Re:Cost of equipment (Score 1)

Please see my post a few minutes ago. With K12LTSP (Free Open Source Software) and donated PCs (one server and 5-7 old PIIs) you can outfit a classroom with 3:1 student to PC ratio as cheaply as the cost to upgrade the donated server (say a few hundred for more RAM/faster HDD). Limiting the number of clients to 7 means you can use older 100 Mbps switches instead of the newer Gbps switches required when more than 7 clients hang off a single server. This approach transformed our classrooms and obviated the need for the computer lab for most use cases. Kid's used the PCs all day long for research, creative writing, math practice, etc. With TeacherTool (FOSS) you can do most of the things you do with a projector, but the display is sent to each student PC instead of to a projector. It is absolutely the most cost effective way to put technology in the hands of teachers and students that I have ever seen. See more on our story at http://www.morrisbrandon.com/ and click on the Technology link.