SEC: TARGET: Scheduling Computers

[Betty Dawn Hamilton <bhamilt@TENET.EDU>]

Group,

I have a question from a colleague.  If you have a computer-lab situation
in your library, how do you schedule it?

Right now, we are flexibly scheduled the same way the library is. If
teachers want to bring classes, they sign up for the days and periods they
want to bring groups.  Usually, when students do a research project, the
teacher will reserve the library for a week or two, and then the lab for a
week or two. They way they do that is reserve the library only for week 1,
then week 2 they reserve both the library AND lab so that those who have
completed their research can begin to "type" their papers. Week 3 is lab
only and the library is freed up for other classes.

Students are encouraged to come in on their own time to work on their
projects.

My colleague's questions concern length of "reservations".  (Our classes
meet every other day, hence 2 weeks really isn't all that many days in
the library; her classes meet EVERY day.) She wants to know if other
library labs limit reservation times to a week or two or what.

Also, one teacher has reserved the computer lab for EVERY FRIDAY from now
until school is out (the same way the library has been done in the
past).  Do any of you have that situation and how do you handle it?

Of course, she is going to her principal to discuss the most effective
way to schedule the facility, but she would like advice from others who
may have already been through the problem.

Her concerns are that if the students are required to have their research
papers completed and in long hand BEFORE they begin word processing, their
time is not well spent just keying in the document for 2 weeks ...  she
feels that students who are not being taught new material for that length of
time may not be getting all the information that they need.

Now you all know that it's a disaster to try to tell another teacher how
to teach, so if you've dealt with this issue, please share advice.  She
is a concerned educator ... she wants the district's students to excel
just as all of us do, but she is hesitant to "open a can of worms" by
restricting reservations.

What do you think?

I'll compile a HIT for the group as I print out responses and send them
to her.

Thanks!

Betty
                                .----.
Betty Hamilton, LRS             |    |                701 Cub Drive
bhamilt@tenet.edu           ____|*    ~~~~~~.         Brownfield TX 79316
Brownfield High School      \               |         (806) 637-4523
                             \_/\        . /
                                  \     {
                                    \  }
                                      ~