Comments on: About those laptops… http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/ (bôr'dər-lănd') n. Located on or near a frontier. An indeterminate area or condition. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:20:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Peter Rock http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-30379 Peter Rock Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:44:35 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-30379 They need to run a FOSS-based operating system. Some students will explore those machines thoroughly and should have the opportunity to innovate on the software their peers use. Proprietary offerings (no, you can't learn about this software unless you sign a statement promising not to share) run counter to any sane philosophical position on education and pedagogy in general. They need to run a FOSS-based operating system. Some students will explore those machines thoroughly and should have the opportunity to innovate on the software their peers use. Proprietary offerings (no, you can’t learn about this software unless you sign a statement promising not to share) run counter to any sane philosophical position on education and pedagogy in general.

]]> By: Ken http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28945 Ken Sun, 18 Mar 2007 23:00:59 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28945 I would have to agree with Ev, we must get students using a social networking community in the classroom like they are using outside of school. I just heard a teacher tell me recently that kids are plugging in after school and unplugging to come to school. This weekend I found a new website called TeacherTube.com. I think this site has potential I plan to upload some of my lessons to share with kids. I have read that there is a way to create private groups. I plan to create a group for my class. I will keep you posted on whether or not TeacherTube is worth using in the class or not but it definately has the fell of web 2.0 for schools. I would have to agree with Ev, we must get students using a social networking community in the classroom like they are using outside of school. I just heard a teacher tell me recently that kids are plugging in after school and unplugging to come to school.

This weekend I found a new website called TeacherTube.com. I think this site has potential I plan to upload some of my lessons to share with kids. I have read that there is a way to create private groups. I plan to create a group for my class.

I will keep you posted on whether or not TeacherTube is worth using in the class or not but it definately has the fell of web 2.0 for schools.

]]> By: Ev http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28566 Ev Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:06:41 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28566 It seems to me that way to much attention is payed to personal computer literacy. Actually, all the problems discussed above pertain to just that. Yet kids are taught driving not maintaining a car. Why not focus on making kids proficient in using technology to find and share information? With the advent of Internet 2.0 applications that rival PC based ones it becomes easy. It seems to me that way to much attention is payed to personal computer literacy. Actually, all the problems discussed above pertain to just that. Yet kids are taught driving not maintaining a car.

Why not focus on making kids proficient in using technology to find and share information? With the advent of Internet 2.0 applications that rival PC based ones it becomes easy.

]]> By: Doug Noon http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28471 Doug Noon Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:15:58 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28471 The 8 desktop machines in my classroom need an average of 4 square feet each plus room for a chair and a body to sit in front of them. With barely enough room for just the desks and 28 kids in the room this year, it seems to me that the enclosure <em>does</em> matter. Compact, portable, durable, cheap, and an education-focused feature set do, in fact, seem to describe "everything that they are currently not." I'm hoping for a US focused OLPC initiative. I remember trying to thread the film into the projector...It was clunky, even if it was the best we could do at the time. Ditto fluid, also a mess. Clearing jams in the copy machine, nowadays, that is a pain as well. But, still, that copy machine gets immediate attention when it goes down. The computers sit for days and weeks sometimes with the work orders taped to them. Those desktop units are starting to look clunky, too, next to the mobile lab that rolls into the room with a class set of machines on board. The 8 desktop machines in my classroom need an average of 4 square feet each plus room for a chair and a body to sit in front of them. With barely enough room for just the desks and 28 kids in the room this year, it seems to me that the enclosure does matter. Compact, portable, durable, cheap, and an education-focused feature set do, in fact, seem to describe “everything that they are currently not.” I’m hoping for a US focused OLPC initiative.

I remember trying to thread the film into the projector…It was clunky, even if it was the best we could do at the time. Ditto fluid, also a mess. Clearing jams in the copy machine, nowadays, that is a pain as well. But, still, that copy machine gets immediate attention when it goes down. The computers sit for days and weeks sometimes with the work orders taped to them. Those desktop units are starting to look clunky, too, next to the mobile lab that rolls into the room with a class set of machines on board.

]]> By: JimMc http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28466 JimMc Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:16:31 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2007/03/13/about-those-laptops/#comment-28466 "The 35mm projector, the ditto machine, and the film strip projector are all gone. They were too clunky." No, they weren't clunky for their time. They were just replaced with superior technology. "Before laptops will make a difference in schools..." ...then laptops will apparently have to become everything they are currently not. Hope it doesn't take too long. In the meantime, give me either some virtual reality goggles or rows and rows of those sit-in type video arcade machines. After all, if it's just about getting kids in front of a GUI, then the enclosure shouldn't matter, should it? “The 35mm projector, the ditto machine, and the film strip projector are all gone. They were too clunky.”

No, they weren’t clunky for their time. They were just replaced with superior technology.

“Before laptops will make a difference in schools…”

…then laptops will apparently have to become everything they are currently not. Hope it doesn’t take too long.

In the meantime, give me either some virtual reality goggles or rows and rows of those sit-in type video arcade machines. After all, if it’s just about getting kids in front of a GUI, then the enclosure shouldn’t matter, should it?

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