I don't know if I agree with you about how much benefit Math, CS or even Physics students get from AA. I'm also a recent CS grad, and remember the preAA years too. Honestly, I rarely ever brought my laptop to class. Math classes really had even less use for them.
However, I would like to point out that Arts and Business students benefit Immensely from AA. Why? Think back before AA. How many students were even vaguely computer literate. And quite frankly, how many jobs are there out there (making more than min. wage I mean) where you do not use a computer?
While I see AA as not being only marginally to not benefitial at all in the class room, the real life familiarity that students develop with the computers gives them a leg up in job interviews in the real world. The non-geeks are the last people being screwed by it. Think of it from the CS prospective: what CS student wouldn't have the skills gleaned from owning a laptop anyways? How many CS Students don't own their own computers in addition to the laptops already?
BTW, as to the firewall restrictions: users cannot use high numbered ports (ie napster) during peak school hours because it sucks bandwidth like a pig... mostly from people in res who leave napster turned on allowing John Q Public to download mp3s and hog the bandwidth. Acadia actually has upgraded it's bandwidth every year, but demand increased exponentially with the creation of hogs that take up too much space.
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However, I would like to point out that Arts and Business students benefit Immensely from AA. Why? Think back before AA. How many students were even vaguely computer literate. And quite frankly, how many jobs are there out there (making more than min. wage I mean) where you do not use a computer?
While I see AA as not being only marginally to not benefitial at all in the class room, the real life familiarity that students develop with the computers gives them a leg up in job interviews in the real world. The non-geeks are the last people being screwed by it. Think of it from the CS prospective: what CS student wouldn't have the skills gleaned from owning a laptop anyways? How many CS Students don't own their own computers in addition to the laptops already?
BTW, as to the firewall restrictions: users cannot use high numbered ports (ie napster) during peak school hours because it sucks bandwidth like a pig... mostly from people in res who leave napster turned on allowing John Q Public to download mp3s and hog the bandwidth. Acadia actually has upgraded it's bandwidth every year, but demand increased exponentially with the creation of hogs that take up too much space.