tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post7531418421562369949..comments2023-02-09T06:23:10.522-08:00Comments on The Open EDge: When Do Laptops Become School Supplies?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04202772681382426841noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-43491648834223997772010-04-28T08:44:53.000-07:002010-04-28T08:44:53.000-07:00Great post, Jim. I do think there's a big pie...Great post, Jim. I do think there's a big piece to the equity issue that many haven't entirely wrestled with yet. Especially those who are pursuing a bring your own device model. As much as some people hate the idea of standardization, I agree with you that to a large extent, that's the only way to make this thing work right now. And we need to consider if we're letting kids bring in their own, or buy their own, what do we do with the kids who can't? We have to come up with a plan for them. I earnestly don't believe that an "oh well, we can't hold back the others because of them" mentality is the answer in public education.Ben Greynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-36074673109843396042010-03-21T13:41:28.000-07:002010-03-21T13:41:28.000-07:00I won't some laptops at my school . My school ...<strong>I won't some laptops at my school . My school is called haritig acadomy</strong>Guestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-56784208420219204012010-01-21T03:28:12.000-08:002010-01-21T03:28:12.000-08:00I really enjoyed reading your blog today Jim. It ...I really enjoyed reading your blog today Jim. It gave me a lot to think about for the remaining portion of my class. I just received 12 Dell mini's through grant monies. The class is completely stoked about having the opportunity to have their voices heard by the world. We have had them two days now and their attention has been pulled toward studying famous African Americans on a web quest that was shared with me. The key to this entire process has been the idea of passion. Take a look at this video that was sent to me on a teacher based Ning social networking site. Thanks again for showcasing your learning in a transparent fashion so that others like myself can grow in this exciting new age of learning. Video linkhttp://blip.tv/file/2975493Eddienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-27134013544137204912009-09-16T03:06:02.000-07:002009-09-16T03:06:02.000-07:00Thanks for the update Joe - that sounds like an ex...Thanks for the update Joe - that sounds like an exciting project! For those who are interested in our netbook image, you can find details at http://community.saugususd.org/swattec/page/Linux+on+NetbooksJim Kleinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-88800075166610180972009-09-16T11:42:32.000-07:002009-09-16T11:42:32.000-07:00I thought I'd follow up with a report on Maine...I thought I'd follow up with a report on Maine one-one. About half of our state is providing new full sized MacBooks through the well-appointed state offering, but some could not swing the $242 per student per year price tag, which led to a small "<a href="http://maineschoolwikis.wikispaces.com/" rel="nofollow">netbook consortium</a>" springing up. In Maine, one-one is not controversial, though our culture (and to some extent our laws) prevent requiring parents to chip in. We have to buy and support the infrastructure. Netbooks were seen as an alternative, and though I predicted otherwise above, we ended up choosing a <a href="http://blogs.portlandschools.org/ppsd/2009/09/03/school-committee-approves-high-school-laptops/" rel="nofollow">netbook solution in Portland</a> as well. There is also a consortium working on a shared image: <a href="http://www.open1to1.org/" rel="nofollow">http://www.open1to1.org/</a> JoeJoe Makleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-63453976076076402952009-09-02T12:55:06.000-07:002009-09-02T12:55:06.000-07:00I have read this and There is great consideration...I have read this and <i> There is great consideration that needs to take place, what if the students that re in need of computers are from families are receiving monies like SSI , though some parents may be receiving SSA this still doesn't guarantee that a child will be left behind. and as for those expensive cell phones, kids in the rual areas may not have such a device cause lack of service.. I my self live in a dead Zone for quest High speed how ever we get Comcast but it is twice as expensive..So then there is a new Technology that is coming about with satlights This makes for a great debate. We as people need to come to an agreement on something cause the technology door has been flung wide open.I remember well when there was a time when using a a pc for school work as a major issue..I was told that i had an unfair advantage and was told nt to use the PC (C-128) and was even disciplined for it. when <i>He stated I was right. The time has come for action to be taken .. Some how all kids need these devices. Soon they will be come a job requirement.Oh and should another kid "steal" another kids device the punishment should be severe.And that kid should be made to buy the kid he stole from a new device.So along with new technology should come new rules for protection, safety as well as fairness. There is a lot to debate on still but we need to start implementing something because were gettingour buts kicked by countrys like Japan, heck they even have learning soft ware for there gaming consoles..why not here n the US . and if you want