Laptop or textbook? some say laptops are consuming the classroom, others say they are becoming another one of many tools for students. (Portable Computing).In the Walled Lake School District in Michigan Michigan (mĭsh`ĭgən), upper midwestern state of the United States. It consists of two peninsulas thrusting into the Great Lakes and has borders with Ohio and Indiana (S), Wisconsin (W), and the Canadian province of Ontario (N,E). , 400 fifth and sixth graders have access to laptop computers A portable computer that has a flat LCD screen and usually weighs less than eight pounds. Often called just a "laptop," it uses batteries for mobile use and AC power for charging the batteries and desktop use. Today's high-end laptops provide all the capabilities of most desktop computers. and wireless labs this school year. Not too far away at Stephen Stephen, 1097?–1154, king of England (1135–54). The son of Stephen, count of Blois and Chartres, and Adela, daughter of William I of England, he was brought up by his uncle, Henry I of England, who presented him with estates in England and France and Hayt HAYT How Are You Today Elementary School elementary school: see school. in the Chicago Chicago, city, United States Chicago (shĭkä`gō, shĭkô`gō), city (1990 pop. 2,783,726), seat of Cook co., NE Ill., on Lake Michigan; inc. 1837. community of Edgewater Edgewater is a common name used throughout the world as a place name. It is often found in English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States. , students are using laptops in the cafeteria cafeteria: see restaurant. , auditorium auditorium Portion of a theater or hall where an audience sits, as distinct from the stage. The auditorium originated in the theaters of ancient Greece, as a semicircular seating area cut into a hillside. and even an outdoor garden to learn about such topics as horticulture horticulture [Lat. hortus=garden], science and art of gardening and of cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. Horticulture generally refers to small-scale gardening, and agriculture to the growing of field crops, usually on a large using the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the and software programs. And not far from Silicon Valley, Calif., in Tracy Tracy, city (1990 pop. 33,558), San Joaquin co., central Calif., in the San Joaquin valley; inc. 1910. It is a railroad junction in a cattle and dairying region. , in a school where most children have parents who work in technology, laptops are actually replacing textbooks. These three districts are just some examples of how the role of laptops and wireless technology is growing in schools nationwide. "The data we are working from is that currently any information and knowledge we have is doubling every 18 months," says Keith Keith may refer to: People with the given name Keith:
adj. Out-of-date; old-fashioned. outdated Adjective old-fashioned or obsolete Adj. 1. before it even gets to the classroom." Larick says such facts led his district to start replacing textbooks in every subject in the district's newest charter school and instead, use laptops to study and learn information in such subjects as math, science and social studies. Melovee Williamson Wil·liam·son , Mount A peak, 4,382.9 m (14,370 ft) high, in the Sierra Nevada of east-central California. , principal at Stephen Hayt Elementary in Chicago, adds, "We've we've Contraction of we have. we've have been working at using technology and trying to integrate it into the curriculum for at least the past eight or nine years. The theme was to be on the cutting edge of education in a futuristic fu·tur·is·tic adj. 1. Of or relating to the future. 2. a. Of, characterized by, or expressing a vision of the future: futuristic decor. b. way. We were just trying to prepare our students ... for the global society." Laptops replace textbooks The Discovery Charter School in Tracy opened in August for 125 fifth and sixth graders and is among the first, if not the first, in the nation to commit to eEducation as its primary tool for education. The school will grow to a total enrollment of 2,400 pre-school through 12th grade students by 2004. Larick says educators at Tracy saw the potential of computers 20 years ago, "but the technology was not there ... We can now do those things that we were thinking about." For the past five years, Compaq (Compaq Computer Corporation, Houston, TX, www.compaq.com) Compaq was the leading PC manufacturer when it was acquired by HP in 2002. Founded in 1982 by Rod Canion, Jim Harris and Bill Murto, one year later the company shipped 53,000 PC-compatible COMPAQ Portables, resulting in $111 Computer Corp. has provided technology to the Tracy district, including desktop computers, pocket PC's and professional services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products. . This year, Discovery students are using Compaq's Armada An earlier brand name for laptop computers from Compaq. The line was noted for its quality and innovative features. 