Comments on: Increased Computing Saturation Requires Cost Effective Solutions https://edutechdebate.org/individal-and-communal-computer-usage/increased-computing-saturation-requires-cost-effective-solutions/ Educational Technology Debate Mon, 21 May 2012 15:09:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: mbeckford https://edutechdebate.org/individal-and-communal-computer-usage/increased-computing-saturation-requires-cost-effective-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-386 mbeckford Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:53:26 +0000 http://edutechdebate.org/?p=311#comment-386 @Caroline - For maintenance, it is software that makes up the majority of service requests. So if you assume a fixed fee maintenance contract, then software takes up the bulk of the cost if you make that same allocation to the costs. Hardware just doesn't fail that much (moving parts fail the most as you adroitly point out regarding hard drives). A friend of mine bought a laptop a few months ago and something is wrong with the fan ... it makes this grinding noise but still functions. Taking more computers out of the equation will reduce service requirements and thus cost. NComputing's support data is well below PC industry norms. We get calls on only .4% of our products shipped. So for every 1000 units, that's 4 calls. And most of them are typically installation questions, and hardware is rarely an issue as there are no moving parts in our virtual desktop terminals. @Caroline – For maintenance, it is software that makes up the majority of service requests. So if you assume a fixed fee maintenance contract, then software takes up the bulk of the cost if you make that same allocation to the costs. Hardware just doesn't fail that much (moving parts fail the most as you adroitly point out regarding hard drives). A friend of mine bought a laptop a few months ago and something is wrong with the fan … it makes this grinding noise but still functions. Taking more computers out of the equation will reduce service requirements and thus cost. NComputing's support data is well below PC industry norms. We get calls on only .4% of our products shipped. So for every 1000 units, that's 4 calls. And most of them are typically installation questions, and hardware is rarely an issue as there are no moving parts in our virtual desktop terminals.

]]> By: Caroline https://edutechdebate.org/individal-and-communal-computer-usage/increased-computing-saturation-requires-cost-effective-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-384 Caroline Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:37:57 +0000 http://edutechdebate.org/?p=311#comment-384 @mbeckford - I certainly agree the user data is valuable! The code for the XS to be able to backup and restore the contents of each student's stick is currently in testing and I hope to deploy it at our pilot in the next few weeks. The XS is the open source server software for a Sugar deployment. On maintenance cost, I think the question is how much of the maintenance costs are spent fixing hardware issues and how much supporting the software. The computer hardware maintenance (except perhaps for hard drive failures, as you no longer actually need a harddisk) should stay the same per machine, but software issues will be fixed by having the student take the broken stick to the office, getting a new one and restoring their data. @mbeckford – I certainly agree the user data is valuable! The code for the XS to be able to backup and restore the contents of each student's stick is currently in testing and I hope to deploy it at our pilot in the next few weeks. The XS is the open source server software for a Sugar deployment.

On maintenance cost, I think the question is how much of the maintenance costs are spent fixing hardware issues and how much supporting the software. The computer hardware maintenance (except perhaps for hard drive failures, as you no longer actually need a harddisk) should stay the same per machine, but software issues will be fixed by having the student take the broken stick to the office, getting a new one and restoring their data.

]]> By: A New ICT4E Model: Multiple Platforms + Single Learning Environment = More Beneficiaries « Educational Technology Debate https://edutechdebate.org/individal-and-communal-computer-usage/increased-computing-saturation-requires-cost-effective-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-359 A New ICT4E Model: Multiple Platforms + Single Learning Environment = More Beneficiaries « Educational Technology Debate Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:10:25 +0000 http://edutechdebate.org/?p=311#comment-359 [...] Increased Computing Saturation Requires Cost Effective Solutions [...] [...] Increased Computing Saturation Requires Cost Effective Solutions [...]

]]> By: Caroline https://edutechdebate.org/individal-and-communal-computer-usage/increased-computing-saturation-requires-cost-effective-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-352 Caroline Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:30:34 +0000 http://edutechdebate.org/?p=311#comment-352 This is a great article, thank you. I'm happy to see someone else looking at TCO rather then just low price tags. Computer labs in a schools I've been to seem to give each kid about an hour a week. Even if you add more computers, there is only so much time the kids are in school. Plus while they are in school they have a trained, paid teacher, is it really a good use of resources to have time with the teacher replaced by time with the computer? It seems more cost efficient to use computing to extend learning time into out of school time. Mobility gives you that but as you point out, giving each kid a laptop is expensive. Sugar on a Stick should make mobility cheaper. If kids take their sticks with them they can use them on clusters of computers in day care centers, community centers and at home if the parent has a computer. Thus by using computers in different places in their environment they can get quite a bit more hours of computing time per week and their desktop and all their work is mobile. I wonder if we can run numbers on that type of solution, and maybe instead of running them per machine, run the numbers to compare $ per hour the child uses a computer. Is there any detail about what the support costs involve for this study? With Sugar on a Stick if there is a software problem a tech does not have to go to the computer, the student can bring the stick to the office and get a new one. Computers do not even need harddrives. This might bring down the maintenance costs. This is a great article, thank you. I'm happy to see someone else looking at TCO rather then just low price tags.

Computer labs in a schools I've been to seem to give each kid about an hour a week. Even if you add more computers, there is only so much time the kids are in school. Plus while they are in school they have a trained, paid teacher, is it really a good use of resources to have time with the teacher replaced by time with the computer? It seems more cost efficient to use computing to extend learning time into out of school time. Mobility gives you that but as you point out, giving each kid a laptop is expensive.

Sugar on a Stick should make mobility cheaper. If kids take their sticks with them they can use them on clusters of computers in day care centers, community centers and at home if the parent has a computer. Thus by using computers in different places in their environment they can get quite a bit more hours of computing time per week and their desktop and all their work is mobile. I wonder if we can run numbers on that type of solution, and maybe instead of running them per machine, run the numbers to compare $ per hour the child uses a computer.

Is there any detail about what the support costs involve for this study? With Sugar on a Stick if there is a software problem a tech does not have to go to the computer, the student can bring the stick to the office and get a new one. Computers do not even need harddrives. This might bring down the maintenance costs.

]]> By: Wayan https://edutechdebate.org/individal-and-communal-computer-usage/increased-computing-saturation-requires-cost-effective-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-338 Wayan Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:33:41 +0000 http://edutechdebate.org/?p=311#comment-338 With your reference to In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, are you're saying that Walter may be overstepping the students' real needs when he looks to change the educational paradigm from memorization to exploration? That sticking closer to an incremental change in education using technology (ie. teaching it as a skill, like maths, rather than using it to change pedagogy), is a more achievable goal? On the face of it, I think I agree with you there. Trying to go from instructionist to Constructionist at the same time as going from paper to digital may be too great a leap for educational systems - systems not known for their flexibility and adoption of innovation to begin with. But shouldn't we start that change somewhere? And doesn't an investment in computing offer the best opportunity to do so? If not now, when, if ever, will there be the opportunity for change? With your reference to In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, are you're saying that Walter may be overstepping the students' real needs when he looks to change the educational paradigm from memorization to exploration? That sticking closer to an incremental change in education using technology (ie. teaching it as a skill, like maths, rather than using it to change pedagogy), is a more achievable goal?

On the face of it, I think I agree with you there. Trying to go from instructionist to Constructionist at the same time as going from paper to digital may be too great a leap for educational systems – systems not known for their flexibility and adoption of innovation to begin with. But shouldn't we start that change somewhere? And doesn't an investment in computing offer the best opportunity to do so? If not now, when, if ever, will there be the opportunity for change?

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