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UT want Apple in students' laps
In fall, teacher preparation programs will require specific laptop computers
By Erik Rodriguez

Austin American-Statesman staff

Sunday, April 21, 2002

Beginning this fall, the University of Texas will require students entering its teacher preparation programs to have laptops, and if they can't get the right machine, they'll have to buy it from Apple Computer Corp.

The move, which will be formally announced Monday, first will affect about 300 students, mostly juniors and seniors, in the colleges of education, fine arts, liberal arts and natural sciences. Many more eventually will be affected by the new program, which will require students to have a university-approved Apple laptop running specific software.

University officials will check laptops to ensure that students have the right machine and software. Those without the machines cannot enroll in teacher preparation programs.

Many students, including some who prefer PCs to Apple, are fuming.

"I think it's stupid," said Eunjung Kang, a sophomore studying to be an elementary school teacher. "I don't understand why they would require us to buy something we could do without. And on top of that, why make it an Apple?"

Kang does not own an Apple laptop but now will have to get one before she graduates. Students who own or can borrow a laptop meeting the university's minimum specifications do not need to get a new one, the university said. Students cannot share the laptops.

Administrators say the laptops are needed to help future teachers become more computer proficient and incorporate technology into their instruction. They said students who cannot afford the computers will be eligible for financial aid to cover the cost.

Apple was chosen because it offered steep discounts for students and agreed to provide technical support and training. The company also has a strong presence in schools, said Larry Abraham, associate dean for teacher education, who backs the idea.

"We needed to have a single platform," Abraham said. "We didn't want our faculty spending a lot of time figuring out what kind of computer someone in the class is using."

Apple will sell the baseline laptop for $1,000 to eligible students, including those entering the teaching programs and about 1,700 more enrolled in the College of Education.

It's not the first UT program to require students to have a laptop. In the McCombs School of Business, incoming MBA students are required to buy a laptop running Microsoft Windows 2000. The machine, which ranges from $2,119 to $2,349, is advertised to students as part of the cost of admission.

The university does not have a formal legal contract with Apple regarding the new requirement, but documents representing a two-year agreement have been exchanged, Abraham said. Neither Apple nor the university will receive money as part of the agreement, and Abraham said he thinks the machines will be sold below cost.

Apple representatives could not be reached for comment.

The Campus Computer Store already provides Apples at a discount for the 50,000 students enrolled at UT. It also offers Microsoft software to students for as little as $5 per program.

The university has several relationships with other computer companies, none of which are considered more favorable than any other, said Don Hale, a university spokesman.

In recent years, there's been a greater emphasis nationally on teaching elementary and secondary students technological skills, experts said, but more of the focus has been on older teachers.

"Our experience is not with new teachers not having enough technological experience, but with teachers who have been in the classroom 20 years," said Denise Cardinal, a spokeswoman for the National Education Association. "We always have said it's wonderful to get computers in classrooms, but you have to make sure teachers know how to use that tool."

Not every student is unhappy about the decision.

Melissa Lazarides, a senior in applied learning and development, said the new requirement would provide a unique opportunity.

"I think it would be a good idea," said Lazarides, 21. "I was going to buy a new computer anyway."

Abraham, who acknowledged the laptop requirement could be controversial, said university officials have answers for students' concerns and that they ultimately will benefit.

"The exciting thing is we're the first teacher preparation program in the country that is making this as a requirement," he said. "That's the place where I see other (schools) will try to follow."