110 notebook computers A laptop computer that weighs in a range from five to seven pounds. The term originated when laptops were routinely more than 10 pounds, and those that became lighter were placed in a special "notebook" category. In practice, notebook computer and laptop computer are synonymous. to, for example, learn about world events or vocabulary from The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Web site, keep track of personal healthy diets and fitness regimens on charts on laptops, and connect to the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). at San Diego's space program, which works with NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. , to learn about astronauts, orbiting satellites and space exploration, Larick says. The charter school is also a place where students attend 205 days of school, as opposed to 180 days, and where they stay from 8 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. By the time they get to the 10th grade, Larick says, they will have completed a regular high school curriculum. Despite the technology, Larick says, the school will still have a library of classic books that have historical significance and which are not outdated. "With the exception of reading and a literature collection in the library, everything is e-based," Larick says. But he says every subject can be taught using laptops. For example, teachers can download To receive a file transmitted over a network. In any communications session, "download" means receive, and "upload" means send. The download/upload often implies a big/little scenario, in which data is being downloaded from the "big" server into the "little" user's computer. a math application and print out the hard copy. Virtual classroom trips could also be accessed, he says. And he says the cost of laptops are almost comparable to textbooks, considering textbooks each cost $50 to $100 and students need six to eight of them a year. "Realistically, it's it's 1. Contraction of it is. 2. Contraction of it has. See Usage Note at its. it's it is or it has it's be ~have about 20 percent more for laptops than textbooks," he says. But the cost should decrease as time goes by. Reduced costs means more laptops At the Walled Lake School District, 400 fifth and sixth grade students will have access to Compaq laptops and wireless labs under a five-year lease contract. The district was the state's first K-12 public school district to be part of Microsoft's Anytime, Anywhere Learning program in which 1,500 fifth through eighth graders have laptops. "It seemed to us that access to equipment and staff development are two key variables to making integration work," says William Hamilton (person) William Hamilton - A mathematician who posed Hamilton's problem. Biography. , assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. for K-12 curriculum. After the Microsoft program started three years ago, he says, "we saw some good things happening with regards to relationships between [groups of] students and students and teachers, and because of that environment,.... students seemed to be working at a higher level of thinking." Now the district collaborates with two universities to provide initial staff development training and evaluation to use laptops. Hamilton Hamilton, city, Bermuda Hamilton, city (1990 est. pop. 3,100), capital of Bermuda, on Bermuda Island. It is a port at the head of Great Sound, a huge lagoon and deepwater harbor protected by coral reefs. says the district first abandoned specific technology benchmarks because they were "too artificial" and "sterile sterile /ster·ile/ (ster´il) 1. unable to produce offspring. 2. aseptic. ster·ile adj. 1. Not producing or incapable of producing offspring. 2. ," he says. The district then focused on how to use the tools while teaching. Now, TekInsight, Compaq's partner that delivers the computers, provides management services including asset management and technical support. Compaq and TekInsight's hardware and services will enable the district to reduce desktop procurement The fancy word for "purchasing." The procurement department within an organization manages all the major purchases. and support costs by 20 percent, or as Hamilton looks at it, "We're going to be putting more wireless laptop Same as laptop computer. laptop - portable computer carts" in the classroom. "We will take that 20 percent in savings and purchase additional laptops so we can provide all teacher teams in middle and high school a classroom set," or 30 laptops connected through a wireless network, Hamilton says. The leasing budget costs $2 million every year, which remains constant and represents about 1.5 percent of the total school budget. Each of the 14 elementary schools has a lab. They are now phasing in a 30-station portable wireless laptop lab. At the four middle schools, every teacher has a computer and three wireless laptop carts that teachers can roll into and out of classrooms as needed as needed prn. See prn order. , Hamilton says. The two high schools and alternative high school have a computer in each classroom and three wireless laptop carts and four