A school mac in a PC dominated school district…there is hope!
Aug 22nd, 2007 by Cathy Nelson
I was told today in my new district that mac users now have the option to request a mac instead of the traditional Dell PC and/or laptop if they so desire it. But there is a catch. If you opt for a Apple product, you (the individual educator) MUST purchase the maintenance agreement. I don’t know what the cost of this is, but I’m interested. I am going to ask. It does show though that the macs are slowly but surely creeping back into a solidly pc-windows environment across SC. YEAH!
“MacBookPro.” Nickoneill’s Photos. 10 January 2006. 22 August 2007 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickoneill/85083685/>.
[...] Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts blog post made me think about using an Apple computer in our school district. In Cathy’s district, they ask Mac users to purchase a service contract out of their own pocket with Apple. It seems school districts must not be able to negotiate service contract with vendors unless they are based on hundreds or thousands of units. I really do not understand how this works. However, if I was Apple, I would make a deal with schools that would at least match their competitors. Maybe they do and I do not know about it [...]
Cathy,
I think this is wrong. Do teachers who choose a PC have to pay for the service agreement? If I have to pay for the maintenance on school owned computer, I’m buying my own computer so I can own what I get reparied. Teachers spend to much of their money on school stuff, this should not be one of them.
While i would LOVE to return that Dell I was issued and get a MAC, since the library (and school) is filled with PCs, I suppose I’ll keep my Dell. But it does excite me to know that it is a choice (even if teachers must fund their service agreement.) While yes, that is a little shocking and seemingly unfair, I celebrate that the tide is turning, and the predominantly PC environemt here over the last ten years seems to be turning. The pendulum is swinging the other way.