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Queensland bureaucracy stifles Mac choice

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Imagine you're a principal in our deep northern state, concerned to get the best for your staff. You note that the Queensland state government has introduced a "Computers for Teachers" program. Bravo. Good to see that this teaching and learning tool is being recognised as essential.

The program gives an option for a Windows or a Mac laptop in a seemingly ecumenical way. I write “seemingly” because there are traps: traps that make it difficult — some would say impossible — to get a Mac for members of your staff.

As principal, the first thing you have to do is to mount a "business case" for the provision of said laptop. First, your pesky, Mac-using teachers need to satisfy the eligibility requirements for the Computers for Teachers Initiative. That's a fair request, and one that would appear to be self evident. Perhaps this is simply an product of the bureaucracy, but read further.

You can't allocate a Mac to a teacher because of his or her individual preference, but only on a needs basis according to the nature of their teaching duties. Apparently there are some subjects that are more acceptable than others. Education Queensland makes the suggestion that the Mac-requiring teacher is probably teaching music or perhaps an Asian Language. It does add the catchall of "etc" for other subjects, but it's unclear (as “etc” always is) as to what may qualify here. Perhaps Art, or FTV, etc.

Second: "It is expected that teachers in these roles would already be using an Apple computer in the performance of their teaching duties" No switchers here.

Third, your school quota of computers must already consist of at least 10 percent Apple computers before consideration can be made for a Mac, so no change to the monoculture is allowed — if you don't already have them you can't get one. Sound like marginalisation? Or just silliness?

OK, you could raise an argument that a mixture of Macs and PCs is more difficult to manage and maintain than a single platform (I don't believe it is) but, even if this were the case, getting above the 10 percent threshold would help, not hinder. Your technical support would be less inclined to view the different machines as marginal, different and hence difficult. They become part of the landscape.

But the best example of bureaucracy gone crazy, the absolute best, is the fourth requirement: "The Principal should be satisfied that a replacement teacher will also require an Apple MacBook when taking over the particular teaching role" (my italics).

I'd suggest they need a fifth requirement to help satisfy the fourth: "Only prescient Principals should apply".

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wrote on May 15, 2008 9:04 PM

There are only 6800 macs in Qld state schools now, six years ago there were over 15000. Yes, Apple dropped its Education bundle at a time when funding for schools became available to enable a computer/student ratio of 1:7.5. We cabled our classrooms with 4 data points (4 X 7.5 = 28 - the official class size). Within two years this ratio was raised to 1:5. The "boxes for the bucks" dominated and still dominates thinking in primary schools. No account is taken of the differing demands on a computers across the year levels. Do our Prep classes need the identically configured computers as our year 7s? This common denominator has created a settlement on mediocrity as the standard in my school. At the time of this expansion principals in larger schools have chosen the Teacher/Librarian as the ICT coordinator in their schools. In mine the T/L has three DAYS non-contact time a week. No qualification is required to occupy this position and unfortunately it can be taken up by refugees from the classroom who have little idea of good teaching practice and the ICT underpinnings this requires. This leaves little room for factual evaluation of school needs and direction. Little consideration is given to economic sustainability issues - Return on Investment and Total Cost of Ownership. I'm convinced a Mac straight out of the box is the best educational tool I can use to engage my students in meaningful curriculum activities (I learn as much from them as they do from me). Without this meaningful engagement I will become irrelevant in their real learning experiences - I don't like that idea - it's not why I became a teacher. Am I being unprofessional by saying this ? I no longer care. In a "difficult" school as anywhere it is "easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar". I'll engage students any way I can. I won't do it on a $500 box and solitaire as the only lure. Enterprise Platform is the EdQld and Microsoft terminology used on the EQ website. While many pages state the equal acceptance of mac and win computers in Qld schools - the fineprint as Martin has exposed reveals otherwise - a long and determined program to remove macs from our schools - and more specifically, mine. How do you think we Mac-using educators in Qld feel?

wrote on May 13, 2008 11:41 AM

Blame Apple's greed. Apple dropped the education marked years ago. There was a network of resellers who built strong relationships with schools and Apple cut them off. If it can't do the deal at the corporate level, it can't be bothered. Those resellers provided support and many other 'intangibles' which don't appear on a spreadsheet. Apple's current parlous presence in what was once it's strongest market segment is entirely of their own making. Maybe the young, deprived of a Mac at an early age, will grow up strong and successful and buy truckloads of MacBook Airs in gratitude.

wrote on May 11, 2008 10:40 PM

It's actually worse than this. My 6 yo son goes to a QLD school, and presently there are 7 macs in his classroom, 2 old powerbooks, 3 x G3 iMacs, an eMac, and the teacher has a powerbook. The teacher uses the Macs quite a lot, and they are quite reliable. Recently, however, the interim principal has decided to accept a deal through the department to "upgrade" the school to PCs "because Apple wouldn't come to the party on price". I found out the PCs are Dell Celerons, and of course there is no software with them which is why they are cheap, so now the P&C has to raise money for software. I've made the principal aware that I think she's made an error, the teacher's not happy (to say the least), but the real clanger, is that the dept will not provide IT support for the Macs but will for the PCs. I also heard the comment that Dell and Microsoft do put on lovely lunches with their roadshows as well. Come on Apple shout some teachers lunch while explaining why Macs are more cost effective, and get into IT training in TAFE's so more IT techs know about Macs.

wrote on May 11, 2008 12:00 PM

I agree with Duncan. Why is a computer (especially a laptop) any different from the car that gets the teachers to work? Or the clothes they wear? Or the fact they are expected to pay for the qualifications which gets them their job in the first place. The quantum of pay is a separate issue.

wrote on May 11, 2008 11:22 AM

Or is there a lack of principles in Queensland?

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