By Suzana A Notebook for Every Child in K-12, Is It Possible?
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Many schools are finding that they can use the tablet computers to help in the learning process. The children love to use these machines, and they are much more versatile than a textbook. The kids can play educational games, do their homework, and interface with the school’s computer system for their lessons, and all sorts of other things really. In fact, the sky is the limit when it comes to teaching with computers. Of course computers cost a lot of money, and that’s something that the public school systems don’t have.
What if these tablets, were notebooks, that is to say small versions of laptops, and what if they can be rented from the school system for only $20 a month per child? This way the school wouldn’t have to pay the $350-$500 to buy each one. It would be like a textbook you just lent to the student for the year. Only you put all the textbooks on to one notebook, and all the interaction, interface, and surfing of the Internet to complete the lesson plans as well. You’d actually save money.
There was an interesting article in SpaceMart Online titled “Google Notebooks Challenge Microsoft” by Staff Writers on May 11, 2011 – which discussed the new Google Chrome run Notebooks which will be manufactured by Samsung and Acer to start out, and they will be 3G wireless capable, along with WiFi which makes them an all-in-one device and perfect for teaching. And speaking of teaching and K-12 usage there was another article in the recent media press-release chain of announcements.
The article was in Silicon Valley’s San Jose Newspaper “The Mercury News” which was titled “Google’s Chrome OS to Run on New Netbooks” by Mike Smith, also appearing on May 11, 2011. The article stated that the first units would run “between $349 and $499. Google and the manufacturers say the machines will boot up in eight seconds and offer up to eight hours of battery life.” Best of all for students, they will be able to rent or lease them for only $20 per month. At that price that makes sense to use them for K-12 Schools, and why not?
Indeed, it looks as if it is now possible that every child in K-12 could have their own notebook computer for doing their class work and learning. Therefore, much of the lessons could be done online, and as interactive homework. Kids would enjoy learning, and they would learn more because of it. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