it to succeed start producing fewer kill games and more on the educational end.. </i></i>Guestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-32176278855974625662009-06-17T07:48:18.000-07:002009-06-17T07:48:18.000-07:00Is anyone talking about the netbook-tablets? We...Is anyone talking about the netbook-tablets? We're looking at an initiative that would put something like the ma companion touchbooks in the hands of our 600 students. While the price & power of regular netbooks is appealing ($279 for the Acer 10" with windows xp) we find our math and science classes do so much more when the kids can write in OneNote (or EverNote), Sketchpad, etc... using a tablet interface. At $459 these units are still a bit pricey, but they are toucg & well-built and I would hope we will see prices drop in the coming year.Jim Kurznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-76984843354429244572009-05-10T12:08:58.000-07:002009-05-10T12:08:58.000-07:00Here's a link re. Amazon creating a different ...Here's a link re. Amazon creating a different version of Kindle specifically for textbooks--currently to be used in college. I wonder how long it will be before this trickles down to K-6 and a format for eeepc or similar?Cheryl Cameronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-55920844815343293312009-04-30T09:14:01.000-07:002009-04-30T09:14:01.000-07:00I don't disagree with the idea that laptops sh...I don't disagree with the idea that laptops should eventually become school supplies. On the flipside, what is stopping them from becoming just as potentially ineffective in changing the way teaching and learning take place as say...as pencils or rulers? My detailed thoughts to this topic as it relates to defining "21st century schools" are found <a href="http://mctownsley.blogspot.com/2009/04/open-letter-to-21st-century-school.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Matt T.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-2124679230799758132009-04-20T11:52:54.000-07:002009-04-20T11:52:54.000-07:00Whoops. I meant to say "once the price dips ...Whoops. I meant to say "once the price dips below $200, or possibly to $150," not $100.Mark Warschauernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-71494857956532368432009-04-20T11:51:24.000-07:002009-04-20T11:51:24.000-07:00Fascinating stuff! When I first did the research ...Fascinating stuff! When I first did the research for my book, Laptops and Literacy: Learning in the Wireless Classroom, a couple of years ago, I was thinking that $250 would be the tipping point for laptop programs, i.e., when laptops reached that price schools would start going to 1-to-1 en mass. We've already just about reached that point with the Eee, and that doesn't include the cost savings from going open source. However, most districts are not yet fully informed about the open source option, and the dip in the economy has probably brought the tipping point price down. As Jim points out, in well-to-do areas the implementation cost can be brought down much further by having parents bear much of the purchase price of laptops. That won't work in other places. In any case, once the price dips below $200, or possibly to $100, it's hard for me to believe that districts won't see the benefits of 1-to-1, especially given the positive examples from places like Saugus.The fact that the Intel Atom processor is going to face some stiff competition in the netbook market in the coming year or two -- from at least ARM-based processors and a new processor to be built by IBM -- plus the general development of more online application capacity (e.g., for video editing, as mentioned above), should make the prospects of district going to 1-to-1 all the more affordable and likely.<br>Mark Warschauernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-26399867903164569032009-04-20T09:23:58.000-07:002009-04-20T09:23:58.000-07:00I think I'll be blogging about this in the nex...I think I'll be blogging about this in the next day or two at gravitysgrace.net We definitely need to start thinking about computers as school supplies.I'm reminded, though, of the scenes in Orson Scott Card's book ENDER'S GAME, where each student has an electronic desk. Ender's fellow students on Earth use it to send nasty messages to him, even as they use a messaging system Ender designed. At Battle School, Ender designs the security system, and figures out how to create extra users to neutralize Bernard in his launchy group. Contrast this with the school-provided computers in Cory Doctorow's LITTLE BROTHER, where the machines are so overloaded with security software and spyware and advertising that the kids are inherently suspicious of the device and do their best to hack them as quickly as possible. <br>We can't make these platforms so rigid and school-oriented that kids won't play games on them, or write novels, or use them as other tools. A scrap paper is always handy for tic-tac-toe, and kids who aren't learning in school - for whatever reason - should be able to turn their school supplies to other purposes. <br>Andrew B. Wattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-79206265923440810492009-04-20T11:03:43.000-07:002009-04-20T11:03:43.000-07:00Thanks for your comments, David. One of the things...Thanks for your comments, David. One of the things we have discussed is the possibility of selling the netbooks at a reduced rate to parents at the end of the 4th grade school year - for say $200 (or less). This would reduce the cost to the