you have to work with. Rolling computer labs? Automatic response systems? Interac- tive white boards? And don’t stop with the obvious. Look in the closets. Look in the storage room down the hall. Said one of my colleagues, “Discover what technologies you actually do have access to and what they can be used for with the students. Older technol- ogy has a habit of falling down between the seat cushions. So lift up those cushions and pull out those tools!”


Besides inventorying your stuff, inven-


tory your people. Who knows what about what, technologically speaking? As you add hardware and software to your list, also add the names of people who know how to use it, like to use it, and/or find it indispensable. These will be key players in helping you de- termine just how to get more out of it in the long run.


3.


Resuscitate your hardware. There are a number of things you can do to breathe new life into older


machines. Install solid-state hard drives. They use less power, provide faster data access, and are more reliable than the machine’s old hard drive. Multiply your old computer’s brain cells by adding “ran- dom access memory” (RAM); it improves their ability to multitask. “Desktop virtu- alization” might be an option for you and can provide cost savings through shared resources, more efficient use of energy, and simplified administration.


Still have some machines that barely


have a pulse? One option is to find a use for them. For example, one respondent said, “If you have old computers that can’t handle a major upgrade, then keep them as an In- ternet research center.” All they need is an Internet connection and a Web browser! Al- ternatively, look for a vendor who will let you trade in several older machines in exchange for one new one. You may have to add a little cash, but you’ll realize some value from the trade-ins. As you consider keeping and repurpos-


ing older equipment, one respondent had a caveat: “There are amazing free, inexpen- sive, and/or open-source solutions out there nowadays for K-12, a lot of which can run on under-powered existing hardware. However,


there is a danger of schools trying to keep obsolete equipment ‘running for a few more years,’ too. Support costs go up rapidly with age, and end-user equipment older than three years is often not worth repairing or even supporting.”


4.


Tour your software. I once heard someone ask an audience, “Do you know how to get 80 percent more


electronic whiteboards and touch tables and all the other things out there. But when you can save over an hour a day by having a tool like this automate things and help you sleep better, why not?” Another said, “I find that many teachers


do not understand the full potential of the technology available to them. For example, simple tools including auto summary on Word or summary and text to speech on the


Does it take 15 minutes out of an hour-long lesson to retrieve, unlock, relock and return the laptop cart? Find a better place for it and a better procedure.


value from a software program?” He waited as we sat nonplussed, then delivered the punch line. “Read the manual.”


That remark would resonate with many


of my respondents. “I’m constantly amazed how people only get 10 percent of the benefit from tech because they only know 10 percent of the functions,” lamented one. “For in- stance, I believe the most underutilized soft- ware in education and business is Microsoft Outlook! Most people have no idea how they can convert e-mails into scheduled tasks, use Outlook exchange collaboratively, organize e-mail rules, manage groups and calendars, etc. I know this is nowhere near as sexy as


Mac offer a wide range of possibilities in the classroom and increase student access to ed- ucation. Virtually any text document can be converted into an audio file and podcast that can be embedded into websites and used on MP3 players.”


5.


Make it available. Access is criti- cal, and we tend to think of it in terms of measures – the ratio of


computers to students, how many class- rooms have Internet connections, and the amount of bandwidth are common exam- ples. But access also involves where things are located and who gets to use them. Does it take 15 minutes out of an hour-long lesson to retrieve, unlock, relock and return the lap- top cart? Find a better place for it and a bet- ter procedure. Is there an interactive white board used by one teacher as an expensive chalkboard while another teacher down the hall is truly ready to explore its capabilities? Move it!


As Sugata Mitra’s “hole-in-the-wall” re-


search has shown, sharing and pooling tech- September/October 2011


9


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