Re: TECH: Demise of Apple/Macintosh?

[Lee MacWilliams <leemac@MYLINK.NET>]

 We are still in a dual platform society.  The majority of computer users
require; word processing, internet access, cd roms and email.  Either Mac
or IBM & clones will suffice..
 I think we need to keep reminding ourselves though that we are not
educating 'all' our children to go out into the business world of number
crunchers and corporate buyouts.  Their Creativity and diversity  need to
be explored and limiting the resources available to them reminds me a
little of 'Big Brother'.
 My system is trying to become one platform (PC) but there are enough of us
who prefer the Macs rather than PC for multimedia, web design and desktop
publishing, to keep ordering them.  We have been told they will not do Mac
repairs but that does not matter.  What our students have been able to
create and achieve does.  They have the use of either platform but prefer
the Mac (elementary school) and as long as we are able, we will provide
them with a choice.
 My teachers are also partial to the Mac and the main reason is ease of use..
  I enjoy placing a Mac next to non Mac (don't want to discredit any one
manufacturer) and giving teachers identical cd roms (most educational cd
roms are cross platforms now) and telling them to load and run them.  One
machine brings the icon to the desktop, you double click and it opens and
runs.  The other..well, we get as far as file manager..browse...find
d\:...exe. and they sit there saying, why do we have to do all this.

 As with everything in education, it will all come down to money and which
company spends the most on advertising to make sure their machines are
placed in a school system.

In the meantime, I'll keep buying Apple stock and wondering when Windows 97
& NT will finally come out and will they also say, while we're running an
application, "You have performed an illegal operation"..this machine will
self destruct in 5 seconds.


Lee E. MacWilliams
Instructional Technology / Library Media

* Web site  http://www.mylink.net/~leemac/lee.html
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     Those who have the right to define are the masters
of the situation..
   " When I use a word," said Humpty Dumpty in a rather
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neither more nor less."

   ' Alice Thru the Looking Glass ' - Lewis G. Carroll
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