Building the Case for--- Ubiquity Standardization Laptops Brand Name

1. Building the Case for---UbiquityStandardizationLaptopsBrand Name Thoughts of David G. Brown VP (WFU) and Dean (ICCEL) November 11, 1999

2. WHYCOMPUTERS?

3. WHY COMPUTERS?…the institutional answer • Communication! • Level Playing Field • After College Use • Faculty/Students Demand Them • Customized/Personalized • Digitized Scholarship

4. WHY COMPUTERS?…the faculty answer • Interactive Learning • Learn by Doing • Collaborative Learning • Integration of Theory and Practice • Visualization • Communication • Different Strokes for Different Folks

5. WHYUBIQUITY?

6. With Ubiquity---The Culture Changes • Mentality shifts-- like from public phone to personal phone. • Teaching Assumptions shift-- like from readings are on reserve to everyone owns a copy of his/her own. • Timelines shift-- like from “our class meets MWF” to “we see each other all the time and MWF we meet together” • Students’ sense of access shifts-- like from “I can get that book in the library” to “I have that book in my library.” • Relationships shift-- like from a family living in many different states to all family members living in the same town

7. WHYSTANDARDIZATION?

8. WHY STANDARDIZATION? • Communication Utility! (George Gilder) • 99% Reliability A Must in Classroom • Buddies Share Hardware & Knowledge • Better, Cheaper Support Systems • Marketing Advantages • Faculty “Trusts” Equality of Access

9. WHY PORTABILITY?

10. Distinctive Opportunities Available Only in Laptop Settings • Faculty are always available • Students expect messages between classes • Student PowerPoint talks are common • Team assignments increase • On site data collection & essay writing • Papers often include visuals, even motion • Study at best location, not limited to dorm • Continuous contact

11. Distinctive Opportunities Available Only in Laptop Settings • Students take computers to faculty offices and their study mates. • Quick exchange when machine is broken • Fewer computer labs are needed • Departmental clubs thrive • Student Portfolios Emerge • Students teach faculty • Access to college continues when abroad and after graduation

12. WHY BRANDNAME?

13. Why Brand Name? (Laptop Plus) • Here Today. Here Tomorrow! • Brand attracts students (associates w quality) • Brand attracts recruiters (dominant in business) • Maximizes student self confidence • General Contractor (full service) • Responsible for interfaces (compatible w servers) • Available in every crisis (full service) • Diversity of strategies (e.g. big server, small client) • Size enables flexibility

14. Actions Toward Capitalizing on Ubiquity, Standardization, and Portability • Ask more of students! (new day) • Encourage students to use computers in their non-course life (as well). • Design activities that start before class and extend beyond class. • Expect students to bring computers to prof office, to friend’s dorm room, adjunct prof. • Add Fieldwork

15. Continued... • Explore team taught courses, especially between departments and schools • Facilitate continuing contact with students after course and after college • Require all students to submit in class answers (so none coasts) • Structure rewards for collaborative projects • Recognize that old limits of lab availability are gone.

16. Continued…. • Create student portfolios • Other things equal, design projects that may be completed on the laptops as well as in computer labs • Put students and faculty on same software systems, especially email • Study the competition • Use students to train faculty.

17. Continued… • Expect slower students to repeat in class demos, etc. • Revitalize departmental clubs • Consider offsite studio labs (in the garden) • Get more students studying abroad • Recognize the laptop as a portable presentation tool (both faculty & students) • Use anytime, anywhere access by students--including in class (updated info) • Don’t use laptops where they don’t make sense