Teachers could follow the same format however it is important, according to committee members, that teachers have time to work on their newly learned skills. The committee voted in favor of proceeding to secure funding for the pilot, with one abstention due to late arrival. Wood reported that West needs another lab and is looking at options. Electrical and demountable walls are proving to be challenges for a traditional lab. The wireless option is being investigated however the cost of laptops is more than desktops, the management of laptops for the 8-9 th graders may be difficult, and the reviews of the mobile labs in use in other districts are mixed.
Further investigation is underway.
Brief comments regarding the MPA visit were made by Wood, Pautzke and Toner. The visit was arranged through Scot Moser, our current Apple representative, as follow up on an earlier meeting with Scot, Jon Reid, Karen Bergman, David Paxson, Julie Toner and Rosalyn Pautzke. A wireless network was installed last year and the 240 high school students were assigned iBook laptops. They carry the laptop with them and are allowed to take it home. The entire wireless system has performed very well, with no significant failures.