[iDC] Undermining open source: iTunes U

[Tiffany Holmes]

Hi,

Thanks to Patrick for your suggestions re: applications and also for  
articulating the concept of a pre-semester "boot-camp".  I think you  
are right; often before the onslaught of the semester students are  
more focused on intensive learning and I could see how this might be  
a good fit for augmenting digital literacy in our first year population.

I wanted to respond to this discussion around optimizing lab  
experiences for students with or without laptops.  I completely agree  
with the previous comments about wall color, ambient temperature,  
ceiling height, and ventilation playing a role here.

Overall, I believe mandatory laptop policy has more pros than cons.   
The cost is rolled into the tuition; and SAIC being a private  
institution already has exorbitant fees.  I am secretly happy that  
the students immediately receive the laptop---something tangible that  
is a direct result of the enormous bill.  One potential benefit is  
that our IT department plans to phase out 33% of lab computers with  
the goal to purchase additional tools with the saved revenue: rapid  
prototyping devices, additional licenses for pricey software like  
Maya, etc.  The labs that are reconfigured will have large cinema  
display monitors that a laptop could plug into.  This plan is  
utopian; who knows exactly how those extra funds will be  
reallocated?  I will try to be hopeful.

 From my standpoint as an instructor that deals with physical  
computing, the desktop computers in the lab are a total bother  
sometimes.  Yesterday, I wrestled a machine (that was locked down) to  
twist it around to plug in an EZIO board into the USB port.  When we  
first start doing interactive interface design with external sensors,  
my classroom tends to look like a hurricane passed through; wires,  
photocells, alligator clips, powerstrips, and peripheral devices like  
keyspan adapters literally blanket the desktop computers.  Using  
laptops has been a pleasure because students can readily move them  
around to test installation scenarios on the floor, in the hallway,  
bathroom, stairwell, etc.  The biggest drawback to the laptop usage  
in the lab (aside from the additional cost to the student) is the  
potential for theft.  I do not observe students using locks when they  
take a coffee/smoke break.

One other hidden benefit to the mandatory laptop initiative is the  
energy savings on campus.  Yesterday in class, with a projector, 15  
desktop computers, 15 monitors, 10 laptops, and 15 or so EZIO boards  
the temperature in the lab was 15 degrees above the hall temperature  
due to all the machine energy being expended (Excellent practical  
demo for a temperature sensor).   Computers in labs are inevitably  
left on, the monitors are on, with screensavers running.  Sometimes  
instructors even leave projectors on (the horror!!!)  Our campus labs  
contain over 600 desktop machines with monitors---imagine the energy  
savings if these machines were either removed or turned off when not  
in use.  There's an older but fascinating energy study here: http:// 
www.macalester.edu/its/faq/power_usage.html.  Do any of you have  
interesting ways to conserve electricity on campus, in studios, or  
elsewhere?

A final note--thanks to Simon for articulating a solution to the  
institutional firewall problem.  I am going to look into that same  
possibility here b/c our students are quite restricted here by our  
network protocols.

Cheers, Tiff

____________________________________
Tiffany Holmes, Assistant Professor
Department of Art and Technology
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
112 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60603
Phone: 312-345-3760,  Fax: 312-345-3565
Mobile: 312-493-0302
http://www.tiffanyholmes.com