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Education and the internet
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Microsoft Education
As many are aware, ongoing debate exists between Apple and Microsoft users as to which computer/platform/operating system is better. Following a theme of technology in education (see my previous article about the internet in education), let’s take a look at how both of them approach education.
My high school, Dakota Ridge, used one of the first models of iMacs in the library and classrooms. Arapahoe Community College did not have Apple computers; only Microsoft Windows operating systems. The University of Denver widely uses the most up-to-date Microsoft products, and mandated an update to Microsoft Vista when it came out in the spring of 2007 (much to the disappointment of students and professors, who were all quite used to using XP). Metro State has two computer labs on campus. One is dedicated to Apple computers and the other to Microsoft computers and the Mac computer lab seemingly gets used far less than the Microsoft computer lab.
Schools and students have an advantage when they choose to use Apple computers, as Apple has dedicated time and effort to marketing specifically to students, educators and teachers. They state the “Mac is made for education,” arguing its ease of use increases the productivity of both students and teachers, and that they’re changing how students learn and how teachers and professors teach. Further, Apple has its own store for education, offering discounts for “faculty, staff and students,” including the ability to choose your college or K-12 school based on contract agreements, and which Mac computer will work best for you. Pretty cool, right?
Yes. However, the world of technology houses a competitive marketplace. Microsoft has its own educational advantages, too. For one, they’re still very widely used in colleges and universities, as it is expected that students know and understand Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. As a result of that, Mac computers offer the ability to run PC applications such as Microsoft Office and Windows, as they’re aware PC’s still have a majority market share. Microsoft offers platforms to educators, students, and administrators to “maximize teaching and learning.” Their commitment to education:
“We work with local, national, and international education communities to create technology, tools, programs, and solutions that help address education challenges, while improving teaching and learning opportunities.”
Similar to Apple, Microsoft offers discounts to teachers and students based on contractual agreements with the school or district. They offer “volume licensing” for institutions, or volume-based pricing, for schools that need more computers. Microsoft focuses greatly on its software (i.e. Microsoft Office) in relation to educational use, while Apple focuses on hardware and ease of use.
So, are Macs more beneficial or competitive than Microsoft (or vice versa) for educational purposes? What do you think the advantages (or disadvantages) are of these computers and operating systems for education?
Comments
Macs definitely, due to their longevity, and user-friendly OS. It may take time for students to get used to though, particularly the ones who have grown up with PC's their whole life, but it is the simplicity of the Mac that could win students over in that respect.
Originally I had believed Macs may have something going for them, seeing as how they had quite a popular following in my local educational facilities. However after my girlfriend decided to pick one up in the fall for her first year of college, I've come to really dislike the product as a whole.
A lot of the oversimplification makes more complex tasks (and often simpler ones) difficult for me. I do not see a reason for closing an application to leave it open in the task bar, while minimizing does the same thing (only visibly). I don't see why they don't allow you to view programs full screen. There's so little that makes sense that I'm almost certain that the entire company is just skating by on gimmicky promotion.
Danny's comments showed a lack of time on the Mac and an unbending attitude to spend it. Let's take them one by one.
- It's the dock -- not the task bar. They're different.
- You can close an application and keep it's icon on the dock if you wish.
- You can close a document and keep the application open, with its icon on the dock showing it's still active.
- Drag the bottom right corner to make a window bigger -- even full screen. Click the green button to toggle back and forth.
You see? There are so many ways to do things on a Mac that you should actually take a few minutes to try some of them.
As you learn a new system don't be afraid to Google things like, <"full screen" mac>
As for "skating by on gimmicky promotion," Apple is ranked 253, (up from 337 last year) in Fortune Magazine's Global 500. It also has more than $30 billion dollars in cash.
Don't you wish you were skating by like that?
I have used Macs since 1988. I have had several job situation where I had to use a windows machine. There is just no comparison. All the "controversy" is only for microsoft trolls and people who are ignorant about using a Mac. When in a real life work use situation, Macs are trouble free, intuitive, and a pleasure to use.
@ sckrap
Out of curiosity, which Microsoft Operating system do you use at work? I only ask because there are a lot of companies still using Windows 2000 and XP, which isn't a fair comparison to OSX.
Big + for Mac: you can run Windows on it if needed--that should be a game-over right there.
OS vs. OS: for the school, overall costs will actually be lower, due to less maintenance and lower software costs. Macs currently need no malware software, saving money and CPU cycles. I teach a Computer survey course using both Mac and Windows; the Mac has far fewer problems in actual use. In terms of day-to-day use, processes on the Mac OS typically requires fewer keystrokes, less time/effort. Downside: most people are more used to Windows.
In terms of specific education-based needs, Apple's multi-language features blow Windows away. For math, Apple provides a fantastic graphing calculator (Grapher) free. The Oxford American Dictionary/Thesaurus is built-in and plugs into apps system-wide for easy access.
The main disadvantage of Macs is with subject-specific software, often written for Windows only--but that can be solved with using Windows in Boot Camp mode. All I can say in 1000 c
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