parents, providing further incentive for their purchase, and would help us deal with the obsolescence factor as well as reduce the district's financial burden. Each year we'd have to provide an entire grade level worth of machines and make reasonable forecasts as to the purchase rate, with the unpurchased ones going into the pool of available equipment at the schools for those who don't/can't purchase one. With careful planning, this could certainly work, the trick would be coming up with the money on the district side. A strategy such as this would be my preference, however it's hard to do when you are facing the kind of budget shortfalls we are facing now.Jim Kleinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-36388510613243131542009-04-19T11:49:05.000-07:002009-04-19T11:49:05.000-07:00I think, too, that in a few years there will be a ...I think, too, that in a few years there will be a meeting in the middle of cheaper hardware, wider broadband access, and more numerous/diverse cloud computing apps that will, altogether, equal a very affordable, durable, and portable access point for computing. The purchase model that we've envisioned for our district- that of having parents participate by purchasing their own child's laptop, is doable, perhaps, here. Districts in more impoverished areas will have a much harder time getting parents on board. There are some other concerns as well. What happens when a child's laptop (owned by that child) is accidentally bumped off his desk by another student and is broken? Many of our rules regarding equipment from home not coming to school are a product of our legal worries.Ultimately I see the state providing the equipment money just as they do textbook funds. With costs coming down (as I mentioned above) and potential savings of having some current costs (like textbooks) go down (if they are purchased in an electronic format) I think this is an inevitable outcome. I say inevitable because all stakeholders will benefit from students learning these highly desirable skills. How many businesses, for example, hire personnel and then have to go through the added expense of training them in computers because their proficiency is so low? I just think this is a win-win for everyone. I've seen the problem solving skills increase in my students in leaps and bounds. They're becoming proficient in so many types of programs through instruction but, more frequently, through osmosis. They're also gaining immeasurable social skills and integrating skills in the development of projects. The computer is not the only avenue for this, but it is such a handy portal to so many different tools- remember Felix-the-Cat's bag of tricks? As for where the parents come in, I've had several this year asking if they could purchase their child's Asus (I'm not kidding). I've pointed them to the company, but I'm thinking that if the state were to provide tech funds for netbooks, that the price and obsolescence factor (the school getting stuck with equipment that quickly is outdistanced by next year's model) could be mitigated by a purchasing program. The benefit to the parent/child is that they are already proficient with the hardware/software, everything is totally set up, and the child's work is already on the unit. Imagine if 40% of our parents bought their child's textbook at the end of the year and we could use that money for future textbook purchases. Of course, parents don't want to buy old textbooks for their child. Netbooks/laptops are different, however. Parents do see a use in their child having those items. If many of the students' textbooks were in electronic format, there is an additional advantage in not having the waste of a truckload of books everytime the district adopts a new curriculum. The more that I look at it, the more I can't see how this wouldn't come to pass. Not so long ago, it seemed so far-fetched that students would have their own computers. Now it seems far-fetched that they wouldn'tDavid Lindsaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-85988125814857995332009-04-19T13:32:38.000-07:002009-04-19T13:32:38.000-07:00Of course, educating students about proper use and...Of course, educating students about proper use and care, as well as good policies and best-practices would be a must to minimize the risks of theft and/or breakage. These would need to be tailored to the age of the students and other risk factors, but I'm thinking that at the elementary level it would be wise to require that laptops stay in the classroom when they are at school, and that they stay in backpacks/bags when they are outside the classroom or being transferred from place to place.Jim Kleinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-72371504377151471042009-04-19T12:31:05.000-07:002009-04-19T12:31:05.000-07:00Thanks for your comments Cheryl. I didn't mean...Thanks for your comments Cheryl. I didn't mean to suggest that only some students would have technology while others wouldn't, quite the contrary. The way I am viewing the laptops in this case is in the same fashion as we view a compass or protractor. Most students bring these to school, but there are always some that don't. For those students, we provide them from a pool of available ones at the school. The school doesn't provide a protractor for everyone, just for those who need one, which reduces the monetary burden to the school. I propose the same model here. The incentive for purchasing a laptop would be that a student would be able to take it home