Academics: Information Technology
Initiative Q & A
Q: Why is Emma Willard issuing computers to entering ninth and tenth grade students?
A: Computers are essential tools for today’s students. Every student at Emma Willard School uses computing technology in the classroom, as well as for homework assignments and campus communications. One goal of our technology initiative is to standardize the computers used by our students so that the Office of Information Services will be able to ensure that each student has the hardware, programs, and technological support she needs every day.
Q. My daughter is starting at Emma Willard in September 2007. How will the technology initiative affect her?
A: All new ninth and tenth grade students will be required to use our Toshiba tablet PC. A technology fee of $750 per year will be added to tuition to cover all technology services, including the use of the computer and access to all of the services available over our wired and wireless network.
Returning students or those entering as eleventh graders or post-graduates will not be assessed the technology fee. These students and their families have the option, however, of purchasing the Toshiba tablet PC from us this summer or at a later time. If you order it early enough in the summer, it will be ready when your daughter arrives on campus this fall.
Please note that the Office of Information Services will not be able to service and support computers other than the Toshiba tablet PC.
Q. Does the school-issued tablet PC belong to us or to the school?
A. If your daughter is a new student entering grades nine or ten in September 2007, the computer will become hers when she graduates. Until then, it is hers to use during both the academic year and all vacations. If you purchase the computer outright for your daughter, the computer itself and almost everything loaded on it belongs to your daughter. (We may need to uninstall some software that is licensed for Emma Willard student use only.)
Q. How do I pay for the computer?
A. If your daughter is entering grades nine or ten in September 2007, you will be assessed an annual technology fee of $750. In all other cases, if you elect to purchase our Toshiba tablet PC, you will be charged a one-time fee of $2,000.
Q: Which computer is Emma issuing?
A: Emma Willard School has chosen a tablet PC from Toshiba. Tablets are similar to laptops, except that the screen can be swiveled around so that it lies flat on the keyboard face up. In this mode, the student writes on the screen with a magnetized stylus. It also has a built-in microphone, enabling the student to enter data by voice, as well as by keyboard or stylus. A tablet PC can work like a laptop (and look like a clamshell), or it can work like an outsized version of a Palm Pilot or a Pocket PC (and look like a slate).
Q: Why did you choose a tablet PC?
A: When your daughter is doing her homework in her room, she'll likely use her tablet as she would use a conventional laptop. In the classroom, however, she will have the advantage of taking notes by writing on the slate. The tablets come with a note-taking program that stores and helps organize anything you write onto the slate. It has good handwriting recognition, should you choose to convert your handwriting to text for conventional editing. Also, a tablet PC in slate form works better than a laptop in discussion-based classes. Laptop screens can be a barrier between a student and the rest of the class, including her teacher. Lastly, a tablet PC makes it less likely that students will give in to a myriad of computer-generated distractions, since there is no screen to hide behind.
Q: But aren’t Macs better?
A: Macs may well be better in many ways, but Apple doesn’t offer a tablet, and Emma Willard does not want to become dependent upon a single vendor. It’s true that by choosing a Windows PC, you are beholden to Microsoft, but you can choose your hardware, and Microsoft offers deep discounts for students and educators. Most of our students have a strong preference for Windows PCs, as do their parents, so in selecting a one-size-fits-all solution, we need to be accommodating. (Note to Mac-lovers: there is no accounting for taste.)
Q: What software will be included?
A: The exact contents are still under discussion, but click here to view the tentative list.
Q: What will the bundle cost?
A: The versatile tablet PC will be bundled with a combination drive (that reads and writes CDs and reads DVDs), assorted software, extended warranty, and insurance at a total cost of $2,000. The Office of Information Services will carry the responsibility of maintaining the tablet PC until your daughter graduates or leaves the school.
Q: What does the damage insurance cover and what doesn't it cover?
A: According to the manufacturer, protection is provided against “accidental damage caused by a fortuitous incident,” such as fire, unintentional liquid spills, drops, falls, collisions, and electrical surges.
Should damage occur, Toshiba will only replace each major part (such as the screen or the motherboard) once a year. After that, you must pay for the parts and labor, depending on whether I.S. can manage the repair. Other restrictions: Toshiba will replace the “entire tablet” only once in those cases where the damage is so severe that they have no other recourse. Toshiba will only make the same repair (e.g., replacing the keyboard after liquid is spilled into it) three times in a year.
Theft, loss, normal wear, consumables, and intentional acts of damage are not covered.
Q: Will my daughter’s computer be available for use by our family or her friends?
A: The program was created with the intention of offering tablet PCs for student use only. It was never intended that the family or friends of a student would also use the computer because multiple users increase the likelihood of damage or malfunction. This would make the school’s maintenance of the tablets much more complicated and would also drive up insurance costs. We cannot be responsible for any software or hardware issues that might result from users other than the student.
Q: Will I be able to put parental controls on my daughter's tablet?
A: Although we are sympathetic to parental concerns about the potential dangers of Internet activity, we discourage the use of monitoring software. Such controls make it difficult or impossible for students to add programs and media to their computers, which runs counter to our goals of updating their own computers and helping students learn to master technology so that it can become a comfortable and powerful tool. Furthermore, monitoring software frequently causes problems with the school’s computer network causing our staff to spend more time and effort searching for and debugging problems. The school’s network already provides a firewall that blocks access to inappropriate Web sites and the laptops in our program come equipped with anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Additionally, our staff is available to work with students on problems that they may have introduced as a result of their efforts to expand and explore their own computers.
