacOffice. Kind of ironic that the largest proprietary brands in the market have almost become thought of as generic, and the free, open-source products are thought of as "specialty" or "limited."
Rich web or cloud computing applications seem to hold a great deal of promise for the development of truly platform-independent computing. Why carry around a computer loaded with all of one's documents, spreadsheets, etc, AND all the software to open and manipulate these files, only to have to spend time emailing files between offices, or playing "flash drive turnover" at meetings? Why not have those files in the cloud, where they can be accessed as needed, by those who need them? With one's data and most applications on the web, anything becomes possible in terms of hardware and OS. Hardware configurations can depend on the intended use, rather than one-CPU-fits-all. There will always be a need for fast processors and large storage drives for things like home photo storage, video editing, or serious gaming. But why lug all that power down to the coffee shop to browse the Internet, or to the office to edit a report, or to the library for a research paper? A mini-laptop outfitted with a few gigs of flash drive and a basic Linux OS can easily browse to the Internet, access one's documents in the cloud, and use either onboard software or a web application for editing. Also, with education funds perenially in short supply, does it really make sense to fill a school with dozens of full computers, each of which has the latest processor and a multi-gigabyte hard drive? Especially since most of the time student work is saved on a central server anyway. And since each user station in a typical school computer lab or classroom is a full-fledged computer, it also requires a full-fledged OS and a full-fledged office suite, all of which comes with a full-fledged price tag.
With today's energy costs, many of us are reconsidering our approach to transportation. People are reevaluating their need for a large van or SUV, when a smaller, more economical vehicle will do the job. A school computer lab full of standalone computers which are used primarily for internet applications, word processing, spreadsheets, and keyboarding lessons is the tech equivalent of a parking lot full Hummers used mostly for short trips to the mall.
Before your school makes another major technology purchase, I would encourage you to take a careful look at your anticipated needs and the alternatives available to meet those needs. Project TREE is one of those alternatives. Please take some time to look through our site, especially the first blog entry and the PowerPoint slides in the photo section. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss what your students are doing with technology and what you want to do in the future.
In a lot of cases, what appears to be limited choices turns out to be merely successful branding. Just as for many people a soft drink means Coke or Pepsi, or a tissue is a Kleenex, the words "computer software" mean WinMacOffice. Kind of ironic that the largest proprietary brands in the market have almost become thought of as generic, and the free, open-source products are thought of as "specialty" or "limited."
Rich web or cloud computing applications seem to hold a great deal of promise for the development of truly platform-independent computing. Why carry around a computer loaded with all of one's documents, spreadsheets, etc, AND all the software to open and manipulate these files, only to have to spend time emailing files between offices, or playing "flash drive turnover" at meetings? Why not have those files in the cloud, where they can be accessed as needed, by those who need them? With one's data and most applications on the web, anything becomes possible in terms of hardware and OS. Hardware configurations can depend on the intended use, rather than one-CPU-fits-all. There will always be a need for fast processors and large storage drives for things like home photo storage, video editing, or serious gaming. But why lug all that power down to the coffee shop to browse the Internet, or to the office to edit a report, or to the library for a research paper? A mini-laptop outfitted with a few gigs of flash drive and a basic Linux OS can easily browse to the Internet, access one's documents in the cloud, and use either onboard software or a web application for editing. Also, with education funds perenially in short supply, does it really make sense to fill a school with dozens of full computers, each of which has the latest processor and a multi-gigabyte hard drive? Especially since most of the time student work is saved on a central server anyway. And since each user station in a typical school computer lab or classroom is a full-fledged computer, it also requires a full-fledged OS and a full-fledged office suite, all of which comes with a full-fledged price tag.
With today's energy costs, many of us are reconsidering our approach to transportation. People are reevaluating their need for a large van or SUV, when a smaller, more economical vehicle will do the job. A school computer lab full of standalone computers which are used primarily for internet applications, word processing, spreadsheets, and keyboarding lessons is the tech equivalent of a parking lot full Hummers used mostly for short trips to the mall.
Before your school makes another major technology purchase, I would encourage you to take a careful look at your anticipated needs and the alternatives available to meet those needs. Project TREE is one of those alternatives. Please take some time to look through our site, especially the first blog entry and the PowerPoint slides in the photo section. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss what your students are doing with technology and what you want to do in the future.
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