October 2003 — Features
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The Reality of Anytime, Anywhere Learning
From the perspective of classroom management, laptops are small and nonintrusive. They also do not take up classroom space that is already in short demand, which allows them to easily fit on classroom desks. By using a wireless access point to establish a wireless network, classrooms with one or two drops can easily duplicate the functionality of a computer lab to instruct an entire class. In addition, the laptop cart is easily managed in a classroom environment. Teachers need only to check out the laptops to students and return them to their cart for charging.
From the perspective of site technology management, the laptop carts can be used to meet the needs of larger groups, including professional development activities and team-teaching projects, simply by combining laptops and stations from two or three carts. Since the laptops are housed in secure, rechargeable carts, it is easy to manage and move them around the school site as needed. SAUSD's IT department uses a firewall and other safeguards to keep their networks secure, thereby addressing the security issues that can arise with wireless environments.
Several SAUSD schools are in the process of putting wireless computing systems in place to supplement their hardwired network by establishing access points as part of the school site plan. Those involved refer to the flexibility provided by wireless systems and the ability to offer technology as a resource without impacting classroom space as two of the most compelling reasons to use wireless computing at their schools. Currently, there are seven schools within the district that are under construction, all of which are developing an infrastructure to support wireless access.
A Nonthreatening Training Environment
Wireless technology is also an available resource for training activities that take place in SAUSD's Professional Develop-ment Center. Curriculum training is the focus of the PDC, and the two wireless laptop carts that contain 20 laptops each are continually used in a wide variety of professional development activities. The laptops in the mobile labs are fully integrated with additional resources such as network printers, LCD projectors and SMART Board interactive whiteboards, which are installed in each training room.
In addition to the technology integration workshops that are presented to certificated staff by the Education Technology Department, other departments have discovered the advantages of integrating technology into the training activities they deliver. District librarian Maggie Barnes has used the laptops in the mobile labs with library personnel from schools throughout the district to provide hands-on training in using the recently adopted Oracle procurement program. "I had great feedback from library staff after that session," says Barnes. "They really enjoyed being participants instead of observers in technology training, and I'm planning to use the wireless laptops for applications training this school year."
Besides providing staff with a hands-on training experience, one unexpected benefit of using the mobile labs in the PDC has been the increased comfort level of workshop participants. By bringing laptops into a training space that is not used exclusively for technology (such as a computer lab), many people participating in training seem more relaxed and less threatened by the technology they are expected to use. And a training environment that is nonthreatening is ultimately an environment that is more conducive to learning.
