Go to the homepage for the Sylva Herald and Ruralite

SMHS accepts free PCs, Internet access

By Lynn Hotaling

New computers display constant ad messages

A local high school may join others across the nation in accepting free Internet-ready computers that display constant advertising messages while students surf the Web.

Through an agreement with ZapMe!, Smoky Mountain High School received free computers and a server. In return, the school must promise that machines will be used an average of four hours per day and agree to other conditions.

Often compared to Channel One, an educational news network that offers free televisions to schools that broadcast its programming, including advertisements, ZapMe! is used by some 1,000 schools across the country.

Superintendent Frank Burrell said he didn't know about the advertising component of the free computers initially. He understood it was similar to Channel One. "If the ads are like that it's no problem," he said Tuesday. Channel One is still in use at the high school.

Burrell went on to say that he "hates for kids to be held captive to advertising," and that he'd like time to study the program more.

ZapMe! requires students to get to the Web by way of an ad-based browser and includes take-home marketing materials. A 4- by 2-inch window on the screen is reserved for advertising. Each school selected receives 15 free computers.

ZapMe! also tracks the marketing preferences of students who use the equipment, though no personally identifying information is revealed.

The ZapMe! contract was signed earlier this year by county media coordinator Peggy Wike, said Superintendent Burrell. The agreement was not discussed with the school board because no expenditure of school system funds was required, Burrell said.

Jackson County board members are expected to discuss the matter at their meeting Monday at 6 p.m.

The new Toshiba computers and a server are in the school library, said Wike, but are not in use at this time. SMHS received only 14 computers, Smoky Mountain librarian Wanda Jones said, because of a miscount when the equipment was delivered.

Internet access to the new computers is via satellite, said Jones. Problems with the satellite transmission have hindered the installation of the computers. The only remaining holdup, she said, is required training by ZapMe! personnel.

County computer coordinator Larry Tucker confirmed the new computers are ready to go once the ZapMe! training is accomplished. The ZapMe! computers are set up to be only Internet stations, said Tucker, and go directly into ZapMe! proprietary software. They are not equipped with CD-ROM. "They're designed only to search the Internet and encourage kids to use the Internet," Tucker said.

The free computers came with a large file server, Tucker said, which has enough space to allow students to create Web pages. ZapMe! also provides a printer so students can print out information they find on the Internet. Individual student e-mail accounts are also available through ZapMe!.

His main concern, Tucker said, is that the new computers can't be incorporated into the school system's network, which is equipped with filtering software. However, he said, the ZapMe! file server allows the school to select a filtering level to prevent access to undesirable sites.

Filtering software often blocks students' access to sites they need, said Jones. She pointed out that high school anatomy and physiology students need to look at detailed information about the human body. With filtering software in place, she said, students cannot look up information on topics such as breast cancer.

Access through ZapMe! computers is limited to 10,000 pre-selected sites, according to information published at www.zapme.com.

com, the program's Web site. Information and ads are designed to be appealing to 13- to 19-year-olds, and no tobacco or alcohol advertisements are accepted.

In addition to Jackson, North Carolina counties reported to be using ZapMe! computers are Johnston, Vance, Wayne and Craven.

The program has proved somewhat controversial as educators around the country struggle to find a balance between commercial alliances and depleted budgets.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board is currently wrestling with whether to allow the program into its schools. Some board members there see ZapMe! as purely commercial, while others feel it's a good way to add technology to the schools.

A difference between ZapMe! and Channel One that has come up in the Chapel Hill school officials' discussion is that online shopping is facilitated and expected by ZapMe! When a student clicks an ad box, he will immediately go to a full-screen advertisement. Another click will take him directly to the company's Web page, where he can place orders.

A look at recent "press releases" on the ZapMe! Web page reveals agreements between ZapMe! and many corporations. One headline proclaims "ZapMe! links with Amazon.com to make shopping easy for teens and educators." An August release announces a partnership with Dell computers and says Dell will be the principal supplier of personal computers and servers for ZapMe!

Estimates by ZapMe! representatives place the value of the equipment and technical support received at $250,000, though Chapel Hill officials estimate the cost to be closer to $40,000.

Local computer coordinator Tucker did not estimate the cost of the entire ZapMe! packages, but he placed the cost of similary-equipped PCs at about $600 each.

Back to Archive: 12-09-99.