[MACEP] equipment to donate

[Mike Ely]

Mary Hochberg wrote:
>> They say misery loves company, but it saddens me even more than I am 
>> to see that I am part of a wave washing over us all.
>> Ira
>>
> 
> Hmm, I wonder if the problem is more at the upper grade level? Are you 
> all at high or middle schools?
> 
> Perhaps we are an exception but the two schools I work at, both 
> elementary schools, are using more technology than ever.  Part of it is 
> indeed the result of state testing. Our schools were given COWs with 15 
> laptops each, specifically for taking the state tests.
> 

Actually, this is very much the pattern that I've seen since the advent 
of TESA.  The primary schools all suddenly realized that they needed at 
least one good lab that was capable of running the test, so they did 
what it took to obtain same.  Once the lab was in place, naturally, the 
teaching staff found ways to use them for new teaching, etc.

In the secondary grades, on the other hand, labs that were already in 
place have become testing-only for a good chunk of the year, which 
results in a good portion of the friction that I'm seeing in this 
discussion.

For my part, what this means is that the labs I'd desperately like to 
re-image due to bugs, etc, are untouchable during testing periods, which 
seem to stretch on _forever_.  And I see a strong demand for new labs to 
be brought online by any means neccessary.  I'm not going to venture 
into the funding questions other than to say the problems appear to be 
significant.

Mike