labs. With the new laptops, the district will add 12 wireless laptop carts in each of the next five years. The five-year plan Five-Year Plan, Soviet economic practice of planning to augment agricultural and industrial output by designated quotas for a limited period of usually five years. involves putting a classroom set of laptops at each elementary school and a classroom set for each middle school and high school team of students. About 60 to 120 children comprise a team. Laptops, which are first used in fifth grade and used in every subject, won't replace textbooks, Hamilton says. Besides, he says, some textbooks will be available on laptops in the future. "I think instruction in a laptop classroom is more project-based than textbook-based," he says. "As access becomes greater, I think textbooks will become more of a reference tool than the tool that drives instruction." Learning is everywhere At Stephen Hayt School, administrators have received a series of state technology grants, each worth $90,000, over the past three years to assist in their technology program. Technocrats Consulting Inc. worked with school personnel to develop several goals, including to implement mobile computing Using a computing device while in transit. Mobile computing implies wireless transmission, but wireless transmission does not necessarily imply mobile computing. Fixed wireless applications use satellites, radio systems and lasers to transmit between permanent objects such as buildings so lessons are not confined con·fine v. con·fined, con·fin·ing, con·fines v.tr. 1. To keep within bounds; restrict: Please confine your remarks to the issues at hand. See Synonyms at limit. to the classroom and to design a system that allows students to face the teacher rather than a wall where the LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. connection is. Then in May, Technocrats made it possible for 65 laptops--Apple iBooks and Dell Inspiron PCs--to be used at the same time on the same LAN from anywhere on campus. Students could now access the Internet, classroom files, lesson plans and collaborative projects from any machine anywhere at school. The children start using computers in kindergarten kindergarten [Ger.,=garden of children], system of preschool education. Friedrich Froebel designed (1837) the kindergarten to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be , using Macs through fourth grade, and then use PCs in the tech lab from fifth to eighth grade. Three Mac carts and one PC cart can be checked out by classroom teachers. Forty laptops are available to second through fourth graders. Students can even borrow the laptops for a few days to finish projects. "The mobility is fantastic," Smentek says. "You are not stuck against a wall ... but you can be anywhere, writing, saving files, having access to files, Internet research This article is about using the Internet for research; for the field of research about the Internet, see Internet studies. Internet research is the practice of using the Internet, especially the World Wide Web, for research. ... and [taking part in that] sharing of information with other people." "We want every child to have ubiquitous Found in large quantities everywhere. This English word means "all over the place." access and that's where wireless comes in," says Robert VanTuyle, Hayt's computer facilitator. Rick Toledo, network supervisor, says some rooms are more difficult to wire than others. But students can whip out whip out or off Verb to take (something) out or off quickly and suddenly: she whipped off her glasses laptops anywhere, such as the auditorium where presentations can be held, and the lunchroom, where children can draw art projects and do research. And a special outdoor garden, which was created under a Chicago Botanical Gardens A botanical garden is a place where plants, especially ferns, conifers and flowering plants, are grown and displayed for the purposes of research, conservation, and education. educational program, allows students to take their laptops outside and learn about the different varieties of plants and flowers, life cycles, and nature--close up. Although the garden, which is rich with snap dragons A list of dragons may refer to one of the following:
Then late last school year, educators thought of lessons for kindergarteners, third, fifth and sixth graders. One team recorded the number of plants and the names, while another team looked up the plants on the Internet using the Neoflora Web site, to learn the plants' living requirements. Children in class were also able to view what was going on in the garden via a Web cam See Webcam. that was set up through Motorola, VanTuyle says. Third-graders are starting to look at the life cycles of plants, collecting seeds, and identifying them, using the laptops as they work outside. "When it came up we thought it would be a good idea to get some access outside," VanTuyle says. "With technology, a lot of times, you really have no idea what you can use it for until you get it. Then you realize you can't do without it."
