“A task force is being recruited to wean Community Unit School District 300 [located approximately 40 miles northwest of Chicago] off Macintosh computers for more ‘appropriate technology,'” Jeanne Hovanec reports for The Courier News.
Hovanec reports, “Spearheaded by Eric Willard, the district’s new director of technology, the Platform Transition Task Force will begin meeting in January to develop implementation of the districtwide change. Willard, shortly after beginning his position in April, decided to phase out the district’s use of Macintosh computers and focus on Microsoft’s Windows Operating System and Lenox Softworks’ open source systems.”
MacDailyNews Note: Lenox Softworks: http://www.lsw.com/solutions/elearning.html
Hovanec continues, “Willard said he decided on the new platform because most people use Microsoft programs in ‘the real world,’ and open source systems provide a way for the district to keep students from downloading items such as music and movies onto the school’s computer hard drives — items that, ultimately, cost the district to delete.”
“‘We will have a challenging time at the high school level taking away the Macs,’ Willard said. ‘The task force has to develop an implementation that takes into consideration the emotion involved. For some reason, people have heard about this, and some are very passionate about Macintosh computers.’ Currently, the district has about 3,000 Macintosh computers in use, in addition to 1,500 Windows computers. Willard said the average age for the Macintosh computers is 8 years,” Hovanec reports.
Hovanec reports, “A referendum proposal that voters approved in March allowed for the district to revamp its technology and purchase new Macintosh computers this school year, but Willard does not know how many. ‘We just bought Macs; we can’t throw them out,’ Willard said. ‘We can’t just change everything over tomorrow. It will probably be a three- to five-year process.'”
Hovanec reports, “Willard said the approximately $733,000 allocated in the district’s 2007 budget for technology-related expenses — such as equipment, software and supplies — will not be altered. He is quick to point out that the cash flow coming into the district is being tied up by the heavy construction going on with the three new schools being built. He said there actually is no money to purchase new computers for that budget year. ‘Now is a good time to stop and plan for this properly,’ he said. ‘You have to do the right thing with the taxpayers’ money.'”
“In making the transition, Willard said the district will incorporate the use of Macintosh computers but keep them in a concentrated area, such as only in middle or elementary buildings. He said the district currently has ‘support problems’ because Windows and Macintosh computers are scattered throughout the schools,” Hovanec reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Is someone going to inform this genius that Apple Macs can run both Mac OS X and Windows (and Linux, for that matter) and that his “support problems” would evaporate if he phased out the Windows dreck in favor of Macs, but not vice versa? Don’t blame 8-year-old Macs, blame your district’s inability to keep current technology in the hands of students. We wonder if they have any 8-year-old Windows machines that are still functioning? And most people use Microsoft programs in “the real world?” What, like Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)? They make a Mac version of Office, Mr. Willard. That this doofus is a “director of technology” tells you just about all you need to know about the sorry state of most U.S. public school systems.
Contacts:
Dr. Kenneth Arndt – Superintendent: karndt@d300.kane.k12.il.us
Eric Willard – Director of Technology: ewillard@d300.kane.k12.il.us
The District 300 Board of Education will hold a Public Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lakewood School.
Public meetings calendar: http://www.d300.org/cgi-bin/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal17&
Contact the District 300 Board of Education: http://www.d300.org/cms/html/comments.php
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple Mac #1 in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) education market – October 31, 2006
The Seattle Times: Apple Macbook is best computer for school – August 26, 2006
State of Maine awards middle school contract to Apple Computer for 34,000 iBooks – March 21, 2006
Group questions wisdom of dumping Macs in favor of HP Windows PCs in Boulder, CO schools – February 06, 2006
Apple announces 30,000 iBooks deal with Florida’s Broward County Public Schools – July 27, 2005
Each version of Windows looks more like Mac OS X. So to equip students for the future, give them Macs!
Although I am not a US citizen I have decided to involve myself in this matter that really is none of my business.
I would agree, however I am also applying to study over the upcoming summer at New York University. Therefore I felt it necessary to air my views concerning the above.
A pity that your Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings is unreachable via email, no prizes for guessing why. Therefore I did find an email address for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) and the Assistant Secretary a Mr. Henry Johnson.
