Goda Thangada

The essence of the new laptop plan, the result of a long evolution involving the entire school, has been passed, but plenty remains to be decided upon. Incoming students, not including current students, will pay an annual $625 technology fee and receive a new laptop upon arrival at school. They will not have the option of refusing the fee or the laptop. Equality is the main principle behind this decision: the smaller fee is less of a financial burden on students who need computers and also on financial aid granted by the school. It promises an equal technological standard for the school as well as free servicing. However, that age-old conflict between freedom and equality persists. The plan tries its best to offer both, but tweaking some of its tenets would make it more effective.

For current students, the computer is a personal machine. It is the location of their music collections, their Pinball high scores, and their purchased programs. Many students depend on computers outside of school. Northfield Mount Hermon requires students to return their computers for the summer. Wendy Shepherd, director of ITS, said Deerfield is aware of non-educational uses and plans no such thing: the computers must be returned, in workable condition, only upon graduation. She said. "Students can install programs and store files of their choice as long as they don't interfere with the proper operation of the laptop." A major advantage of the plan is proper disposal of laptops, whose lifespans are about four years long.

Even if students own their computers, technology use differs from student to student. Some play Halo and others Solitaire. Some design 2004-2005 and others write English papers. Although students will be using technology on the same, intermediate plane, those students who require more are forced to dwell on that plane as well. This is a problem inherent in all types of standardization. Avid gamers, filmmakers, and serious scientists may find the school model lacking in specifications, despite its efficiency for regular school tasks. ITS does not plan to ban non-school computers, although the fee and the laptop will be mandatory. For off-campus computers, ITS will keep it current policy: taking steps to ensure appropriate protection, but not offering services.

Standardization of computers is an avenue that can lead to inserting those computers in the school curriculum Ms. Shepherd insisted that there will he no pressure for teachers to upgrade their lesson plans. She called the plan "thoughtful" of traditional teaching. Indeed, many teachers prefer not to use Blackboard, let alone mold lesson plans around new technology. But increasingly, more teachers find technology a classroom enhancement. Language classes have the language lab, and certain math classes have Mathematica to facilitate schooling. The lease plan represents opportunity, not a decided shift in schooling.

The ideas and general framework of the plan make sense, but more could be done to improve it. For example four-year seniors currently have a model much older than does the freshman class. Considering the fast pace of technological progress, the discrepancies could be very significant. A lease plan could potentially help by upgrading models every two years correcting this problem. Computers would be less plagued with old age, and an equal technological standard will be kept for all classes. Another option is to offer external hard drives. Student would then pay for and keep their hard drives, which would contain their personal files, when returning the computer. By adopting these measures, the new laptop plan would be a compromise between freedom and equality that is difficult to oppose.