Lincoln Street School Laptops

By Dianne Thompson

This past summer, we purchased 11 refurbished laptops to create a mobile lab for Lincoln Street School. Lincoln Street has no designated computer lab; however, we have found this to be a wonderful solution as we are able to integrate technology applications directly into classroom instruction – without moving a single child through the hallway! We began considering the lab in Sept. of 2001 when we were planning the technology budget for the 2002-3 year. The school’s Technology Committee enthusiastically approved the purchase and, at that time, we priced out 9 new laptops (figuring that average class size is 18 and that students could work together) and a mobile cart. When it came time to make the purchase, we received information about refurbished Dell computers. The price was too good to pass up since we were then able to get 11. Here’s what we bought:

• 11 Dell Latitude CPx laptops with 128 MB RAM, P2 processors, and Windows 98 ($625 each)
• A Bretford cart that holds 15 laptops leaving a few slots for supplies. The cart also has an electrical panel so we can plug the laptops in and charge them overnight. (about $500)
• New batteries as the refurbished were not guaranteed ($60/each)
• A Linksys wireless point access ($160) and 11 Linksys wireless network cards ($60 each)
• Office XP pro licenses ($62 each) and CALs (client access licenses to allow them to access network resources) for each unit ($5 each)
• An external mouse for each computer ($12 each) makes using the laptops much easier although many students like the track pads.
• An HP 1200 Laser Jet printer ($400)that sits on top of the cart and which attaches to the access point through a spare port to a jet direct which I already had.
• Two 8-outlet power strips and two heavy-duty extension cords (which go into those extra slots on the cart in case any of the units goes to low battery)

 Just to make my life easier, I keep the schedule for the lab on my door and teachers need to let me know if they need help setting up, teaching a lesson, or bringing it back. I am finding that many teachers are now feeling comfortable about using it themselves. Having the fast laser printer (even though it is not color) helps. We have loaded a number of educational programs, Internet Explorer, First Class, the Math Worksheet Generator, the Vocabulary Worksheet Generator, Inspiration, and many other programs are available to us. The lab can be split in two if one class only needs 4-6. We can also use our Destination large-screen computer as well as hooking up a laptop to a projector if we wish to show kids how they might use software.

 The lab is used very extensively and the challenge is keeping up with where it is going and whether the batteries are charged. We use it for teacher workshops as well as for working with students. To me, one of the best features of this is that we really use it for teaching, and not just for productivity, and that the kinds of applications we use it for allow students to work cooperatively to accomplish a goal. We are already budgeting to purchase another this next year. Even the most reluctant teachers are thrilled with the way students respond. They think using laptops is the best!!