This is an updated version of a previous article.

While it's fashionable to decry the use of computer labs, still they continue to exist in many schools. If you have, or are thinking of having, a computer lab, what ought it to look like? What should it contain?

It's better to start by considering function rather than design. That is to say, think about how you'd like pupils and teachers to use the room.

The following are my ideal features.

Space For Collaboration

Research has indicated that pupils often learn more when they work in pairs, so a computer lab should acknowledge that. Given how inexpensive laptops and tablets are there days (relatively speaking), there's no need to cram as many desktop computers into the room as possible. As long as you have...

Space For Sitting Away From A Computer

If the room is large enough, I like the following:

Desks With No Computer

These are necessary so that pupils can work with pen and paper, on a laptop or tablet, or have a discussion with someone.

Mini library

Establishing a library is a great idea -- see the reasons for having an ed tech library. The good news is that even if space is at a premium you can start a mini library. This might comprise, for example, a drawer or rack containing some computer magazines, and a shelf containing half a dozen reference books about using Scratch, Python or HTML.

Easy Chairs

These are for reading in, working on a laptop or having small group discussions. If you are able to establish a small library in your computer lab, easy chairs will encourage pupils to use it.

The Right Equipment

My "shopping list" is:

Interactive whiteboard or interactive flat panel tv
Walls you can write on
Surfaces you can write on (eg desks)
Visualiser or a mobile phone or tablet that can be used to project images of textbook pages, students’ work, or objects.

A bank of laptops or tablets that pupils can use as they require

Ditto some cameras (with a video function as well, of course)
Podcast/voice recorders
Spare pens
Paper to write on
A3 paper to plan on
Interesting posters
Informative posters
No posters telling people what they must not do (see Quick wins in the Computing classroom)
Cupboard space
Spare marker pens
Spare interactive whiteboard pens
A selection of books on Computing
A regularly refreshed selection of magazines (see mini library, above)
A regularly refreshed supply of newspapers (ditto)

Plants

Plants not only look nice, they can help to clean the air too. (We all know how hot and stuffy computer labs can become.) I used to have spider plants in mine.

I think plants have a calming effect as well, which is good news on windy days!

Music

Having a nice Vivaldi or Mozart album playing in the background is definitely useful. It helps keep pupils nice and calm, and can help them concentrate too.

One of the things I used to do when I was Head of ICT/Computing was to use an old stand-alone computer for purposes like playing music or doing DVD-based research. These days I’d want one that could handle recording too.

Examples of pupils’ work

It’s nice for pupils to see their hard work showcased. It also provides ideas to other pupils and teachers about what’s possible. Indeed, it’s not a bad idea to annotate displays with labels such as “This was created using….”

Manuals

You cannot expect everyone to know how to use every program available. That’s why I advocated creating simple getting started guides or manuals. If that seems like too much work, you can enlist the help of colleagues and pupils. You can also work on stand-alone one-page guides and collate them into a manual at a later date, or simply maintain a ring binder of such guides, arranged in alphabetical order. See Writing Technology Manuals For School: Why, What And How for further ideas.