Technology Roundup: LAPTOP COMPUTERS
Here's a guide to a wide range of laptop computers that can be used
by both students and administrators
COMPANY, WEB SITE Model Key
Name Features
Acer America Corp. TravelMate Wireless, Bluetooth
www.acer.com/aac 351:TEV-N ready, built-in smart
card reader
Apple Computer Inc. iBook Impact resistant, no
www.apple.com protruding latches or
levers to break, 2 lbs.
lighter than previous
models
Compaq Computer Corp. EVO Notebook All-in-one, 3-spindle
www.compaq.com/education N100 design AMD mobile
Athion 4
Dell Inspiron 4000 Performance notebooks
www.dell.com designed for those who
need to balance mobility
and performance in a
stand alone environment
Fujitsu C Series Programmable application
www.fpc.fujitsu.com launch buttons for
Internet and e-mail
Gateway Solo 1200se Intel Celeron processor,
www.gateway.com optional wireless
capabilities
Hewlett-Packard Omnibook Internetworking, multi-
www.hpineducation.hp.com xe3 media and instant
access to most used
applications built in
IBM ThinkPad i Offers advance
www.ibm.com/education Series 1200 graphics and video
performance
NEC Versa SXJ Programmable
www.neccomp.com VersaGuide touchpad
and mouse buttons
Panasonic Toughbook 48 Magnesium-cased LCD
www.panasonic.com and spill-resistant
touchpad
Sony Vaio
www.sonystyle.com/vaio/sr PCG-SR33
Toshiba Satellite Convenient CD controls,
www.toshiba.com 1800-S203 easy Internet access
COMPANY, WEB SITE Processor Display size
RAM/Hard Drive type
Acer America Corp. Pentium Ill, 13.3" TFT
www.acer.com/aac 800 MHz
128MB/10GB
Apple Computer Inc. 500MHz 12.1", 1024 x 768
www.apple.com Power PC G3 resolution, TET
64 MB of PC XGA active matrix
100 SDRAM/10GB display
Ultra ATA
Compaq Computer Corp. 1Ghz 128MB 14.1" TFT XGA,
www.compaq.com/education SDRAM/20GB 1024 x 768
Dell 800 MHz Intel 14.1" TFT XGA
www.dell.com Pentium Ill active matrix
128 MB
SDRAM/10GB
Fujitsu 1 GHz or 900 MHz 14.1" XGA TFT
www.fpc.fujitsu.com Mobile Pentium III
128 MB/20 GB
Gateway 800 MHz 128MB 12.1" XGA TFT
www.gateway.com SDRAM/10GB
Hewlett-Packard 800 MHz Intel 14.1" XGA TFT
www.hpineducation.hp.com Mobile Celeron
128 MB/20 GB
IBM 700 MHz Celeron 13.3" TFT active
www.ibm.com/education 64 MB/10 GB matrix
NEC 850 MHz Mobile 14.1" XGA TFT
www.neccomp.com Pentium III
128 MB/20 GB
Panasonic 600 MHz Intel 13.3"
www.panasonic.com Pentium Ill
64 MB
SDRAM/10 GB
Sony 600 MHz Mobile 10.4" SVGA TFT
www.sonystyle.com/vaio/sr Intel Celeron
128 MB/10 GB
Toshiba 800 MHZ Intel 13.3" active
www.toshiba.com Celeron 128MB matrix
SDRAM/15GB
COMPANY, WEB SITE Battery Operating Total
life System Weight
Acer America Corp. 2.5-3 hrs Windows 98 4 lbs.
www.acer.com/aac
Apple Computer Inc. 42-watt- Mac OS X 4.9 lbs.
www.apple.com hour lithium and OS 9
ion
battery, up
to 5 hrs
Compaq Computer Corp. 4 hrs Windows XP Under
www.compaq.com/education Home 7 lbs.
Dell 2 hrs Microsoft 5.2 lbs.
www.dell.com Windows
Millennium
Fujitsu 3.5 hrs Windows 98, 7 lbs.