I sent Mr Johnson the details of the above article and also the take by Mac Daily News, with acknowledgements.
I already know how screwed up your high school education system is; no offence of course. Many of your countrymen over here have agreed with me on this matter, especially where it is impossible to gain a High School Diploma if you have not read Romeo and Juliet. As it happens I read Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.
So..’cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war’! More of this for your enjoyment:
ANTONY:
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter’d with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
There is nobody in the Real World of Information Technology that uses anything other than Windows.
In corporate IT most likely, but in other IT sectors where reliability matters, Microsoft Windows is not even a serious consideration. This is why Microsoft has yet to make a dent on the stronghold of Unix where real computing takes place via mission critical apps on real powerhouse workstations and servers; not some over-glorified type writer that can check email as well –> hence the Windows PC!
More…
I also share the same opinion in that Eric Willard is a doofus!
Perhaps by writing to your Education Department in Washington D.C might help out, otherwise for those of you who are US citizens, somehow me thinks twill be the majority, I would recommend writing to your own Senator and/or government represenative in your own locality.
Better if you live in Illinois!
Since I do not have a local US Government representative on internal issues, the US Embassy and Mr Tuttle, the US Ambassador, would only tell me the address details of who I can contact and that I have already done by the above post I made.
My 2 cents worth, literally.
Merry Christmas all.
“Made Man” hit the nose on the head. I worked for one school district that was 90% Mac. There was a change in the Director position and guess what. Yes, we needed more Windows machines! Funny thing is, at the time I was looking at upgrading to a PowerBook and my new Director suggested I contact his Sales friend who sold IT equipment to government entities. I didn’t call the guy, didn’t need him but I knew the score right then and there. I eventually left that place because of that moron.
Lenox Softworks needs to learn how to make a freaking site first. Crappy site, terrible branding and code such as font face=”Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif” size=”-1″
Notice he didn’t say there were any 8 year old Windows PCs.
He’s totally on the take.
Hmmmm, lets see here. everyone is up inarms about getting rid of 8 year old Macs and replacing them with new PC’s. The fact that everyone would rather use MacOS on 8 year old Macs instead of Windoze on new PC’s tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Even 8 year old Apple technology is better than new Micro$oft technology, err I mean copyology.
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Willard said he decided on the new platform because most people use Microsoft programs in ‘the real world,’
Willard is right with the program part, in that MS Office is king (like it or not). Windows is just one rather poor platform that it runs on.
Which begs a HUGE question: Couldn’t Willard save the district a fortune in acquisition costs, and just get Office on all the district’s existing computers?
I won’t mention the Internet, which is also king. Someone tell Willard that you don’t need -or WANT- Windows for surfing.
It’s such a nice warm feeling, knowing that our mandatory tax dollars are (ab)used for this kind of political shit…
I wrote the doofus and told him that researchers with the Canadian Government use Macs in guess what….Real World Situtations. They also use them heavikly in Academia. Add in a number of businesses that use them and the fact that we also use…yes thats right….MS office. if he does anything else then I agree with earlier posts, he must be on the take (or incredibly stupid).
…me of the clown from a Texas college about how Windows programs were more word processor based and that Apple couldn’t run those.
” because most people use Microsoft programs in ‘the real world,'”
I work in the real world and still use Microsoft programs. What programs that run only on Windows would school children use? Word? Excel?
“and open source systems provide a way for the district to keep students from downloading items such as music and movies onto the school’s computer hard drives — items that, ultimately, cost the district to delete.”
Right. How much will it cost to keep the Windows machines secure?
I think it’s funny how MS folks consider it some strange emotional attachment towards using a computer that functions properly. They must be so beaten down by MS that they can’t understand wanting to use a computer that just works.
If I took away his car and gave him a bike, would he have a strange emotional attachment to the car?
What a complete bunch of t**sers. Clueless as usual, or perhaps being ill advised by someone?
Adding new meaning to the term “educated idiot”
Here’s what I got out of this. blablablabla wheres my M$ kikback cheque? blablablabla.
Chicago, the land of the voting dead. Where “more appropriate” technology = I’ll take that in small unmarked bills, thank you.
