The Joy of Going Wireless
Posted by Mark Winegar on September 24, 2008
I’m fortunate to be teaching Computer Science at Mount Marty College because it went wireless in 2002 due to the vision of Dr. Mike Kahlke who served as Dean of Academic Affairs. It wasn’t an easy sell to the faculty who were largely cyberphobic then but he persisted. My life is so much easier because he persisted until the “laptop initiative” was in place.
Kahlke’s vision was to put a laptop computer into the hands of every student and faculty member. This meant the Computer Science department could phase out its use of labs. The students carry their lab equipment with them. They are free to work when they want without regard to lab hours. We still update computers on a regular cycle but I don’t need to justify a budget request to do it because its included in the regular students fees.
The second part of Kahlke’s vision was to create an environment where students could connect to the campus network and Internet anywhere on campus without needing to tether their computers to an ethernet drop. Wireless ethernet frees computing from spatial limitations. I can move a class out into the fresh air on a beautiful day without feeling guilty or losing access to the net!
Its not enough to have computers. You have to know what to do with them.
Classrooms needed to evolve to take advantage of ubiquitous computing power. We started a multi-year project to update classrooms along the lines of the “smart classroom” concept. These rooms feature overhead projection systems to display computer output, sound systems, VHS and DVD players.
The next stage is to create a virtual learning environment of the World Wide Web. We began with Blackboard course management software. Unfortunately the faculty were left to their own devices after a half-day training session on Blackboard. Our Teaching and Learning with Technology Committee offered classes but attendance was dismal. Use of the new classroom technology waxed and waned over the past 6 years but momentum grew with every cycle and avid users emerged over time. The new Web 2.0/3.0 applications such as Google docs creates greater potential to more fully realize Dr. Kahlke’s vision.
Mount Marty is ahead of most colleges in this area but there is still plenty to do. A group of early adopters must find and test new web-based technologies to see how well they impact teaching and learning. Then the solutions identified must be evangelized to the faculty. The school can transform education and prepare millennial students for a digital world with just a little more effort.
