Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Limited Ongoing Access with Convenience Restraints:
Case Study 5
Iowa has developed a statewide communication network, the
Iowa
Communications Network (ICN)
, with connectivity to the World Wide Web.
State law mandates that every public school district be connected to this net
work. Some state funding has been made available to underwrite the costs of
the connection, and some extremely innovative programming has been devel
oped for this visionary network. Although some school districts have incorpo
rated this infrastructure into their courses and curricula, others have little
equipment for student use, few instructional areas (such as classrooms) where
such equipment might be placed, and few teachers with appropriate training
for using the equipment. Thus, in some school districts, the Internet connec
tion goes to a few computers housed in a maintenance or heating building
some distance from classrooms and regular instructional spaces.
The circumstances of school districts in Case Study 5 illustrate an
other vital factor in computer access: convenience. Even if you have
access to computing equipment, you may not be willing to use it reg
ularly if that access is inconvenient or requires some hassle. In the
case of the school district that placed the computer in another build
ing, any teacher was allowed to use the Internetconnected equipment
whenever she or he wanted; the equipment was available, and the dis
trict would be delighted to have the equipment used. However, to use
the equipment, a teacher had to take her or his class to another build
ing, turn on computers and display equipment, and start up pro
grams. At the end of a class, the teacher had to follow a reverse
process. In practice, this process took both time and effort, and teach
ers preferred to spend their time on other activities that they found
more interesting, productive, or convenient. Teachers in the district
might show films or include parts of television programs in their
courses, but they almost never used the statesupported computers.
Experiences at other institutions indicate that teachers are much more
likely to experiment with computerbased learning and exercises if
the equipment is readily available in their classrooms. Even moving
down a hall seems to present a barrier for consistent usage of equip
ment, whereas the same teachers may utilize these materials regularly
when their classrooms are already computer equipped.
