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The Mac attack: No sympathy here for teachers polishing Apples
About five years ago, my wife and I sat in the library at Sarasota High School listening to a presentation about the school's math, science and technology program.
Like most of the parents there, we were proud that we had a freshman who had chosen to attend the school's demanding magnet program.
Through my job, we even arranged to buy a new computer for him. Equipped with Microsoft Windows and other programs, the new computer would make it easier to work on his school projects at home.
We figured he could work on the school computers, transfer the projects to a disk and use the disk at his home computer.
That process of copying projects and files to a floppy disk and using the stored files at home and work is similar to what happens millions of times a day at offices throughout the world.*
But those office workers have an advantage that many students do not have: The computers at their offices run on the same software as their home computers.
There are two basic home computer operating systems. Apple makes one system for its Macintosh computers. The other is called a PC system. They have similarities, but are not compatible. Macintoshes -- or Macs -- use different programs and different disks.
In other words, files and work created on a Mac are not easily transferred to a PC.
And although each system started on similar footing dozens of years ago, PCs now hold 97 percent of the home computer market, compared to 3 percent for Macs.****
So I was surprised when a teacher suggested five years ago that we purchase a Macintosh computer so our son could work at home and school. The computers at school, the teacher explained, were Macs.*
We didn't buy a Mac. Dropping another $900 on another computer was never given serious thought.
There were times when our oldest son, now a freshman at the University of Florida, needed to stay after school to work on the Macs. If the school had compatible software, the assignments could have been put on a disk and used at home and school.
So you'll have to excuse my lack of sympathy for teachers who are complaining about the plan to replace all the district's Macintosh computers with PCs.
When Superintendent Gary Norris unveiled a plan to update the district's technology and replace Macs with PCs, some teachers protested.
Barry Gilliland, the teacher of the year at Sarasota High School, even devoted an entire Web site to criticizing the decision.*
And he probably has a lot of company in the school system, but not outside of it.
Of the district's 16,600 classroom computers, more than half, about 8,400, are Macs, according to district spokeswoman Sheila Weiss.*
Weiss said that in 20 of the district's 45 schools, more than 70 percent of the computers are Macs. Replacing them will cost about $7 million.
If nothing else, Mac users are passionate about their computers. They believe Macs are easier to operate and don't require as much maintenance.
And Macs are better for graphics and videos -- or so I'm told. I have always used PCs so I don't really know if Macs are indeed superior.
But with PCs locking in 97 percent of the market, deciding what kind of computers to use in a school system is a no-brainer.
Thinking back to that initial meeting in the high school library, I see now that for all their postulating about technology, the teachers really didn't understand its applications in the educational environment.
Sure, they could write programs, create Web sites and surf the Internet, but they didn't realize that computer technology is a tool to use at home and school.
And if teachers find that the new PCs at school aren't compatible with the Macs they have at home, they can always go out and buy a PC for home.
Rich Brooks can be reached at rich.brooks@heraldtribune.com
Sarasota ist ein soo schönes Fleckchen Erde, aber nicht verschont von Deppen!
About five years ago, my wife and I sat in the library at Sarasota High School listening to a presentation about the school's math, science and technology program.
Like most of the parents there, we were proud that we had a freshman who had chosen to attend the school's demanding magnet program.
Through my job, we even arranged to buy a new computer for him. Equipped with Microsoft Windows and other programs, the new computer would make it easier to work on his school projects at home.
We figured he could work on the school computers, transfer the projects to a disk and use the disk at his home computer.
That process of copying projects and files to a floppy disk and using the stored files at home and work is similar to what happens millions of times a day at offices throughout the world.*
But those office workers have an advantage that many students do not have: The computers at their offices run on the same software as their home computers.
There are two basic home computer operating systems. Apple makes one system for its Macintosh computers. The other is called a PC system. They have similarities, but are not compatible. Macintoshes -- or Macs -- use different programs and different disks.
In other words, files and work created on a Mac are not easily transferred to a PC.
And although each system started on similar footing dozens of years ago, PCs now hold 97 percent of the home computer market, compared to 3 percent for Macs.****
So I was surprised when a teacher suggested five years ago that we purchase a Macintosh computer so our son could work at home and school. The computers at school, the teacher explained, were Macs.*
We didn't buy a Mac. Dropping another $900 on another computer was never given serious thought.
There were times when our oldest son, now a freshman at the University of Florida, needed to stay after school to work on the Macs. If the school had compatible software, the assignments could have been put on a disk and used at home and school.
So you'll have to excuse my lack of sympathy for teachers who are complaining about the plan to replace all the district's Macintosh computers with PCs.
When Superintendent Gary Norris unveiled a plan to update the district's technology and replace Macs with PCs, some teachers protested.
Barry Gilliland, the teacher of the year at Sarasota High School, even devoted an entire Web site to criticizing the decision.*
And he probably has a lot of company in the school system, but not outside of it.
Of the district's 16,600 classroom computers, more than half, about 8,400, are Macs, according to district spokeswoman Sheila Weiss.*
Weiss said that in 20 of the district's 45 schools, more than 70 percent of the computers are Macs. Replacing them will cost about $7 million.
If nothing else, Mac users are passionate about their computers. They believe Macs are easier to operate and don't require as much maintenance.
And Macs are better for graphics and videos -- or so I'm told. I have always used PCs so I don't really know if Macs are indeed superior.
But with PCs locking in 97 percent of the market, deciding what kind of computers to use in a school system is a no-brainer.
Thinking back to that initial meeting in the high school library, I see now that for all their postulating about technology, the teachers really didn't understand its applications in the educational environment.
Sure, they could write programs, create Web sites and surf the Internet, but they didn't realize that computer technology is a tool to use at home and school.
And if teachers find that the new PCs at school aren't compatible with the Macs they have at home, they can always go out and buy a PC for home.
Rich Brooks can be reached at rich.brooks@heraldtribune.com
Sarasota ist ein soo schönes Fleckchen Erde, aber nicht verschont von Deppen!
