[ATTW-L] The Death of Computer Classrooms

Tue Apr 17 17:10:11 UTC 2018

Following up on what everyone else is saying . . .  I’ve never been a big fan of Bring-Your-Own-Devices campus policies, thinking that BYOD policies allow most academic institutions to elide their responsibilities towards providing technological resources to their students.  But, over the years, most of my students, including some who are very poor, seem to have found a way to bring their own devices, and most of my students now bring a couple of devices to class.  Thus, I struggled with finding a pedagogical way to make those devices meaningful for the classroom.

One of the technology tools I’ve been (trying) to use this semester is a thing called Mersive Solstice.  I’m not even techy enough to explain how it works, but once installed in a classroom, it allows students to project from their devices—smart phones, iPads, laptops, tablets—through the single computer projector station.  This tool allows students to bring their own devices, and teachers to project their students’ in-class work, without having loads of campus-owned equipment or teacher training.  Nor do students need loads of training on devices they will never own or use outside of the classroom and outside of their own devices.  It’s really a pretty cool piece of technology, although it costs about $1500 per room.  And, no I’m not getting any kind of commission from the Mersive company in promoting this tool.  

Mark, if your institution is trying to reduce its technology costs by reducing computer classrooms, I would make the case that some kinds of technologies still need to be provided by the institution—software licensing, updates on the instructional broadcasting/projection tools, many more electric outlets/ recharging stations installed, and possible collaborative technology stations (where groups of four students can work at a single computer that projects to their own table).

PS.  I see a very productive CCCC or C&W or ATTW panel proposal coming out of this discussion. Anybody up for collaborating on a proposal?

Susan L. Popham, Ph.D.

Dept. of English; composition and professional writing

Indiana University, Southeast

Writing Faculty Advisor, The Voice, the journal of the School of Arts and Letters, IUS

Editor, Programmatic Perspectives, journal of the Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication

From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org> On Behalf Of Alisha Karabinus
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2018 9:03 AM
To: attw-l at attw.org
Subject: Re: [ATTW-L] The Death of Computer Classrooms

Just to pick up with what Rick was saying, since I'm in the same labs - not only are those spaces rigid and often difficult to work with for activities (not to mention for teachers accessing students who need help), no matter how often the machines get updated or replaced, they are slow and unreliable. Our students have access to loads of software on computers that aren't dependable unless they find certain labs on campus, which doesn't help in our computer classrooms. One example: if our students want access to sound in one building's computer classrooms, they have to bring non-bluetooth headphones, plug them in before logging in, and hope that works. If it doesn't, they have to restart the computer. Logging in, testing, and restarting a single time can take up to ten minutes. That's a significant chunk of class time wasted for nothing more than tech issues that students won't experience (usually) with their own tech. 

We do have laptops we lend for class activities, and the other program I teach in makes Chromebooks available during class as well and everything is much smoother. I wish universities would simply allow students to check out laptops if they don't have their own instead of maintaining computer classrooms, so long as lab spaces are available on campus for more robust work. 

Alisha Karabinus

Assistant Mentor, Introductory Composition

Graduate Instructor, ENGL 106E

Doctoral Candidate, Rhetoric and Composition

Purdue University

On Mon, Apr 16, 2018 at 9:58 PM, Johnson, Richard D <rjohnso at purdue.edu <mailto:rjohnso at purdue.edu> > wrote:

Hey Mark, 

I'll share my experiences as a long-time computer classroom teacher, and we'll see what others have to say. I finally grew tired of teaching in computer labs. They're static, stale, and institutional. Plus, my students were bringing their laptops into the computer classroom anyway, preferring to work on their own machines rather than the desktop computers. And, I was tired of my students being forced to sit in rigid lines or rows of workstations, much like telemarketers. That arrangement was undermining my active learning approach and our team projects. 

So, a few years ago, I asked my students if they owned their own laptops. Every one said they owned their own machine and starting pulling them out of their backpacks. The price of a Chromebook and similar low-cost laptops is somewhere between $150 and $400, so owning a laptop is not prohibitively expensive for the majority of students. (That said, I'm aware that some underprivileged students cannot afford even a Chromebook. I work around that problem by bringing laptops for them, borrowed from our department. And, I'm aware some colleges and universities do not have enough funds to lend laptops. I get it.) 

