Multi - Use Computer Furniture for One - to - One Classrooms
By: John Kessell
Multi-use computer furniture contributes to the success of one-to-one computer programs. Keeping laptops powered and protected is their major contribution. The multi-use design allows teachers to use the pedagogy of their choice, especially when that choice is to put the laptops and computers aside. With appliances that convert a computer workstation to an open desktop, teachers can direct the class to put their laptops and computers away and focus the students’ attention without the computer becoming a distraction. Because students can—safely, quickly, and quietly— manipulate their desks to completely clear the desktop for other activities, teachers have a positive visual means of verifying that computers are not being used inappropriately.
Laptops have to be as reliable in function as a whiteboard. Only then can teachers make computers an integral part of their pedagogy. Each computer must be consistently present and operational. If breakage or forgotten laptops become chronic problems, laptops can’t be effectively incorporated into the learning process. So, laptops must be present, operational, and incorporated. These elements work together like oxygen, heat, and fuel in kindling a fire. All three must work together, or the fire of learning cannot take place. If the laptop is left at home, it can’t be incorporated, and the lesson plan and student are in jeopardy. If the laptop is not operational, the situation is just as bad. Having computers reliably present and operational is of utmost importance to the success of the program; otherwise, teachers have no choice but to drift back to off-line ways of accomplishing the mission. Making the teacher do double work is a waste of energy and leads to frustration at many levels. Being able to deliver a curriculum of current material and teaching students computer skills that will enable them to accomplish mastery in higher education is worth the effort. When trying to foster a lifelong love of learning, frustration with a dead battery can squelch things in a hurry.
Schools implementing effective one-to-one programs are doing so because they have planned ahead to avoid the pitfalls common to laptop use:
* Low batteries
* Breakage
* Forgotten laptop/left at home
* Unmonitored use during class time
Specialized computer furniture with power and data distribution is helpful in providing the infrastructure to mitigate these circumstances. Low batteries require power served to students so laptops need not rely on batteries. Even a fully charged battery cannot make it through an entire day of classes. Computer desks or tables with power strips easily solve this issue. As for breakage, schools invest in having spare laptops on hand while repairs or replacements take place. Another way of accomplishing this is to outfit classrooms with workstations that can be deployed for use in class as needed. Files from laptops can be transferred using USB thumb drives. This way, the computer is always available during school and the data from the thumb drive becomes the equivalent of homework in a loose-leaf notebook. The specialized multi-use computer furniture that houses the computer can also provide power to the laptop, and the LCD can be folded down into the desktop so the laptop can be used without restriction.
The issue of using laptops in class for doing homework is not a problem if it is occasional and not a standing use of class time. When computers are to be set aside so other methods of teaching can be used, specialized multi-use computer furniture is helpful. The type that lets the computer screen or laptop be folded into the desktop is beneficial because the teacher is able to quickly see that computers are put away. Attention can be easily focused away from the computer. When it becomes appropriate to use computers or laptops in the classroom during class time, this can be directed by the teacher and access to the computers can be accomplished by the students.
When power and storage take place at the point of use, the student is served directly. The use of laptop charging cabinets is time-consuming. Time must be planned for charging to take place so laptops are at the ready. There is also the additional time it takes for laptops to be distributed and returned to the cabinet, as well as the chance of being dropped along the way. Specialized multi-use computer furniture can be more effective in protecting the safety of the equipment and keeping the computers operational during class.
With the advent of wireless networks, mobility is becoming more in demand. Tables with casters, integrated laptop storage, and height adjustability for sitting or standing allow greater options for group interaction and collaboration. Desk systems that dock together let students join the group by simply rolling their tables into place in the group meeting area. Wire management systems with laptop power converter storage make temporary, neat installation for convenient connection to power located in the docking table. These kinds of desks also work well in media centers where individual study and group activities can be arranged at will. The mobile tables can even be rolled into the stacks to retrieve books while the catalog appears on the laptop that is stored in the table.
Group activities take place around a computer collaboration table. The computer or laptop appliances allow for multi-use function. The table is an open wire management system for routing data and power to serve the computers integrated into the table. The shape of the table promotes effective group dynamics, creative interaction, open sight lines, and a sense of excitement about participating.
If you have experienced problems with power loss, breakage, and straying student focus, multi-use computer furniture might help you light the fire of learning. If you want to try new physical arrangements, explore the different shapes and consider the types of group dynamics you want to achieve. With this infrastructure in place, computers and laptops are reliably present and operational, placing laptops and computers securely in the hands of gifted teachers and their students.
John Kessell is vice president of marketing for CBT Supply, Inc. and webmaster of www.SMARTdesks.com.
