I'd recommend some consideration to provide adequate
(extra) ventillation. Assuming you put a number of computers
(and depending on the number), you will have a healthier class
if you add extra ventillation. Our little electronic marvels
produce some toxic fumes, especially when new. Worst offenders
are the items that run "hot" such as the monitors and laser printers.
You might consider having the printers in a "separate" room
(especially laser printers, which give off ozone and other lousy
chemical fumes), if you can swing it, or stick with dot-matrix (in
acoustical isolating enclosures) or ink jet (if your climate
isn't dry like ours to dry up the ink jets!).
One more comment on chemical fumes: classroom carpets are a big
source of such poisonous vapors. Look for the most inert flooring
you can find. Hardwood is actually quite good if you use a
hard finish and cure it well, and if you go easy or don't use floor wax.
Various hard floor tiles combined with area rugs (cotton is best)
can provide a usable floor. In chosing the flooring material,
think about your climate: if it's dry or you use heat in the winter,
you'll want to chose a material that doesn't generate lots of
static electricity when kids move around. Or if you can't satisfy
that constraint, install static dischargers next to each keyboard and
printer.
It's exciting to be able to do something that's new and path-breaking.
Hope your endeavor is highly successful.
Regards,
William C. Mead
wcm@ansr.com
Visit "Adaptive Network Solutions Research, Inc." on the web
at http://www.ansr.com !