What's it going to take?
At the CASE Convention this summer, we heard Alan November speak about the powerful new technologies that can store all kinds of text books in tiny spaces. He advised us that paper is too expensive and that we have to let go. He indicated that the cost to produce the technology he was holding in his hand was getting cheaper every day and the trend would enable education to buy large enough amounts of this technology to simply replace text books and other out-dated forms of media storage.
This falling trend of the cost of technology struck me and has echoed since then.
Yes, I recall my first laptop purchase in 1996. A Pentium I ThinkPad that I cherished. Ir ecall taking notes at the TIE conference shortly thereafter and the speaker noted that the costs to produce technology were dropping and that the trend was going to enable schools to buy enough laptop computers for every kid and completely revolutionize educational practice. I had $2,000 for my little ThinkPad...
Last month, I ordered a new laptop from Dell for my office and got hold of a nice Pentium IV machine with wireless and all the goodies. Like my old ThinkPad, it isn't the top of the line, but is nothing to sneeze at. I paid $2,000.
What happened to that trend everyone has talked about? I thought this stuff was going to cheaper?
I'll tell you what happened. The costs did get cheaper. Indeed, we could get new Pentium I laptops for $200 but who would buy them? You can't get software for them today unless you decided to run a Linux OS or went out on eBay and hit every yard sale you find looking for old software nobody wants anymore... does this sound the activity a district procurement office will take on?
So what's is gonna be? Are we forever stuck buying $2,000 laptops that will be obsolete in 3 years and always unable to fund the kind of change in technological environment that we envision? Do we just need more money? Or is there another answer here?
I'll post my own comment to this but I'd love to hear from others!
-Dan Maas
posted by CALET Member | 3:45 PM
2 Comments:
What about a Vertical Market? What if education represented a market for inexpensive equipment, like a Pentium I machine, and educational software that was developed to run on it? We would install the devices for specific purposes rather than general purpose computing and these systems could be used to truly transform instruction... because we could afford to put a quality product in the hands of every kid! Imagine if we had small laptops with instructional software, textbook replacing resources and office productivity tools all on one simple device. We don't need the latest video accelerator or the most advanced office suite for instruction. Especially at grades below high school. Our efforts continually put the most powerful tools in the hands of children who, for the most part, won't use the full capabilities in their educational activities. I think it might be possible to do this educational technology business affordably if we look at getting down to what we need as opposed to the latest and the greatest.
-Dan Maas
I recently did a demo of the DanaWireless by AphaSmart. The price is around $400. It runs the Palm OS and facilitates the concept that Dan is describing. The main draw backs are very limited network authentication and painfully slow Internet Browsing.
Fox Meadow Middle School in the Harrison School District is looking at purchasing a classroom set of these and we will be using the HP 760wl controller to control access and manage wireless security.
I debated with one of the other engineers in the shop as to whether the AphaSmart was a good solution. He argued that availability of cheaper laptop (he sited one just under $1000) was better investment.
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