Another may like electronic mail. Another may prefer video games. The architecture and scheduling of a computer facility should encourage all these diverse uses. Another right idea is to make the computer available to students as a serious tool, in their lives right now , not as something they'll need later. Probably the most important example of this approach is word processing.
Students have to write many papers, for English teachers, history teachers, and so on.
Word processing can make the mechanics of this task much easier, encouraging second drafts. Instead of setting up a required course, try just letting students know that this facility is available to them if they want it. Finally, for students who are interested, the computer can be valuable not as narrow job training, but as a medium for developing problem-solving skills. It can also be a medium for developing independence, since not every student need be doing the same programming project at the same time. A great deal, when the name brings in a strong hidden assumption about the sociology and economics of the job market.