www.fpc.fujitsu.com Windows 2000
Professional,
or Millennium
Edition
Gateway 800 MHz 128MB 12.1" XGA TFT 2-3 hrs
www.gateway.com SDRAM/10GB
Hewlett-Packard 800 MHz Intel 14.1" XGA TFT 3 hrs
www.hpineducation.hp.com Mobile Celeron
128 MB/20 GB
IBM 700 MHz Celeron 13.3" TFT 2.4 hrs
www.ibm.com/education 64 MB/10 GB active matrix
NEC 850 MHz Mobile 14.1" XGA TFT 8-cell
www.neccomp.com Pentium III lithium
128 MB/20 GB ion
battery
Panasonic 600 MHz Intel 13.3" XGA
www.panasonic.com Pentium Ill lithium
64 MB ion
SDRAM/10 GB battery
Sony 600 MHz Mobile 10.4" SVGA Extended
www.sonystyle.com/vaio/sr Intel Celeron TFT life
128 MB/10 GB 6-cell
lithium
ion
Toshiba 800 MHZ Intel 13.3" active 2 hrs
www.toshiba.com Celeron 128MB matrix
SDRAM/15GB
COMPANY, WEB SITE Cost
Acer America Corp. $1,399
www.acer.com/aac
Apple Computer Inc. $1,299
www.apple.com
Compaq Computer Corp. $1,499
www.compaq.com/education
Dell $1,518
www.dell.com
Fujitsu $1,499
www.fpc.fujitsu.com
Gateway $999
www.gateway.com
Hewlett-Packard $1,225
www.hpineducation.hp.com
IBM $999
www.ibm.com/education
NEC $2,299
Panasonic $2,147
www.panasonic.com
Sony $1,099
www.sonystyle.com/vaio/sr
Toshiba $1,079
www.toshiba.com
Technology Roundup: LOW-COST LAPTOPS
Here's a guide to a number of low-cost laptops for use in the classroom
COMPANY, WEB SITE Model Key
Name Features
Brainium Technologies Inc. DreamMax Durable, tamper proof
www.branium.com OS, wireless, education
specific
Brother Industries Ltd. GeoBook Has the functions of a
www.brother.com NB-60 notebook at the price
of an organizer
Intelligent Peripheral AlphaSrnart A simple, portable and
Devices 3000 affordable computer
www.alphasmart.com companion. It is compatible
with any computer,
Macintosh or PC, and with
most printers
Perfect Solutions Laser PC6 Wireless IR 4x8
Software Inc. Wireless IR line switchable display,
www.perfectsolutions.com 8 built-in programs,
text-to-speech option
QuickPad Technology Corp. QuickPAD Pro E-mail and wireless
www.quickpad.com transmission
capabilities
COMPANY, WEB SITE Processor Display size
RAM/Hard Drive type
Brainium Technologies Inc. 206MHz, 32-bit 8.0 diagonal,
www.branium.com Intel StrongARM 640 x 480,
RISC/16 MB Flash 256 colors
RAM, 32 MB
SDRAM
Brother Industries Ltd. AMD-ELAN 9.4" monochromatic
www.brother.com SC300/33 backlit VGA NiCd
Intelligent Peripheral 4-line x40
Devices character display
www.alphasmart.com
Perfect Solutions Z80/256K B&W, non-back-line
Software Inc. switchable display,
www.perfectsolutions.com 8 built-in programs
text-to-speech option
QuickPad Technology Corp. DR-DOS/external 16 lines with 80
www.quickpad.com flash card holds characters per line
up to 128MB
COMPANY, WEB SITE Battery Operating
life System
Brainium Technologies Inc. 6 hrs Microsoft
www.branium.com Windows
RISC/16 MB Flash
Brother Industries Ltd. Proprietary/word
www.brother.com processor
Intelligent Peripheral 200-500 2 lbs.
Devices hrs (3 AAA
www.alphasmart.com batteries)
Perfect Solutions 20 hrs on Proprietary/word
Software Inc. Ni-MH processor
www.perfectsolutions.com rechargeable
QuickPad Technology Corp. 200 hrs Proprietary/word
www.quickpad.com on 4 AA processor
batteries
COMPANY, WEB SITE Total Cost
Weight
Brainium Technologies Inc. 5.5 lbs. $946
www.branium.com
Brother Industries Ltd. 4.2 lbs. $267
www.brother.com
Intelligent Peripheral 2 lbs. $199
Devices
www.alphasmart.com
Perfect Solutions $250
Software Inc.
www.perfectsolutions.com
QuickPad Technology Corp. 1 lb. $299
www.quickpad.com
Angela Pascopella, apascopella@edmediagroup.com, is associate features editor. |
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