Cheap Computers in My Classroom?

richeddy asks: "I am going to start teaching elementary school in the near future. As a new teacher, I have the crazy idea that I might be able to actually teach my students a few things that other teachers just don't seem to be able to teach. This involves teaching methods that might be a bit unconventional. To this end, I am interested in building and installing a network of classroom computers that the students can use in real-world ways. That's right, no glorified flash cards in my classroom! I want my students using computers for research, presentations, writing, data collection and analysis, etc. In order to do this, I am going to have to personally foot the bill for the hardware and software. So I am looking for suggestions on what direction to go. I figure that I will need 5-7 computers to accomplish my vision, and I can't imagine paying for Windows and Windows apps. It looks like my only real option is to build the systems myself, which isn't a problem. Any ideas? Suggestions? Comments?"

Comments

Cheap O computers

[xagon7]

You could ask for donations from Parents.. tax write-off for them

You could get the $200 PCs from Wal-Mart.com .. the school may be able to scrounge up monitors for you -- or the donation route or your local Goodwill or Salvation Army.

I home this help "some".

Good luck!

You're taking a big chance

[GuyMannDude]

I know you're asking about the computers and not your style of teaching, but I'd like to put my two cents in for what it's worth. I don't know what this school you are going to teach at is like but many institutions are scared of change. By starting off right away and using, as you put it, unconventional teaching methods, you run the risk of irking the powers that be in the school. Since you are new, you haven't given them any reason to trust your instincts or abilities. Perhaps after a few years of proving yourself as a competant, exciting teacher they may be more receptive to your quirky ideas.

I want my students using computers for research, presentations, writing, data collection and analysis, etc.

I'm not sure what you have in mind, but I am wondering how many elementary school students are going to be ability to demonstrate the skills you list above. Again, you run the risk of other, more established teachers telling you to cool off and take a few years to get acquainted with the abilities of a typical elementary school child.

I admire your dedication to your field and, although I am usually a strong opponent of computers in the classroom, your approach sounds interesting (I, too, am against glorified flashcards). I just want you to realize that you are taking a fairly big chance with your career by following unconventional teaching approaches right away. It works out nicely in the movies but the powers that resist change in the real world tend to be much more formidable then their cinematic counterparts.

Good luck,
GMD

go easy route

[psavo]

If you get some PC's with enough RAM, and 'young' enough, I suggest you run Knoppix. It's a CD-ROM distro, and lives from ROM. It doesn't need to be installed, and doesn't need a hard-drive. It can save your settings on a flpppy though. (And it supports burning CD's). It has lots of niceties like autodetecting most if not all hardware, kde, openoffice and alike.

Just make sure..

[aztektum]

they know they're arithmetic, spelling, and the capitals first. don't get them started on oo wiz bang gizmos until they understand their basic studies otherwise they might get distracted. i started playin' those silly learning games in school and never wanted to do my homework.

Hardware isn't the problem.

[TheSHAD0W]

Getting hardware cheap isn't going to be your problem. What will give you the biggest headaches will be getting appropriate software. There's very little free stuff out there appropriate for little kids, and I doubt you'll be able to get discounts on the commercial stuff. I personally found it all mediocre.

You may be able to get somewhere by having the kids visit some of the children-topical websites that are up. As for their making presentations, and doing coursework online... I think you'll run into problems.

I strongly suggest that before embarking on this ambitious project you get ONE computer, and try to set it up so it'll be capable of everything you want. That way you won't wind up with kids working around the big, useless boxes sitting on their desks.

What is your goal?

[TheWanderingHermit]

First, I'd have to say I agree STRONGLY with the post by GaryMannDude above about change. Schools are VERY conservative institutions (speaking from experience -- 10 years of teaching before burnout). They do not like change and administrators are often actually feel threatened by teachers -- especially new ones, who konw a lot of things the administrators don't know -- like how to use technology.

Second -- and my main point: What is your goal? Is it to teach the children the objectives for your year that you have them, or is it to teach them all the things you think they should learn? Almost every 1st year teacher I've ever known (myself included) has spent 12 hours a day or more on lesson plans. This is especially true for elementary students. You don't say what grade you'll be teaching (and there's a big range and a BIG difference between kindergarten and 5th grade), but I don't know a single elementary teacher who spent less than 10 hours a day on prep and grading during their first year.

Do you really want to add setting up a group of computers on top of that? Is your goal to teach or to make a new record for quick teacher burn out? If you are not teaching the basic goals, as stated in your state's/county's/city's guides, it won't matter what miracles you're producing or what the kids can do with computers, you'll be on probation and out the door by the ned of the year.

First year teaching, especially in elementary school, is rough. If you want to succeed as a teacher, spend your first year teaching and finding out what it's like being totally, 100% responsibile for a class of children (including dealing with the administrator and the parents) without your teeachers or an experienced teacher helping you through 1/2 a semester of student teaching.

I admire and applaud your goals, but trying to do all this in your first year is asking for burn out and a new career. Spend this year, and likely the next, learning your profession. After you've been teaching for a few years, then make plans for how you're going to integrate the computers into your classroom. You'll do much better if you tie the computers in directly to the required objectives (in Virginia teachers are responsible for teaching the material stated in the Standards of Learning for each grade -- and yep, the Standards of Learning are called S.O.L.s), so when you're setting them up you can show administrators how they tie in directly to what you're expected to teach.

You'll also do much better this way in the long run. You're pacing yourself instead of trying to do everything at once. While your students in the first year won't gain benefits from your computer plans, in the long run, if you pace yourself, you'll reach many more students without burning out.

You're new at this, aren't you?

[gmhowell]

First, there are no new ideas in teaching. It's the same old crap wrapped up in a new buzzword. The 'new things' my mother and MIL learned when in college were the same things with different names that my wife learned.

Second, you are going to be too busy the first year to muck about with computers for the classroom. If not, you're probably doing a disservice to the kids. (OTOH, if you get it going in the summer so that all you have to do is wheel them in...)

Are you going to support them? On a teacher's salary? How long until junior wants to see if the class goldfish can live in the CD rom drive? If not, do you have any idea how bad the odds are that someone who works IT for your school will have a clue? Again, good luck.

If you really have new, useful ideas, you could probably do more good sharing them with other teachers, not testing them on some unwitting students. If what you are thinking truly is new (and see my first comment: it probably isn't) you could qualify for some grant money. At this point, getting the okay from your principal is very important.

Finally, I strongly urge you to read High Tech Heretic. Even if you disagree with his conclusions, you should at least be able to argue against them intelligently.

Your crazy idea might be just that....

[duffbeer703]

One of the smartest people I ever met was the son of a farmer whose family owned a vcr, much less a computer.

He went to a local community college, then transferred to the state university and eventually ended up becoming a very rell-regarded biochemist.

You don't need to go to an elite school or have access to lots of high tech gadgetry to learn. Make it your goal to have your fifth graders reading at a 10th grade level and you'll be doing them a far more valuable service.

I agree....

[davisshaver]

I am in 8th grade, and i think it would be the coolest thing to have a network of non-regular computers (ie Macintosh Power PC's) running Linux. You might want to wait a little bit, like until you get more experience or even if you get moved up. 5th grade is probably the earliest youll see results that are worth the time effort and money.

LTSP

[charlie763]

You can get one quality computer and then get several old 486's donated for free. You can have the 486's rebotly boot from the main server (the quality PC). Check out this site. These people make a version of Redhat that is specific for this purpose. Also, check out LTSP.org.