[K12OSN] Room Layout

[Eric Brown]

Hello All,

I saw this desk at a computer conference, and wished I had a big pile
of money to get enough for my classroom:

http://www.spectrumfurniture.com/prd/lvl3.cfm?from=search&subcat=261&cat_id=43&subcat_id=7

If you have flat panel monitors, you can push them down into the desk.
 You push a button, and they silently rise from the desktop.  There's
room in the monitor compartment for a keyboard and mouse.  The monitor
is proteced in front and back by the desk.  Also, there are conduits
on the sides that you can run cables through when the desk are side by
side so no cables run across the floor.  I can't remember the exact
figure, but it was going to be over $12k to get 25 of them for my
classroom last year.

I currently have my computers around the outside walls of the room.
I't makes for a pretty packed room.  I only have room for 24 students
in a classroom setting, and 20 in a computer lab setting.  At these
numbers its incredibly packed.   And of course, every semester, I must
go to the principal and remind him of these numbers after they pack 32
kids in my Algebra class.  Right now, I have to live with 28 in my
algebra class, and I have kids squeezing onto the ends of tables.  My
point is, make sure that class sizes and room size won't be an issue
if you're planning on doing both a lab and classroom in the same room.

I've got a panoramic shot of the computers in my room.  This was tanek
from the back corner of the room behind my desk.  I now also have a
bank of 3 more thin clients on the far right between my desk and that
door you can see.  Hopefully this will give you an idea (warning, it's
2.7mb):

http://www.keokukhigh.net/~ericbrow/pics/classroom.jpg

Good luck.

Eric

On 10/25/06, Ray Garza <ray at mission.lib.tx.us> wrote:
> On Tuesday 24 October 2006 17:05, Daniel Kuecker wrote:
> > Hello All!
> >
> > I am trying to figure out how to best implement thin clients in a
> > classroom and not a lab. i have been searching the net for some floor
> > plans that others may be using, but cannot find much. i want to make
> > these permanent in the classroom, and try to minimize distraction from
> > an LCD panel on the desk, maybe under the desk with glass top? Currently
> > our desks are individual desks, some that the top flips open, some not.
> > I am also trying to figure out the bast way to get ethernet jacks and
> > power to the desks or cluster of desk. I have toyed with possibly
> > bunlding the ehternet and extension cords and rolling them out on the
> > floor, but i do not know if there would be interferance from the power
> > cords and plus it doesnt sound like a good permanent solution. What are
> > you guys doing?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Daniel Kuecker
> >
> Hmm, I saw a picture of someone's room where they got the computer desks along
> the three walls (facing the wall) and regular desks in the middle of the room
> facing the teacher for non computing work.
>
> Here at the Library our computers are in table clusters with power and
> eithernet cabling running underground from the wiring closets to the tables.
> Of course the floorplan was designed that way when the new building was
> constructed. The old building was renovated to meet the same conditions but
> that meant a jackhammer to carve out a trench to lay the pipes. I don't think
> you want to go that route :)
>
> I think for simplicity sake and avoidance of trip hazards, setting up around
> the perimiter of the room would be a good solution.  Maybe you can do the
> same as  the 1st paragraph but turn the computers around to face the teacher
> and move the desks away from the wall to create room to walk around and sit.
> You can then snake the power and lan cabling from one side all the way to the
> other end and have only one area exposed as a trip hazard.
>
> Home Depot sell a 25 ft power cord with connections every 3-4 ft. We use those
> in our laptop lab.
>
> Just some ideas to toss around.
>
> -ray
> --
> Ray Garza
> Coordinator of Computer Services
> Speer Memorial Library
> (956) 580-8757
> ray at mission.lib.tx.us
>
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