Technology As A Journey, Not a Destination

So I have two Acer AspireOne netbooks that I have tried, unsuccessfully, to auction on ebay.  One is running Windows 7 Home Premium that I upgraded via a USB flash drive.  The other is running Ubuntu Netbook Remix.  The more I use them, I realize that the size of these netbooks is not particularly great.  There was a time when I really enjoyed taking them into bed or sitting on the couch with them for just web browsing.  Before I got a macbook, I always had bulky laptop computers that were just too big to sit comfortably with.  The Macbook changed that, but then made me crave smaller.  The size of the Macbook 13″ is just perfect for portability, but sometimes you need something smaller.

Taking a laptop into bed to read is a hassle and an annoyance for your spouse.  Whether that is a full-size laptop like my Macbook or the Acer Aspire netbook, it’s still a pain.

It had been a while since I even turned on either of the netbooks, so I decided tonight to grab one and try to work on some learning in Moodle that I am woefully behind in finishing.  The Windows 7 machine, for some reason, decides at the most inopportune time to install updates and restart.  Then it decided that it couldn’t  update anyway, but that’s a rant for another time.

As I was working on those, I realized that the size of the screen just wasn’t right for reading the tutorials.  I was forever scrolling and moving and it just irritated me to no end.  So I grab the iPad to see if that would work.  Well, some of the tutorials were in flash format, so that scratched that idea.  However, the size of the iPad was perfect for what I needed.

In the end, I needed to use my Macbook, but I was left annoyed by the fact that the two devices I wanted to use wouldn’t work for me.  And then I realized that this whole iPad type device is still the first of its kind.  As it progresses and people try to outdo each other, I’m sure in about five years these devices will see as archaic as the floppy disk.

For the last two days, I’ve been struggling with a mobile computer lab of 25 laptop PC’s that just doesn’t seem to work right.  It seems that the teachers spend more time fighting with the laptops than actually getting useful stuff done with them.

This is a unique situation because technically, there is nothing wrong with the laptops.  They boot up, log in and are ready to go.  However, the time to get all of this done is very time consuming.  So I have been experimenting with various programs to manage them remotely, with limited success.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I have the knowledge of how a similar lab works that is made of Mac computers.  They have none of these problems.  Unfortunately, there is a resistance to anything that is not Windows based.  I am slowly opening eyes that Microsoft is not the only game in town, and am working to move the mindset away from Mac vs. PC to seeing computers as a tool.

It makes no sense to have this – I don’t even know what to call it – rivalry, for lack of a better term, in the schools.  Schools do not debate on what type of pencil is best, or what type of paper will work. They pick what works and that is what is used.  The same approach should be taken when it comes to computers.  The kids don’t care one way or another, the kids view computers as a tool.  It’s only the staff that has this view of computers as one or the other.

Back to the point, so today I got the go ahead to experiment with this lab that is, for lack of a better term, unusable in its current state.  I opted to use Ubuntu Linux and OpenSolaris as a test case.  As part of another initiative, we are experimenting with options for student laptops.  This will be a good real world test of alternate operating systems.  All these computers need to do is access the Internet for research and do basic word processing.

What surprised me the most is that a teacher that I rely on for her advice seemed very impressed with Ubuntu.  She had never seen it before, so it was a dramatic change.  In fact, these computers were transformed.  So I’m taking two or three laptops and putting Ubuntu on them as a test.  I am so excited that this can be something useful and will require no maintenance.

I am so fortunate to work in a district where I am given the freedom to experiment.  Sometimes they look at me like I have three heads when I have crazy ideas, but overall they work out and improve systems.  I have brought a lot of Free/Open Source software into the district and everyone loves the things that I have done with it.  I only hope this is one more thing.

I will post more as things develop.