Retro school computer labs from the 1980s
During the 1980s many
public schools and universities got extremely caught up in the PC revolution,
investing a lot of money in computing systems, accessories, and software. It
was then that a new educational market was born.
Soon, it became just another
thing for most school to have their very own computer lab. Let’s, take a trip
back in time to visit some of these computer labs from the 1980s…
The Apple lle – 1988
Apple gave out almost 9000 Apple IIe machines to eligible schools in California starting in 1983. By the year 1987, more than one million Apple IIe’s were being used in schools. One of the most popular educational programs on the Apple IIe was Apple Logo II, students would have to program the path of a “turtle” to draw lines on the screen.
Apple gave out almost 9000 Apple IIe machines to eligible schools in California starting in 1983. By the year 1987, more than one million Apple IIe’s were being used in schools. One of the most popular educational programs on the Apple IIe was Apple Logo II, students would have to program the path of a “turtle” to draw lines on the screen.
Apple Lisas at University of Michigan – 1983
In the 1980s universities invested a lot in computer labs. One of the most dramatic examples was seen at the University of Michigan, which was stocked with 100 Apple Lisas. Considering how big of a flop the Apple Lisa was, this is probably the largest collection of Lisa 1 machines ever assembled outside of an Apple factory.
In the 1980s universities invested a lot in computer labs. One of the most dramatic examples was seen at the University of Michigan, which was stocked with 100 Apple Lisas. Considering how big of a flop the Apple Lisa was, this is probably the largest collection of Lisa 1 machines ever assembled outside of an Apple factory.
The Commodore VIC-20 – 1982Of course, Apple wasn’t the only computers to be found in schools. Many other schools tried out other popular home computer models, like the Commodore VIC-20. The VIC-20 shipped with only 5kb of RAM, which made it an inexpensive but very limited machine.
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III – 1982
A lot of schools chose to stock their computer labs with Radio Shack machines, like the Radio Shack TRS-810 Model III silver all-in-one machine. Although Radio Shack pursued the school education market heavily, they were never as popular as Apple.
A lot of schools chose to stock their computer labs with Radio Shack machines, like the Radio Shack TRS-810 Model III silver all-in-one machine. Although Radio Shack pursued the school education market heavily, they were never as popular as Apple.
Mac SE computer lab – 1987Once the Macintosh launched in 1984, it made its way into many schools and began to slowly replace the Apple machines. The Menlo School in Atherton got a brand new Macintosh SE lab in 1987, the machines were networked together with AppleTalk and linked to a server machine with an external hard drive.
Atari 800 computer lab – 1985
It is very rare to see a computer lab stocked full of Ataris, but that’s exactly what we see at this school in Miami, Florida. The room had at least twelve Atari 800s computers, twelve 810 disk drives, and twelve large TV sets. It was quite a lab, although the educational software selection for the Atari 800 was tiny compared to the Apple II.
It is very rare to see a computer lab stocked full of Ataris, but that’s exactly what we see at this school in Miami, Florida. The room had at least twelve Atari 800s computers, twelve 810 disk drives, and twelve large TV sets. It was quite a lab, although the educational software selection for the Atari 800 was tiny compared to the Apple II.
Commodore PETs – 1980At a school in New York City, the students learnt programming on the 1977-era Commodore PET computers. These all-in-one, metal chassis machines featured built-in data cassette drives and Chiclet keyboards.
VT-100 dumb terminals – 1986
Boston College High School had a lab full of DEC VT-100 series dumb terminals in their computer lab. These machines were not actually computers, but gateways to a bigger computer somewhere else. They would’ve been connected to a mainframe computer; all this is very advanced for a high school at the time.
Boston College High School had a lab full of DEC VT-100 series dumb terminals in their computer lab. These machines were not actually computers, but gateways to a bigger computer somewhere else. They would’ve been connected to a mainframe computer; all this is very advanced for a high school at the time.
IBM PCs Clemson University – 1987
With the success of Apple, you wouldn’t think there would be much room for IBM, but they made it into education with its “Writing to Read” program. This program taught school kids how to read using special software, however the IBM machines were also used for colleges, like the Clemson University in the late 1980s.
With the success of Apple, you wouldn’t think there would be much room for IBM, but they made it into education with its “Writing to Read” program. This program taught school kids how to read using special software, however the IBM machines were also used for colleges, like the Clemson University in the late 1980s.
These days, computer
labs are becoming extinct as more schools are using tablets and laptops to
teach students. But, wherever and whenever they’re used, computers will always
be an important part of school education.
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