Bottom line: Every classroom is a computer classroom If students bring their own laptops and have reliable wi-fi. (Again, exceptions apply here. Some campuses don't have reliable wi-fi.)

Here are some benefits to the laptop classroom approach:

*	The classroom is highly flexible as an active learning space. No more rows of computer banks locking students into rigid lines. 
*	Students are familiar with their own machines, so no more complaining about Mac or PC machines.  
*	Students can use any software they want for the basics, including "free" internet based software like Google Docs. Lots of other software is available for free, like Audacity. 
*	Students can share files through cloud-based file sharing sites and have access to their files at all times.  

And here's my favorite benefit. When I want their attention for my brief 10-15 minute lecture, or a discussion of a reading, or a critique of a document's design, I ask them to put the lids down on their laptops. That way, I know I have their attention for that time period. Meanwhile, I don't need to police people on Instagram, playing Fortnight, watching Netflix, etc. When the lecture/discussion/critique is finished, the lids go up and we get to work.

You asked about advanced software like the Adobe Suites, and that's one challenge. Many universities have Software Remote options that allow software to be used for free, including on campus. Others allow students to buy cheap site licenses.

Also, Adobe Creative Cloud is reasonably priced for students and faculty ($19.99 a month, which works out to $60 a semester with the free trial). Again, I'm aware not everyone can afford that. For classes that need Adobe software, I keep that cost in mind and try to save student's money by choosing less costly textbooks. And, I'm aware that statement is ironic coming from me. That said, with a laptop, another benefit is that they have classroom access to less expensive e-versions of popular textbooks in our field. 

Listen, I know there are are a bunch of exceptions to what I've said above. There's no one-size-fits-all solution. I do know that traditional computer classrooms are very expensive to set up or replace (at least $100,000 per classroom, not to mention IT support and maintenance). And, my students and I were never happy with the computers or the learning environment. So, I think we should stop wasting millions on dinosaur computer classrooms, because that's coming out of our students' pockets in a hidden way. 

I"m also aware that people think laptops are a dying breed. I don't agree. It's hard to write and design documents on phones and tablets. Laptops and desktop computers are here to stay. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Professor Richard Johnson-Sheehan

Department of English

Purdue University

500 Oval Dr.

428 Heavilon Hall

W. Lafayette, IN 47907

 <mailto:rjohnso at purdue.edu> rjohnso at purdue.edu

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org <mailto:attw-l-bounces at attw.org> > on behalf of Mark Crane <craniac at gmail.com <mailto:craniac at gmail.com> >
Date: Monday, April 16, 2018 at 5:27 PM
To: "attw-l at attw.org <mailto:attw-l at attw.org> " <attw-l at attw.org <mailto:attw-l at attw.org> >
Subject: [ATTW-L] The Death of Computer Classrooms

Hi,

I currently manage two computer classrooms with 20 machines apiece.  I've been in charge of them since 2002, with a break of about four or five years in the middle of that period.

The classrooms are funded, with the exception of Adobe Creative Suite licenses, by student fees. This includes a couple of color laser printers.

One thing I've noticed over the past few years is that with the proliferation of phones, tablets, Chromebooks and laptops that students are not logging into the lab machines as frequently, often preferring to work on their own devices, even if that means thumb typing on a phone.

I recently put in a order for new machines, and was told that the order was on hold because the campus is moving towards a policy of no longer supporting computer classrooms (as opposed to standalone lab not attached to a course).  

So I'm just fishing here, wondering what your experiences have been with computer classrooms. Also, can you tell me:

1) What software packages do you use with your undergraduate technical communications courses

and

2) Who pays for those licenses?

Note: Microsoft Office, in some form, is free for the students and faculty.  (I hate teaching Intro Tech Comm with Word, for what it's worth)

We are hoping to retain control of the rooms and hopefully will be able to use at least one of them for the teaching of technical communications for our Writing Studies emphasis.

Thanks,

Mark Crane

Utah Valley University

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