Apple Grrl

In a bold move, Wilkes University in Pennsylvania has decided to use Macs exclusively on its campus. Apple has long been the computer of choice for education because of its comprehensive software bundle and easy to use interface, not to mention it’s virtually virus and hacker free interface. This only serves to cement its place in the scholarly market.

The university is phasing out its Windows based PCs over a three year period. It will have Macs only on its campus of 5,000 students and has announced that any student who wants to use a PC running Windows will have to bring it on campus themselves and maintain it themselves. This is a huge leap forward in the concept of Macs as mainstream.

Just how large will the impact of this switch be for such a small campus? They currently have a computer lab with 1,700 computers, all currently PCs. To switch them all over to Macs during the next three years is a monumental project expected to cost at least $1.4 million USD. The university is also bringing education techniques into the future by integrating Apple’s iPod into several of its class formats, allowing students more freedom in mobile learning.

There are other universities out there integrating Macs more fully into their curriculums, but Wilkes is so far the only one who has announced a complete switch from PC to Mac technology. iPods are also growing in educational use, although some of the more old-school teachers find using them less intuitive than their students do. Apple plans to offer some training programs to get educators up to speed on the benefits ofd the new technology.

With the iPhone’s mobile computing technology slated to be marketed this summer, that too could end up helping educators and students get more out of their classes in this modern age. From audio books to visual lesson plans on the go, the new technology is making learning accessible to everyone. By using Macs, it is also painless and nearly virus free. Do you use your iPod for learning or teaching? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: Wilkes University, Apple

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

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