Los
Angeles Mission College
13356
Eldridge Avenue • Sylmar, CA 91342 • 818.364.7600
NEWS
RELEASE
August 26, 2004
Big Upgrade at Mission College Learning Resource Center
SYLMAR – Sleeker…faster…modern.
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It sounds like an ad for running shoes or a new fitness center. But it aptly describes the new computers that Mission College students will find this semester in the Learning Resource Center.
Using state technology funds and block grants for instructional equipment, Mission College has replaced 72 of the computers in the Computer Commons. Brand new, Hewlett Packard 2.8 gigahertz CPU’s that have plenty of hard drive space, connected to black, 17-inch flat-panel monitors now adorn the tables in the commons.
Students
who were often frustrated by the slowness of the computers last year,
or a breakdown of the units, will be pleasantly surprised by the new computers,
said Maury Pearl, interim dean of technology.
"The difference will be like night and day," he said. "Students
are going to be able to access their information much more quickly, particularly
in doing Internet research, and they’ll get faster response from
the software."
Unlike the old computers, the new units have DVD ROM and CD rewriteable
drives, plus floppy disk drives. Students will find the new drives particularly
helpful because many of the textbooks that they purchase come with a CD
version of the text. Now they’ll be able to access these versions
and all other instructional programs that come on CD or DVD ROM.
"With these improvements, we’ve really entered the 21st century,"
said Dale Newman, LRC director. "We’re encouraging students
to come in after class, try out the new computers, and do their homework
or research right here."
Pearl said a number of instructional programs and tutorials have been
downloaded on the new hard-drives, including, for example, an anatomy
program, chemistry program, mathematics, dietary analysis, programs that
address basic skills, and many more.
Only half of the computers in the commons have been replaced. But the
other 72 have been upgraded with additional memory, making them faster
than before. Another 44 new computers have been placed in the two teaching
labs that adjoin the LRC commons – 30 in the the General Purpose
Lab and 14 in the Reading Lab – plus six more for staff use, said
Pearl.
"The computers that were in the LRC before were really past their
useful lives," said the technology dean. "This is a step toward
recapturing the technological edge in the district."