Landscape Architect Articles

LASN Technology August, 200308-01-03 | News

Bringing Technology to the Classroom:
Lesson in Patience

By Scott S. Weinberg, FASLA

State budgetary problems have made it advantageous, and often mandatory, for college students to supply their own laptops. A WI-FI card, seen here, is necessary for some laptops to connect to the wireless network. When students move to the workplace, they can take their laptops and WI-FI cards and connect to employers?EUR??,,????'??? computer systems.

Starting next fall, college sophomores will be required to have laptop computers at their desks for use in their design studios. This decision, although very easy to reach, has far greater implications than anyone can imagine.

The idea for students to bring their own computing power to their classes came about because of the overwhelming demand on computer hardware and space in the School of Environmental Design at the University of Georgia. With over 300 undergraduates it is impossible to have ?EUR??,,????'??open?EUR??,,????'?? computer access for all students during normal class hours. The required classes have kept the labs busy some 30-35 hours per week.

As a result of the students?EUR??,,????'??? need for computer time, the school?EUR??,,????'???s technology committee brought the idea of requiring computers of all second year students to a general faculty vote. It was adopted by the faculty that all second year students by the fall of 2004 would have to bring a laptop computer to their desks for all design studios.

The idea has now become a reality for our incoming freshmen; the dilemma is how to incorporate the technology into the classroom. Some of the curriculum questions that need to be addressed are: How much classroom production will be allowed using the computer technology vs. hand drawn selections? How can some faculty who are untrained be expected to help the students with specific technology problems in the studio setting? These are some of the concerns we will be wrestling with during the next 12 months. One good thing we did was to decide far enough in advance to make the transition to technology as smooth as possible.

Students at UGA are able to draw backyard plan views on their own laptops.

The first item that needed to be addressed was providing specifications for students to use in purchasing a laptop.

The following is a current list of requirements:

2 GHz processor
512 MB RAM
40GB hard drive
CD rewritable drive w/Roxio Easy CD Creator Software
Zip drive
32 MB graphics card
15?EUR??,,????'?? display
802.11g or 802.11b wireless card
Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Office/ FrontPage
Adobe Photoshop Antivirus Software*
* (can be obtained from UGA at no cost)

Additional software will be required for other classes and will be purchased after classes begin. One of the required packages will be AutoCAD and LandCADD. AutoCAD is available to students in many different packages. Some are priced for students with the ability to upgrade; some are priced as fixed for a nonupgradeable product; and some of the least expensive ways are for students to purchase a past version of the software. We are still working with AutoDesk and hope to have a student price for a current product agreed upon before the fall of 2004. LandCADD is making full blown versions of their software available at the price of a textbook. This price includes all landscape modules and tech support. The software will be good only for 12 months, and a yearly fee will be required to keep the software working. However, the price is so attractive there should be no problem with a student feeling comfortable with the product for the four years they will be required to use it.

With the decision to require laptops for students came a substantial commitment for funding a new security system for the studios and the building of a wireless network. The security system requires students to enter their social security number into a reader which also scans their fingerprint before opening the doors to the studios. Using the finger scan technology assures us that no one will be ?EUR??,,????'??borrowing?EUR??,,????'?? identification to enter the studios. This security measure kicks in after 5p.m. and on weekends.

Computer software, such as AutoCAD and LandCADD, makes it easy for landscape architects to create 3D modeling.

We were concerned that setting up the wireless network would be difficult and possibly time consuming. However, we were wrong. The network was a fairly straightforward operation. (In the second part of this article, which will appear in the September issue, I will provide a step-by-step installation history.) Within a month of starting the install we had all four of our studio floors ready to go, three floors in the graduate building and our reading room. Not a bad start considering that we were still 18 months away from requiring laptops. Of course this is exactly what needed to be done to begin testing the system.

We began allowing students who already had laptops to give the wireless system a try so we could begin to troubleshoot the new wireless network. The first problem that we encountered was related to the operating systems some of the students were using. Students who were using Windows 98 or NT had problems accessing the network. The problems of configuring their machines were so difficult that we had them upgrade to Windows XP. Once they did this the machines basically configured themselves and were on the network within a matter of minutes. The other problem we encountered was curriculum related. With some students working by hand and some on the computer, a time disparity became apparent regarding the final drafting of their projects. This is something that will need to be addressed during the upcoming year.

Next month?EUR??,,????'???s article will revolve around setting up the network, and the problems that were encountered. It will provide facts and figures on how difficult the system was to install.

Scott Weinberg, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects is LASN’s editor of digital information. He is a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Georgia in Athens, and the associate dean of UGA’s new College of Environment and Design (CED).