Netbooks, Cell Phones, and Stimulus for the Classroom

Quick classroom tech notes:

Elkton Netbook Update: On today's Dakota Digest, South Dakota Public Broadcasting's Cory Klumper reports on Elkton's classroom netbook project. As reported here previously, if Elkton HS tech director (and DSU grad) Gabe Pooler's idea works, this tiny rural school may be able to equip its students with computers for 30% of the cost of the state's Classroom Connections program. Klumper stops by Madison HS to chat with Rob Honomichl about Tablet PCs as well.

No Place Safe from Cell Phones: If you think laptops are just a distraction in the classroom, this should really set your teeth on edge: cell phone makers are now pushing schools to use phones in the classroom. Just like with the personal planners and other products and logos foisted on the captive K-12 audience, cell phone manufacturers know that branding the kids early will boost future sales. Consume, citizen!

I Thought Compromise Meant Meeting in the Middle: Whatever doodads schools think they need, they won't get to pay for as much of it with the stimulus money as hoped. Both the House and Senate versions of the plan included $1 billion for education technology, but somehow that number got knocked down to $650 million in conference. The conferees did jack up the rural broadband funding, though: the House proposed $6B, the Senate $7B; final figure, $7.2B Now that's compromise!

Tech Trailblazer Elkton HS Implementing Netbooks Now

Shortly after I posted yesterday on the possibility of using netbooks—super-cheap laptops—and other innovations to save big money in school tech budgets, I received an e-mail from Gabriel Pooler, 2008 DSU graduate and now tech director at Elkton School District. Netbooks? Pooler says Elkton HS is already implementing that plan... on Friday!

Here's the press release:

The Elkton School District has begun a self-funded one-to-one netbook pilot for its senior class. They plan to use the pilot program to determine if a laptop program is a feasible option for the high school.

Netbooks are super compact, low cost, energy efficient laptops with Windows XP or Linux. They have enough power to run Windows Office, Internet, Email, and other common applications that don't require huge amounts of processing power. Elkton is using the Acer Aspire One Nebook with Windows XP.

Elkton School District plans to use the Netbooks to supplement the schools current curriculum. The high school will use the free existing email and web hosting resources that are provided by the State’s K-12. Each high school student will have access to the Internet in the classroom to allow them to research topics on demand, participate in online activities with teachers, and email assignments to teachers in a paperless classroom environment.

While state funding of the one-to-one laptop program this year seems unlikely, Elkton hopes that by taking the initiative to test this new technology with their own money, they may rise to the top of the list if any state funding does come through. If funded the state would pay $130 for each netbook, instead of $400 for each tablet. Even without state funding it is likely that Elkton will go forward on its own because of the low cost of deploying this system.

Elkton will save additional money by moving the students into a lighter Web 2.0 environment and equipping them 1GB flash drives that allow students to back up and transport their own data more easily. If a one to one netbook project for the high school happens next year, it is estimated that it will actually reduce the current strain on the school’s existing network and servers. By moving the majority of the students away from a resource intense network model to light Internet orientated model the school won’t need to buy any additional new servers. It would also allow the netbooks to replace its aging high school lab, thus further saving money.

$400 per laptop—that's twice the perhaps overly optimistic $200 per machine that the New York Times and I mentioned yesterday. Pooler says he chose the $400 models to get bigger hard drives and better batteries. Oh darn: so Elkton will only save 70% on what they would have blown on Tablet PCs.

The computers will rely heavily on open source software for more savings. Elkton hopes to fund expanding the program to kids all the way down to grade 7 through tax revenues from the nearby wind farms. Pooler says it best:

If that happens we will be able to say we are using "Green" energy money to pay for "Green" technology (Netbooks are considered green tech) and create paperless "Green" classrooms and save a lot of "Green" aka cash.

Pooler tells me Elkton is the first school in South Dakota and possibly the entire nation to implement a netbook program for an entire grade. Hm: ground-breaking technological innovation at Elkton High School, enrollment 114. Another good idea, brought to you by small schools. Nice work, Elks!

More Refinery Opposition in Union County

A second group, "Citizens Opposed to Oil Pollution," has formed in Union County to oppose bringing the Hyperion refinery to Elk Point. Google isn't popping up a website for the group yet (someone forward me a link!), but according to that Sioux Falls paper, the group is hitting mailboxes with a flyer claiming that Union County already has higher median household income and lower poverty than counties that have refineries [Ben Shouse, "Second Group Targets Refinery," that Sioux Falls paper, 2007.10.12]. SDSU sociologist Ronald Stover rightly points out that such comparisons are questionable:

"Without both 'before' and 'after' data, you cannot make any judgment as to the consequences of a refinery in a community," Stover said." Their comparisons are bogus -- they are for the most part political statements meant to convince, not inform."

We should definitely think twice before allowing a purveyor of non-renewable energy to come foul our nest just to feed to old-energy economy. The Madville Times applauds anyone with the guts to stand up to Big Oil. We need to be ready, though, to fight the fight with rigorous scientific data. The COOP's claims about economic conditions in refinery counties is likely true; it will be interesting to see what responses they can offer to Dr. Stover and what further information they can add to the debate.

Perhaps looking for controversy, Shouse insinuates that COOP could encounter some conflict with the first anti-refinery group, Save Union County. Evidently they have some vague disagreement about the motivations of each group. But that's just silly. These groups should have no problem keeping their eyes on the prize: a clean, healthy Union County with economic opportunities based on sustainable (and preferably homegrown) industry.