This article addressed six specific issues about hardware and software that need to be identified prior to purchasing portable technology devices for a school. The way to identify your needs is to ask the following questions.
Do you want or need to:
- Add peripherals like printers, cameras, microscopes, etc.?
- Download applications or just use web-based content?
- Access the Internet?
- Learn a new Operating System?
- Save our work on the system or online?
- Have a durable product?
After defining the questions, a table compares the attributes of various portable devices. They also make it clear that while the initial investment may be higher on some products, the TCO (total cost of ownership) must take into account the classroom value of its assets and not the just the monetary cost.
Did this article make this subject clear to me?
Not really. While the information in the table was clear, the actual computers that were mentioned were completely unknown to me, and most of them seemed to have almost no differences between them except battery time.
How long before all schools achieve a one-to-one computer to student ratio?
I think it will be quicker than we think. Computers have become so pervasive in today's world and the educational field, that in only a few more years, schools will be expected to utilize them and money in the budget will be found to finance them. A good place to look would perhaps be from the textbook budget, as these books will soon be obsolete in a one-to -one computer environment; each student could read the material online for a much smaller price than paying for a physical textbook.
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