When Provost Marshall Goodman arrived at San Jose State several years ago, he realized the university — located in the heart of Silicon Valley — was missing something.

“I was shocked,” Goodman said about the lack of technology integrated into classrooms at SJSU. “You could move this school to the middle of Kansas and you wouldn’t miss a beat.”

As a provost, he said he was determined to improve the use of technology. Goodman said he wanted SJSU students to gain the skills necessary to compete for better jobs in the Valley. Thus the Wireless Laptop Project was born.

Goodman said the project took less time to get off the ground than he had anticipated. He instructed Mary Jo Gorney-Moreno, assistant vice president of academic technology, to make the wireless project her top priority. Gorney-Moreno said various discussions were held with department chairs and faculty about what the added value would be and how to enact the project. She then wrote a proposal for funding of the wiring and faculty laptops, which came from state lottery money.

“Last year we developed the infrastructure,” she said. “The pilot project started this fall.”

Mary Fran Breiling, the wireless laptop project specialist, said 40 classrooms in six buildings have been wired for wireless. Prior to working on the laptop project, Breiling received her master’s degree in instructional technology at SJSU and taught in that department. She’s also responsible for the “Preparing Tomorrows Teachers to use Technology” grant.  Breiling said she’s been a part of the project from the beginning.

“I felt so strongly about the work we were doing,” she said. “I volunteered a great many hours to getting it started. (When I was) asked to be manager, I was delighted to accept."

Breiling said the project provides students with a “wonderful opportunity” which will prepare them “to take their place as leaders in a world economy.”

“We truly are opening the door to the worlds resources and inviting and encouraging collaboration. Student to student, student to teacher, student and teacher to the world’s resources,” she said. “I also allows faculty to collaborate better with each other.”

The pilot project was launched in the school of journalism and mass communications, the school of art and design and in three departments in the College of Education. Faculty in those departments have committed at least 15 hours dedicated toward learning how to integrate laptops into classroom instruction. They’ve currently logged more than 1,400 hours of faculty and staff development time.

“There has to be support from people in the project,” Breiling said. “We have a very committed team.”

Breiling said the process of getting the project started included a two-day discovery process, sponsored by Apple Computers, where faculty and staff developed a vision for what the project would look like. At this stage there were no students involved, which she said was a “flaw in our process.” The next step was to choose a wireless network as well as security. Then it was just a matter of putting the programs in place.

“The network was installed on March 13, 2003,” Breiling said. “The first class was conducted the same day by Phyllis Lindstrom in educational leadership — she was just so excited.”

Gorney-Moreno said prior to the pilot project, data was gathered on how classes were taught before. They will also collect post-data at the end of the semester to determine if SJSU will move forward with the wireless network. In a session held two weeks ago, faculty were invited to provide feedback on the project. Gorney-Moreno said the response was “overwhelmingly positive — 100 percent wanted to continue.”

Breiling also said she hasn’t experienced any negative aspects. “This is a learning initiative, not a technology initiative,” she said. “It’s to improve learning, not to provide Internet access. That’s why there are no wireless units in the Student Union (that the project has paid for).”

Breiling said the next expansion will include the Learning Resource Center in Student Services.

“We’re grateful for their support and we’re putting a wireless access point in that area,” she said. “We’re in negotiation with other departments who would like to be in that phase.”

Goodman said there are also plans for an academic success center in Clark Hall. “A ‘Classroom Integrator’ where faculty can experiment with the latest technologies — what works, what doesn’t, what’s a gimmick,” Goodman said, adding that Clark Hall should be completed in January 2005. Goodman said his goal is that two to three years from now, every student will be required to have an electronic device.

“The smart classroom is going to allow that,” he said. “You don’t just learn in the classroom. (We’re going to) transform the classroom into a laboratory and allow them to work outside the classroom more efficiently and effectively. It’s the development of a learning community.’

Gorney-Moreno said that there is already a list of schools that have requested to be part of phase two and she’s submitted another proposal, but that further development is on hold because of the budget. However, she did say it’s possible that the project would expand campus-wide “if outcomes indicate that would be the desire of students and faculty.”

“I’m very excited about the future because I think we’ll be expanding,” Breiling said. “I will think no one graduating in 2004 that will not be required to use technology as part of their job.”

Direct comments and feedback to: sgreene@casa.sjsu.edu
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