I seem to remember what you are talking about, but I don't know if is =
this particular thread of information I saved is what you are thinking =
of -- Hopefully it is and it helps you. I also have one on laptop =
contract discussions ... if that is it, let me know.
LAPTOP CHARGING, BATTERIES AND CLASSROOM USE DISCUSSION:
We're in the process of developing our 1:1 implementation plans. I'm =
very interested to hear from 1:1 schools that have a good solution to =
keeping student laptop batteries charged. We're buying the best battery =
available, but we still know there will be many dead batteries and many =
excuses! Dave Candelario=20
I've been sharing an idea on this topic that I've seen work successfully =
at two schools. First, a school should determine how many hours during =
the school day a laptop really should be used for academic work. Is it =
2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours during the school day (8-3?). A new Macbook =
battery can carry a charge for about 3.5 hours. It may only be able to =
do that for about 18 months of use, but typically they can run that long =
if the use of the laptop is managed well. So, consider this idea. If =
the goal of a laptop program is quality of use and not quantity of use, =
what if students didn't have AC adapters at school? What if the =
challenge for students was to manage their laptop and battery use to =
make one full charge last for the school day? Of course, there would be =
exceptions. A student could be loaned an adapter if the battery is out =
by the last period (but not every day). In science, there may need to =
be adapters for hours of probe data collection. Batteries that begin to =
fail will need to be replaced. The benefit, however, is that the use of =
the laptops could be more focused. Additionally, most of the electrical =
cable clutter in classrooms is removed. The laptops weigh less being =
transferred from home to school and back again. The laptop cases can be =
narrower because there doesn't need to be an outside pocket for the =
adapter. Finally, the laptops will likely last longer if their use was =
more focused during the day, and their use as "big iPods" just before =
and after school was reduced. So, just an idea. I have seen it work =
successfully, but obviously it's not a fit for all laptop programs. Jim =
Heynderickx =20
=20
I really like Jim's idea of tying the question of productive use of the =
laptops to conservation of power. It puts some perspective on the amount =
of power we demand (more popularly our "carbon footprint") and helps =
students see the real need to husband these resources as opposed to =
using them frivolously. This conversation then extends far beyond the =
laptop program to our personal and community-wide habits in regards to =
power and energy. And the solution once again makes it the =
responsibility of the student to be prepared, organized, and thoughtful, =
rather than the teacher or IT department's job to supply support =
services to them for every aspect of their lives. Jenni Swanson =
Voorhees
Jim's thought on assessing how many hours of academic use each day is a =
great idea. We have always just generalized and many kids don't make it =
to the end of the day. Even though we emphasize plugging in the laptop =
every night from day one, many students "forget". But, we ask each =
student to bring their chargers along every day just in case. We have a =
policy that the computer is not an excuse for failing to turn in work on =
time. That keeps the overall responsibility of managing the laptop in =
the students' court. As the previous posters noted that as the batteries =
age and have reduced charge times. To that end, we have deployed an =
unused laptop lab cart in a commons area to allow the students to safely =
plug in their laptops during "down" times like lunch and PE class. In =
the lower grades the Macbook's quick boot times actually allow the =
students to shut them down between uses and we have few problems with =
those batteries draining. Once they get into middle school though, =
online texts and note taking become daily routine making total runtime =
much higher. We will begin our academic assessment for realistic time =
management and challenge our students to make it to the end. Maybe even =
"reward" the kids who make it to the end of day on a regular basis. Fred =
Austin=20
I agree with the idea of quality over quantity and I certainly like the =
idea of reducing our carbon footprint. However, teachers need to be =
able to explore and experiment to discover quality ways to use the =
technology well in the classroom. Creating a standard that keeps laptop =
use reduced to 3 hours per day seems to be an excessive limitation on =
the exploratory creativity of classroom teachers and would require a =
significant degree of planning among the teaching team. A policy of =
this nature could also have a "chilling effect" of seeking to find and =
capture that "teachable moment." Doing so is to jeopardize the =
reliability of that battery being able to make it through the day. I =
absolutely applaud the effort to find ways to manage a 1:1 program on =
batteries but after doing this for 9 years in two different schools I =
have personally given up on the fight. (I know...so defeatist!) :-) =
Good education is messy. So are laptop cords. Alex Inman=20
I find it fascinating that an apparent "technical" issue like charging a =
battery is perhaps more complex and linked to "teachable moments". But =
I suppose all school situations should be considered opportunities to =
teach and learn. Alex, getting back to a practical matter, are you =
saying that it's basically a "free for all" with regard to battery =
charging at Whitfield or do you have a policy that is monitored? Dave =
Candelario
We have the following power backups in place for our 1:1 MS laptop =
program: battery check-out (by bar code) in library. Must be returned by =
the end of each day. (huh!) 3 power adapters in heavy use classrooms =
supplemental batteries to rotate in classes where there is unusually =
heavy use i.e. special projects. It seems to me that any tool that is =
over or mis-used will lose its' value. Angela Neff
We moved our incoming students to Lenovo X60 Ultra-Portable notebooks =
with the 8-cell battery this year. The notebook does not have an =
optical drive which reduces power consumption. The X60 is getting =
about 5 hours which is enough for the day. Our notebook computers are =
student owned and we attempt to help the students become responsible for =
charging and battery maintenance/replacement. If the students lose a =
power adapter they can purchase one from our repair center. We have the =
students purchase the replacement battery from an online vendor. The =
shelf life on the battery seems to be about 6-12 months so we stopped =
stocking them. Jason Hyams
I prefer to call it "artistic chaos!" :-) We make sure that each class =
is supplied with power strips and those plastic floor covers for the =
cords. We have small classrooms and the rooms are frequently =
re-arranged. Teachers are supplied their choice of any combination of =
two different kinds of power strips. One has a 15' cord and the other =
has a compact hub of 8 receptacles. Some teachers have highly structured =
systems for powering laptops in the classroom. Some have cabinets set =
up as "charging stations." Some have fairly static classroom =
environments with the tables effectively "wired" for power and some slap =
the power strip on the floor when someone calls for it. A mosaic of =
electrical beauty! ;-) Alex Inman=20
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