Invercargill's James Hargest High School is moving strongly toward recycled computers on a thin client network for most of its computing requirements. Money saved this way is being put into faster Pentium II and Pentium III machines for graphics-oriented areas such as art, photography, and CAD; and laptops for the science department and for staff professional development. There are 210 computers in total, including sixty-six 486s, 54 low-end Pentiums, 32 Pentium IIs and IIIs, 10 Pentium II laptops, and 48 Acorns. The school buys its recycled computers from the PC Recycling Channel in Wellington.

When did you start using thin client networking, and why did you go in that direction?
We put Terminal Server in about 2 1/2 years ago, after considerable research. At that time we had three major classroom sets of 486s, and there was no way they could run Office 97 unless they became terminals within a thin client network.

We're using Windows NT Terminal Server. Some machines, including the Acorns, get additional support from Citrix Metaframe on top of Terminal Server, but most machines are just on Terminal Server.

Our objective in going with a thin client network was to provide a strong, easily updated platform for our large site. It was also a platform that would give us long-term economic efficiencies because we could use recycled machines as cheap thin clients.

How did you set the thin client network up and how do you maintain the system?
To set it up we formed a strategic alliance with the local branch of Computerland. They were the technical advisors. Shortly afterwards we engaged a Computerland technician for 4 hours a day on a set rate contract basis. Before that we just called people in, and I ran around and did all sorts of stuff. Including in the weekends! I still have no time to spare, so I don't know how I survived before!

We still have the technician for 4 hours a day, and it's working well. Analysis of his time shows that "repairs" are taking proportionately less time, and the balance is now being used doing software and hardware installations, and helping staff users get started and sorted out – tasks I used to do myself.

How many of the computers are networked?
All but about two. Most are on the thin client network.

What main classes of software are used in the school?
Mostly Microsoft – Office. We also use Autocad Lite, Internet Explorer 5. We don't allow students email access. Staff use Qmail, which resides on a separate Linux box running Apache. Apache does the web surfing, caching, and so on and Qmail handles the email.

What are some of the activities and curriculum areas?
The physics people especially are using the laptops. The programs used are Insight – a data logging and analysis program – and Excel spreadsheet. The maths people are using spreadsheets and a few other programs – some online and some from a CD-ROM. Social sciences are just getting involved – basically using CD-ROMs and Internet for their work.

The art department uses Photoshop, especially for 6th and 7th form [years 12 and 13] design.

The music department uses Sibelius. Originally we ran Sibelius on an Acorn, but it's not being kept up to date for that platform, so we transferred to the Windows version. Languages department is using a few programs. English is using a small amount of word processing. The phys-ed department – 7th form [year 13] – is using a database program (PinPoint) to do a questionnaire – that's quite a big part of their programme.

Lots of classes come into the labs to use spreadsheets and wordprocessing.

What sort of Internet access do you have?
We've had an ISDN line, but in May we started using, as a pilot programme, a wireless connection to the Southland Institute of Technology, which is considerably faster and hopefully will get faster still.

Will you be buying more recycled computers?
Yes. Currently we have an order in for another 36. To my mind, the value of recycled computers is that for quite a few applications you don't need the latest and greatest machines. Unfortunately you can't buy a middle of the road machine. You start with a Pentium III 800. We just don't need such high-spec and expensive machines with our terminal server situation setup.

Some people say you must look to the future and buy new machines. But I can buy a Pentium 133 for $400–500, complete with a 15 inch screen. If a normal computer is meant to last about four years, these recycled machines only need to last one year, and they still pay for themselves. In reality they last much longer than one year, so we're better off. Last year we bought a classroom set of 30 for about $12,000. That amount of money would have only got us about six new computers. Obviously if you can put 30 in a room instead of six, you're getting a lot more computers per student.

What are some of your future plans?
We're coming to the end of a 3-year plan, under which we decided to get a lot more computers in the school. Some of the 30 more recycled machines we're getting next will go into a classroom set, but we'll be doing a lot more single machines in rooms and more machines for staff use.

We have about five major labs, and we're trying to replace the computers in one of these labs each year, with recycled Pentiums.

Thin client network of CANZ recycled computers in a James Hargest High School business class

What about staff development?
We use a multi-point strategy for ITPD. Tutorials are regularly offered on specific topics such as Internet surfing and keyboard use. There is a 100 percent subsidy for any staff doing an IT course from any provider – for example at night classes or polytech. We have "point-of-need" one on one or small group tutorials. We encourage people to find their own ideal "tutors" from community contacts, or use our technician for basic level help. Finally, we provide on-demand technical help for staff who lack confidence or are novice users.

We aim to provide more machines, so staff can always get at them when they want to. If you have a computer that's always booked, you stop trying to book. What would be desirable, of course, is if the government gave all teachers laptops, as happens in some other countries. That would be ideal. You need to have a computer and use it all the time to get really competent. At the moment we're trying to make sure every department has at least one machine for administration and then some in individual rooms basically for demonstration purposes.

Contact details
Stuart Elder's email address: selder@jameshargest.school.nz.
School website: www.jameshargest.school.nz