...especially high schools, for those seniors trying to write final, massive papers, and (now fairly late) college essays. A school I worked at had a sign-out sheet for them, so kids could take their half-typed papers home.

As a high school teacher, I appreciate the opportunity you're trying to offer: not many schools have computer programming classes, so that's pretty neat.

If your school is going to require this class, be very careful to think about different learning styles and learning disabilities. Programming goes well for very linear, sequential thinkers. It may not go well for abstract free-spirits. How about kids with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and/or dysgraphia? Will you have different levels of programming for different students' abilities? How about the kids who have already done some programming? How about your non-native-English speakers?

Additionally, think about what you want kids to get out of this class. Will they use it in other classes (sure, ideally they will, but look at the other teachers at your school and be realistic)? Do the kids need a typing/word processing/spreadsheet class more than programming?

I teach in K-12 schools (specifically, the 9-12 region).

Consider how most teachers use computers in school. If you live in a relatively wealthy area, they might offer a computer-based class or two (or require typing/etc.). If you go to the majority of schools, there are public labs available for typing papers, "researching" online, and such.

In the former case, where you have a computer-literate teacher with learning/literate-students, go for the open source ideas. It's definitely good skills to have if the kids are going to continue in computer-oriented stuff.

In the latter case, teachers NEED the computers to 1) work, and 2) work in a way familiar to the students so that they don't have to teach kids how to navigate an operating system, use an unfamiliar (and slightly different) word processor/spreadsheet/whatever. It's really time-consuming and frustrating for the teacher to have something not work AND not know how to fix it.

Also consider the kinds of things the computers are needed for, ESPECIALLY standardized tests (which are required thanks to No Child Left Behind). I'd wager that most standardized tests are now given via computer and probably run on Windows-based platforms only.

I think you first need to figure out whether what you want is for everyone to follow a certain procedure (bio labs have set protocols) or just to have a record of what work people have done (like lab notebooks). Here are some brief (and incomplete) thoughts:

Protocols, pro:
- high consistency, as long as people actually follow them
- can be easily edited and everyone will be able to follow the improvements
Protocols, con:
- little flexibility, depending on how they're written

Lab notebooks, pro:
- allows flexibility for all situations, allows for worker's ingenuity
- accurate record for worker's actions, as long as they write it down
Lab notebooks, con:
- no consistency from person to person
- no structure or prompts for person to follow

I am a science teacher in the U.S., and I have used the laptop carts and the computer labs. I also have a good friend who teaches in a school where they give each student a laptop.

The efficacy of computers in the classroom depends on what you expect students to do with them, AS WELL AS how willing the teachers are in using them.

My friend who teaches with middle schoolers (ages 12-14ish) helps them learn to research plants and anatomy online, distinguishes between reliable sources and illegitimate sources, and instructs how to cite webpages in bibliographies. She also has to go through kids' internet histories once per month and give "violations" to those who looked at porn (against the signed agreement at the beginning of the year).

I have used the computer carts. For me, that's enough time. I don't want laptops anywhere near chemistry experiments unless the lab is set up for that purpose (which I have also used). In that case, the laptops had a special shelf away from the lab bench, and we used probes to test experiment variables. Those particular students, however, didn't understand what the computers were measuring; only that the numbers went up and down.

It is, however, valuable to teach kids how to use spreadsheets and work processors so that they won't be clueless in high school or college when printed papers, including graphs or charts, are expected.