and carry it with them throughout their academic career with the district. I appreciate the "more powerful laptop" perspective, however the difficulty there is in providing adequate support. If everyone brings whatever they want, a teacher would always have several class members in the state you describe - little Johnny sitting discouraged because his laptop doesn't work correctly today, or his battery is dead because his only lasts an hour on a charge, or the software we are using doesn't work on his machine, or whatever. There has to be some consistency or the environment becomes unsupportable, and the learning suffers.Jim Kleinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-239523833138183452009-04-19T03:44:16.000-07:002009-04-19T03:44:16.000-07:00All interesting thoughts. As we've implemente...All interesting thoughts. As we've implemented the SWATTEC project this year, I've often thought that these little laptops should replace traditional texts for every subject except reading, with all other texts accessible via internet or loaded on the computer itself, and the children taking computers home instead of books. Seems updates to texts would be more cost effective that way. Maybe someday...As a 4th grade teacher, I'd love to see my students continue to be able to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities they've had this year by using Eeepc's in the classroom for the remainder of their elementary years. However, I see a few problems with these being parent purchased "school supplies." We have many families who can't even afford school lunch. A laptop is quite a jump. I would worry greatly, both academically and socially, about those children who would sit discouraged, watching other children take their laptops to and from school because their families simply could not afford a laptop. We'll always have families who do not have the money. I agree that students bringing their own technology is likely inevitable. But I wonder how we will handle those who just can't. <br>As a parent of a 4th grader, I looked into buying one of the Eeepc's for my son. His father found a full-fledged laptop with Microsoft software for $500. Because of its durability and ease of use, the Eeepc's are ideal for the classroom. But as parents making a major investment for our son's educational future, we felt the Eeepc with Open software was, for the price, a product that was inferior to what we wanted our son to use at home. We wouldn't want him taking his regular laptop (or an Eeepc we'd purchased) to and from school--the possibility of theft or breakage is far too high for an item that is for our income level, a large investment. So, do I think every 4-6 grader should have an Eeepc? Yes, absolutely, and probably instead of hard-copy social studies, science, and math texts. Do I think parents should buy them? No, I don't think that's a reasonable public school expectation, and if we go in the direction of making it "optional," we are creating an environment that puts some of our demographic at a disadvantage. Things to think about...Cheryl Cameronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-52228272637686889982009-04-10T13:33:44.000-07:002009-04-10T13:33:44.000-07:00Oh yes that puts a different perspective on it. I&...Oh yes that puts a different perspective on it. I'd heard yo can get scratch for Linux nowWhat wifi/internet systems are you using ? I'd love to know how those web2:0 uploading problems of mine could have been resolved.Because as you've probably gathered I had to admit defeat on my Linux EeePC initiative and our school has now gone with windows based operating system machines.Not that I'm overly worried (Yeah Right) a computer is a computer and I'm not going to complain as long as I've got 1:1 but it does infuriate me every lesson when we have to wait 3 minutes for the windows machines to boot up. I dare say you probably don't have the same problems in America given your internet access and proximity to the servers as I suspect it was a timing out issues.But oh well - too late for us now.<br>Or is it? I'm going straight back to school now (holiday or no holiday) and check out those sites again. You never know, now we've got our new wifi and fast fibre - it could all work perfectly. Fingers crossed and all the best for the future of Linux. Lesley <br>Lesley Cravennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-56478776098451316602009-04-09T06:59:42.000-07:002009-04-09T06:59:42.000-07:00Thanks again for your thoughts, Lesley. Perhaps I ...Thanks again for your thoughts, Lesley. Perhaps I wasn't clear, but we have had 1700 of these in the hands of 4th graders for quite some time, without any reports of the difficulties you suggest in your post - we even have Scratch installed on them. But our expectations are not that these can do anything and everything, we are realistic about them. There are several things you can't do on them, regardless of the operating system you choose. If one focuses narrowly on the few things a technology can't do, it's easy to lose sight of the broad gains that are to be had, in this case, creating a reliable, supportable, one-to-one environment for students on a large scale. And again, it's not what it costs to buy, it's what it costs to own. I'd be happy to discuss just how we did this in our environment in detail with you further, so please feel free to contact me directly should you so desire.Jim Kleinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-32418508102614909502009-04-09T06:10:48.000-07:002009-04-09T06:10:48.000-07:00Don't