[comp.sys.apple] Micro setups for elementary schools

djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dick O'Connor) (01/28/89)

    <Apple folks please be patient..your question follows!>

I'm serving on a committee to review the state of the microcomputer
equipment available at my daughter's (small) private elementary school.
It turns out they have a handful of working Commodore 64's and Apple II's
and are interested in putting together a modern 15-station micro facility
together with a computer curriculum for grades K-8 that will supplement
the regular classroom curriculum.

I missed the "field trip", but other committee members visited a larger
school where they used a system of hardware and software set up and
supported by IBM.  It consisted of 27 PS/2 Model 25's (single disk drive,
mouse and sound chip) networked to a server with a large (?? I'm guessing
100MB or so) hard disk.  Over 200 educational programs were provided for
the K-8 users via a system that automated record-keeping for individual
students.  This allowed the individual student to pick up where they left
off automatically, which eases the task of the room monitor substantially.
Pricetag for this setup including some level of support (that the
teacher in charge was *very* pleased with) was $70,000.

I got a chance to look at some of the curricular materials supplied with
this system by IBM, and I was favorably impressed.  I didn't know IBM
had gotten that involved in elementary education.  I'd like to collect
some more advice, war stories, good news and what-have-you from those of
you in netland who have experience with similar educational setups.
Specific questions:

1) Is anyone familiar with the system I described?  What networking 
hardware and software are they using?  Is it a workable system and worth
the price?  Is there a specific reason Model 25 PS/2 machines are required
(i.e. could PC-compatibles fill the bill?)

2) Is anyone familiar with IBM's educational curriculum?  In actual practice
does it work as well as it appears on paper?  Is their software support
helpful and timely?

3) Is there an equivalent setup available (tried, tested, and true) using
Apple IIe or Apple GS machines?  Who would I contact to find out more about
such a system (I don't know much about Apples at all).

4) Finally, what are your thoughts as to the tradeoffs between using a
networked system of simple workstations versus the same number of 
standalone machines, particularly with respect to elementary education?
It appears at first glance that a network decreases the amount of setup
time the teacher needs to spend preparing the room for instructional
use, and increases the control over software integrity.  What else should
be considered?

Feel free to respond by mail (djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu) or by
posting here, as I regularly monitor this group.  I'll post a summary
of what I receive by mid-February.  Thanks for your participation!

-Dick O'Connor
 Washington Department of Fisheries
 djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu