Deal with the Devil?

Computer Life column for November 21, 1998
by
Richard Gordon

This week's Newsweek contained an article about a company called ZapMe! (www.zapme.com) whose niche is setting up computing labs in schools around the country--complete with satellite-based Internet access--at no cost to the schools.

Free Pentium IIs, 17-inch monitors, multimedia software, full-motion video and Internet access via satellite, and professionally previewed sources of information. A program like this could help with equity issues, assuring that all students have access to the mound of information that is the Internet, even if their families can't afford a computer.

In the past 6 weeks, 70 schools around the country have accepted ZapMe! into their buildings, with another 100-125 expected to join very shortly. If I were a school administrator, I know I'd be tempted to contact ZapMe! and learn more about the program.

But there are some "gotchas" that make this parent of a school-age child have some concerns.

ZapMe! sets up 15-seat labs. That's a start, but that's all it is in larger schools. Some of ZapMe!'s corporate partners must hope that those 15 systems will inspire the school to buy more computers.

ZapMe! claims that all the material will be installed and maintained at their cost, but if I were a school administrator, I'd grill them on this point mercilessly--particularly if my school is an older building or if there's an existing network with which the ZapMe! lab would need to interact.

ZapMe! requires that a lab they set up be in use for 4 hours every day. That sounds like a solid curricular goal, but here's what's really going on.

This company generates revenue by selling advertisements. If you sign on with them, they require that you use their Web browser, which includes a "brand imaging window" in the lower-left-hand quadrant of the screen at all times.

From a marketing perspective, they are saying "You can have this stuff for free if you'll guarantee that we can show your students advertisements for at least 4 hours a day."

Even a notorious, bearded liberal can admire this creative way of getting private enterprise to help fund a technology presence in schools.

However, the ZapMe! program raises two questions that each school or school district that considers joining the program must ask.

First, what are the "hidden costs" of this program? What are the implications of giving up a classroom, staffing the lab, purchasing other equipment to fit the lab into an existing network or to provide more students the opportunity to go on-line? For a public school, what would it cost to make a ZapMe! lab compatible with State or District standards?

Second, and perhaps more importantly, a school has to look at the advertising aspect. ZapMe!'s corporate sponsors are not altruistic foundations: Their goal is to make profits from students who, as young consumers, respond to the increased dosage of advertising.

Tip of the week

Table calculations

Many word processing users claim that using tables is too hard. However, there are times when a using the table feature is the best way to format things. And there's another reason to teach yourself about tables.

Let's say that your table includes dollar figures you need to add and subtract. Most full-service word processing programs will allow you to perform simple arithmetic functions within that table.

For example, in Microsoft Word, going to the "Table" pull-down menu and selecting "Formula" while your cursor is in an empty table cell will allow you to make the contents of that cell be a calculated value. For example, if you use the formula "=b2+b3+b4-b6", any changes to the numbers in the second, third, fourth, and sixth cells in the second column of your table will result in the new value automatically being re-calculated and displayed.

Copyright © 1998, The News Journal Company

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