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Unread 15-06-2011, 17:24
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Re: 1 to 1 Computing -- Seeking Input

Ok, then I won't say anything about the merits of the program. However, perhaps it's best to narrow down the approach some, since the average student tends to ask for more than he/she wants and for the wrong reasons. A couple of aids to help narrow down the questions to ask:

With regards to content and online courses -- unless the online exams are all multiple choice then a touch-only interface (or any non-tactile touch keyboard) is a bad idea (IMO I suppose, though there are articles supporting it). This is really driven by content providers -- those who write the tests, make the learning material, etc. If there's a hybrid approach to online courses (receive content online, turn in products like tests/project in person), then this may be a non-issue.

Word Processing, Spreadsheets, and Presentation Slides can all be done without Microsoft, so you're not stuck with Windows machines if you don't want one. On the flip side, Microsoft OneNote does offer a lot of value for students. The snip tool was the key deciding factor for me -- snip a piece of the screen, insert it into OneNote, type some notes on it. Works better than Evernote in most cases. Works great for very interactive things (e.g. pause YouTube video, snip the YouTube screen, make notes, resume video), but not so great for creating new documents.

Other than that, programmers usually want big screens, or at least the ability to hook up to one. Everyone wants keyboards that are easy to type on. That goes back to the limitations on what the students are allowed to do.

From there it's a matter of how much leniency you want to give the students -- more controls (network policies, antivirus, antispyware, website blocking) all take more resources to use. I seriously doubt a 2-core Atom processor is enough to handle all of the IT policy-type things that could come up. Yet if you're stuck with a (pre-insurance/etc) price of less than $300, then netbooks may be the only option -- so adjusting the IT policies may be in order.

The next thing to consider is the infrastructure to store all of the user documents, particularly if it's a netbook check-out system. Should students use their own storage service, and if so, which services should be supported by the IT department (Dropbox, MS Sync, any other cloud services) and what limitations would be expected (say no to thumb drives, honestly...). My personal favorite for school-type things is DropBox.

As for Chromebooks -- I'm still out with the jury on this one. On the one hand, they're almost exactly what you need right now. However, that's a bit impulsive over the life cycle of a product. Google makes the implication that the life cycle of their product is 2 years -- which implies $480 for the hardware & software. If $480 (pre-insurance/etc) fits your profile for the life cycle & features, then it may be a good deal. However, consider that $960 can get a piece of hardware that will last for the life cycle of a high school student and have more capability.

Good luck.
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