Hardware+1

The information below I chose to write about because our school district has some space issues for computer labs and has gone to the use of portable carts. This has been a big plus for our district. This also allows for schools with limited budgets to get computers in the classroom. The need for planing ahead and use of the technology that this allows is a great benefit for all of those involved.

[|Portable Technology: Media a la Cart]. By: Villano, Matt. //**T**//.H.E. Journal, v33 n11 p36-41 Jun 2006. (EJ762459) There was a time when being a teacher at Lenawee Intermediate School District (MI) meant getting in line--a long line--if a teacher wished to get hold of audiovisual equipment for the class. Teachers had to reserve the equipment weeks in advance. Next, once the time came to use it, representatives from the district's A/V department had to quite literally schlep it all to the classroom themselves. However, in 2005, the arrival of media carts changed the whole routine. Clustering certain equipment and placing it as a unit on a refrigerator-sized wheeled cart revolutionized Lenawee's A/V delivery system. With laptops, projectors, **//document//** **//cameras//**, televisions, and VCRs affixed to movable carts, technicians simply wheel the equipment into a classroom, and everything a teacher needs is right there. Carts do not merely help organize heavy and hard-to-transport equipment, but they also provide a tidy solution for storing equipment, not to mention a manageable way to distribute limited resources around a particular school or wing. The best part, of course, is that the carts themselves are relatively inexpensive and frequently come at a discount for those willing to buy enough media to qualify..

We have a couple of wireless labs in our building. They are nice to have, but do have their problems. They run a bit on the slow side, they need continued maintenance, and have been known to blow fuses. LL

I think with proper planing many things can be done to prevent this. A good Tech department will figure this out eventually.