Friday, October 2, 2009

Choosing the Perfect Tools for One-to-One, By Brian Bouterse, Jenifer O. Corn, and Elizabeth O. Halstead

             This article talks about what kinds of computers and software your school or district should invest in. As we all know, Windows and Mac’s are the most popular software that are used in school because they are the more friendly, and this is all around the country. There are six basic steps that you can go through to see what is a good choice for your school.

There are three categories, thick, ultraportable and thin. Most schools use the category thick, they are the ones where us use the word, excel and power point application. The ultraportable can be divided into two groups, those that support Windows and those that don’t. And the thin devices are computers that cannot be used unless connected to a network, and they are not portable. These would be the computer that the kids use in a computer lab.

Now that six steps to see what kind of computer is best for your school are, Purpose, Operating system, applications, content, peripheral equipment, robustness, additional considerations. The article goes into depth of what each of these are and has a chart that shows what kinds of computers are out their and which once would be best for your school. Most of the computers that they show, I have never seen. But it all depends on what you need to do with them and what class your going to use them for. They even go into calculators as being a form of a computer.

I think this is very interesting, if gives you a chance to explore what kinds of technology is out their. And think about what kind of computer is best for you and the school that you might work at. The one way that you can incorporate this into your classroom is if you have the chance to pick out what kind of computer you would like to use. Being able to see what kinds of computers are out there before you get even asked is great. You’re ahead to the game and you can even incorporate more of the use of them in if you know which one is better for your classroom.  

3 comments:

  1. This seemed like an interesting article because it's important to know what the different options there are when choosing computers for your school. I feel that most schools should go with macs because they are easy to utilize and can have many programs. I feel that most students would be able to use macs efficiently; especially with how the technology trend is booming in younger grades!

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  2. I agree with you Alex! Macs are very popular and are used primarily in colleges. Students should be taught to use macs as they continue their education they will be ahead of the game. I am learning how to use a mac this semester, but have wished that I learned when I was younger. They say that as a child, you are able to retain more. I think that macs and pc's are drastically different but a good idea to be familiar with the two. Macs offer a lot of programs for both the students and teachers. It would be a good idea to know what exists and what each technology tool can do compared to others. Interesting article and I kind of want to know what other computers exist outside of our common macs and pc's!

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  3. Researching the different types of technology is extremly imporstnt when considering what you/your school distict is going to purchase. The 6 steps listed are a great way of knowing what to look for. Sounds like a great article and it's good to know what to look for. Also, once the type of technology is chosen it's important to learn how to use it...

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