Netbooks and School

Using laptops in the classroom is not a new idea. It has been discussed and implemented in many situations. The barrier for many classrooms, in implementing this technology, is the price of the average laptop, which has remained between $600 – $1,0000 until very recently. Over the past six months, the number of inexpensive netbook computers has risen dramatically, offering a new tool for education.

A netbook according to Wikipedia is “… a category of small-sized, low-cost, light weight, lean function subnotebooks optimized for Internet access and core computing functions (e.g., word processing) — either directly from applications installed on the netbook itself or indirectly via cloud computing.

Most netbooks share these characteristics:

• light weight — 2-4 pounds
• small screen — 7-9 inches
• static memory instead of a hard drive
• mechanical keyboard, usually smaller than full-sized
• wireless Internet connectivity
• web-cam, microphone, and speaker
• USB ports and memory card slot
• price less than $400

–See Doug Johnson’s Tech Proof column, Netbooks and Computing in the Clouds.

Most netbooks come with a version of the Linux operating system and this can mean a bit of a learning curve for the user. However, several netbooks have recently been released with Windows XP. In addition, the small screen and often 800 x 600 resolution has been less than satisfactory.

One of the standouts in the netbook category is the Lenovo IdeaPad S10e. This netbook improves upon the general competition by offering Windows XP, a 10.1″ screen, and 1024 x 600 resolution, all for $299. This truly means that providing either students with their own netbook or a check-out cart for teachers to temporarily bring to their classroom is within the reach of most budgets.

For example, a set of twenty of these netbooks, along with wi-fi and a server to provide storage, can be set in place for less than $11,000. Furthermore, once the server and wi-fi are in place, the major cost is the purchase of more netbooks.

While the limited amount of, or no hard drive storage may seem to be a problem, the continuing growth of cloud computing (see Wikipedia’s definition) seems to provide the answer. Information is stored on servers and accessed via the Internet. Applications rather than being desktop based are generally browser based. This allows access of data at any location where an Internet connection is available (WI-FI or ethernet).

One of the best known and most often sited examples of cloud computing is Google Apps. Google Apps Education Edition is:

• 7.289117 GB / account of email, shared calendar, and collaboration tools right from the browser
• Free with no advertising for students, faculty and staff
• Ready to integrate with many APIs and use of Open Standards
• Add-on security and compliance tools available at a 66% educational discount
• Google Video for education.

Another example is Zoho an online office tools suite. Some of the common applications Zoho provides are:

• email and chat
• word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation
• online document storage and sharing tools
• wikis

Using either of the suites mentioned above would provide for a fairly robust learning process, both inside and outside of the traditional classroom walls.

Imagine, students could perform lab experiments and chart the results in a spreadsheet application, with the file stored online, all team members could contribute data and observations, at any location. During this phase, a wiki could be utilized to share further information, questions, and to work as a group to learn. The data could be summarized in an official scientific essay (English and Science skills), posted to the wiki for others to view and comment upon (Technology and communication skills), and finally presented in a short, powerful form (Presentation and Interpersonal skills), all while focusing on scientific method, reasoning, and experimentation. A powerful recipe for full purpose learning.

I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and ideas…