TARGET: TECH: Switching from one platform to another

[Nancy Kershner <nkershner@SBC.EDU>]

We're in an all Mac school (except for the administrative office).  Our lab is
full of refurbished Macs, and our classroom computers are slowly being replaced
with iMacs.  I have four iMacs in the library, and we have two iBooks and two
PowerBook G3s that are available for faculty check-out.  Recently at a faculty
meeting our principal said she was lobbying the upper administration to have the
computers in the lab replaced with PCs, because she's familiar with PCs (meaning
Windows 98, I believe) and feels she could do staff development if only we had
PCs (whether she would have time to do staff development is debatable).

Lots of questions came to my mind--cross-platform issues (since I'm assuming no
one is going to get rid of the new classroom iMacs or the ones in the library),
repurchasing software and site licenses, just to name the obvious.  I'd like to
hear from people who have been through this situation at their schools, whether
switching from Mac to Windows or vice versa.  I'd also like to hear from people
who are more tech savvy than I am and can tell me what all the ramifications are:
for instance would it be better if we are going to make a change to switch to
Linux?  Obviously, that would not solve the principal's concern about being the
one to provide staff development.

I'll post a hit.

Nancy Kershner
Library Media Specialist
Amelon Elementary
Madison Heights, VA
nkershner@sbc.edu

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