“What a complete bunch of t**sers. Clueless as usual, or perhaps being ill advised by someone?”
Were you commenting on every poster in this thread?
When outside the graphics department did you last see more than an isolated Mac in a real world business? Just because you wish the world is one way doesn’t make it so. The guy’s just doing the right thing for the kids. Come back when the Mac has 95% market share.
When the only tool you know how to use is a hammer, suddenly all of the problems in the world look like nails.
Mr. Willard knows hammers.
Interesting. These drooling Mac zombies strike again. A tech director finally makes the smart move, replacing a bunch of Macs with new Windows systems, and those of you who won’t even be remotely affected get on the grumpy old man tirade. Good stuff.
Also, Mac fans love to flaunt their ability to run Windows on their systems. One has no choice but to wonder why you would ignorantly attack Windows one minute, and then praise your ability to run it the next. You embarrass yourselves. You’re excitement over the prospect is basically an admission of your dissatisfaction with the Mac OS. To further take the air out of your already flat and dismal arguments, any Windows PC is indeed fully capable of running Mac OS, and Linux.
Mac fans = grumpy old men, total idiots, angry children. Image is everything in this crowd, function is nothing.
Actually the Mac is the perfect amalgam of form and function. You must unlearn what you have learned!
mac/pc issue is irrelevant. doesn’t matter what is used. dwelling on the wrong problem. real problem is the united states education system k-12 is as outdated as a covered wagon. it served well for the first 100 years. the world has changed. if we do not change the system, the next 100 years will be ugly. there’s some good reading in thomas friedman’s “the world is flat” about this subject.
go to the district 300 website and look at their strategic goals. about providing access to opporunity, etc. good words, probably paid a $2500/day consultant good $ to help them come up with them. scores are above the national norm. must be doing somethng right. wrong. national norms are behind the global norms in math and science. like saying beating a sub 500 team qualifies you for the super bowl. not. can’t blame that on windows.
the people in education are generally good people and work hard. the system is just broken. what they buy for computers does not matter….really.
studies say we need a national system, not local systems. we need national goals, not national slogans and federal dollars handed out like party favors. a lot of resistance from the millions of people who make a living in the sytem and are afraid to change. now there is a good corollary to windows. maybe hillary can fix it.
love my mac. use windows at work. hate the dell, but love my work. life goes on.
Jedi Master (in name only), the force is NOT with you. You have turned to the Dark Side and it has corrupted your soul.
The Prussian education system was a system of mandatory education dating to the early 19th Century . Parts of the Prussian education system have served as models for the education systems in a number of other countries, including Japan and the United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_education_system
Early 19th Century! So its actually 200 years old. Ouch!
My. My. My.
Out with the old – 8 year old Macs and in with the New – 8 year old operating systems and antiquated hardware – oh wait they have a BIG budget to roll all of this over; so it will be all brand new stuff – NOT!!!!!
Yes – I would replace the Macs with iMacs – runs Lunix – Windblows – maybe Ubuntu (why not) and YES!!! Apple’s OS X.
Tell me when does changing from one OpSys to another OpSys prevent me from downloading music, movies and p0rn? (he didn’t mention an aversion to p0rn – did he?). Hmmmmmmm
Yes – M$ Windblows will prevent that. NO ONE in the “real world” uses Windblows to download illegally download music, movies or p0rn… nt once. It is ALWAYS those fantasy world folk who are using that unrealistic operating system from Apple and on those fantasy island machines called Macintosh.
What a load of krap…
My real world: Two windows machines to handle CNC operations and a microscope camera. (constant problems from both). 10 Macs (various configurations) to do the not-so-real work of scientific evaluation, number crunching, design to the nano and micron scale, and communications. My company is prearing to purchase 5120 Mac Pro Quads to build a SuperCluster but we will be workind in the nano-world – not the real world. So, that doesn’t count.
Is this guy phuqued in the head? YES!! Does it look like he hasn’t a clue? YES!!!! Does it appear to be a pay off of some sort? YESSSSSSSS!!!!
The “task force” is probably the same group that recommended that Bush invade West Virginia… er… Iraq. West Virginia is next week. Oops. The cat is out of the bag now. Sorry WV.
MDN= yes