say I didn't warn you but I seriousl...Don't say I didn't warn you but I seriously suggest you take off your rose tinted classes and read this post.http://conectd.blogspot.com/2008/10/microsoft-or-linux.html I so do wish it wasn't true but unfortunately it was a reality for me.A reality that makes me have to admit that for an extra $100 or more it's worth going with Microsoft, the operating system that is not the software.And you really don't know how much it hurts me to say that. <br>Lesley Cravennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-59202045568502213112009-04-09T11:40:20.000-07:002009-04-09T11:40:20.000-07:00Neil, I bet you can, but haven't tried myself....Neil, I bet you can, but haven't tried myself. We're putting Airliners in these classrooms later this year, so we'll give it a try then.Jim Kleinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-73241810901682168752009-04-09T11:27:30.000-07:002009-04-09T11:27:30.000-07:00Can you run SMART Notebook 10 on the EeePC. There ...Can you run SMART Notebook 10 on the EeePC. There is version for Linux.Neil Johnsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-15612966910987609572009-04-09T11:17:40.000-07:002009-04-09T11:17:40.000-07:00Lesley and Mike, good points all, and certainly wo...Lesley and Mike, good points all, and certainly worthy of consideration by all who consider Linux on the desktop in any flavor. I think it is important to keep in mind that we're talking about kids here and not adults, and that one thing that kids absolutely <em>are not</em> is emotionally attached to any one program in the same way that adults tend to be. They are much more likely to try the latest thing, to use more than one similar tool to get the same job done, and to jettison one application for another, in many cases for no particular reason. We don't see the same "attachment" issues we do with adults. Using OpenOffice instead of Microsoft is no big deal to them. What we are talking about here is <em>skills</em> not software. With that in mind, there are plenty of open-source and web 2.0 alternatives to the proprietary solutions we all know and love (and pay gobs of money for.) And because they are free to install, use, and distribute, we have the opportunity to create a far richer and more diverse technology environment, and extend it to the homes of our students. For example, KidPix can easily be replaced by TuxPaint, Jumpstart by GCompris, Inspiration by Freemind, etc., etc. All of these and more come pre-installed on the EeePC. When was the last time you bought a Windows PC with 50+ programs pre-installed, that you didn't have to pay for. It's what it costs to own, not what it costs to buy, you see. There are also a surprising number of Web 2 learning applications. One of our teachers, Mrs. Desiree Spang, put together a web site categorizing hundreds of them by grade level and skill called the Spang Gang. I encourage you to check it out and share it with folks. One thing that we did to make sure that all the students and teachers are aware of these resources is we set up a custom home page for the devices in Firefox, which you can see at http://students.saugususd.org/swattec/page . Simple things like that go a long way towards raising awareness of the possibilities. Of course, most of the big learning apps are also going web-based, if they haven't already, and I would expect that those that aren't will probably go the way of the do-do in the coming years. All of that said, I believe it's all a matter of perspective and managing expectations. One thing we didn't actually call these when we launched the program was "laptops", we always referred to them as "devices." Right or wrong, when they are a "learning device" they aren't held to the same standard by parents as a laptop, and rightfully so. These aren't intended to be all-powerful - more of a connectivity/productivity tool. You will still need to strategically locate Macs for your high-end video production and publishing applications, and Windows machines here and there for whatever they are good for ;-) But the long and the short of it is that these are a highly effective, practical solution to providing one-to-one connectivity and diverse technology access to students in the classroom and beyond.Jim Kleinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-25564403614029639672009-04-09T08:34:54.000-07:002009-04-09T08:34:54.000-07:00Hi Jim,What did you do about learning applications...Hi Jim,What did you do about learning applications such as KidPix, Jumpstart, and many other learning programs which schools currently use and have no Web 2.0 replacement? Some teaching curriculum is base around the use of this learning software.Mike Van Slambroucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2494584404832170200.post-36970398717324553032009-04-08T12:14:02.000-07:002009-04-08T12:14:02.000-07:00Hi Jim I would never want to dampen your enthusias...Hi Jim I would never want to dampen your enthusiasm for the Linux EeePC, as dollar for dollar you can't beat it for an easy out of the box solution but just a few words of caution from my experience with a class set last year. http://www.conectd.blogspot.com/ -EeePC label1) check you can upload to all the web2:0 programs you want to use2) appreciate you can't run some programsand 3) be aware that parents/principles rightfully or wrongly will have more buy in for the familiar windows based machines.Lesley Cravennoreply@blogger.com