Journal 8:Choosing the Perfect Tools for One-to-One

Citation: Bouterse, B. Corn, J. Halstead, E (August, 2009). Choosing the Perfect Tool for One-to-One. Learning& Leading with Technology, 37, Retrieved August 4, 2009, from:
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/AugustNo1/37115t.pdf

Summary
This article discusses the importance of purchasing appropriate computers for schools in order to best meet the needs of teachers and students in the current age of technology. If administrators purchase cheap computers that are not compatible with a school’s needs, they maybe have to spend more money in future because of poor manufacturing of hardware or other factors such a inadequate memory or inability to “read” more current software. Therefore, this article suggests six questions for buyers to consider prior to purchasing portable Laptops for schools or districts.
The first question deals with purpose. The buyers should consider: Will the computing device be used for a single purpose or multipurpose? The second question is about operating systems. What operating systems can facilitators, technicians, and teachers manage (windows, Linux, Mac)? The third question is related to applications. Does the school need to install applications by using the Web or CD? The fourth question is about content. Does the school need to put files, data, documents, presentations, and images onto the hard drive or web? The fifth question deals with peripheral equipment. Will the device be compatible with printers, projectors, digital cameras, or microscopes? The last question is about robustness. How long will the computing device work properly?
At the end, the authors applied these six questions as an evaluation tool to compare some products, such as HP Compaq, Traditional laptops and Inte1 Classmate PC. They concluded that buyers should not make decisions based on the cost of products but rather on the overall implications of the longevity of the device. Therefore, without any doubts, making a computing device accessible to every student and teacher can maximize the educational technology initiative.
What does “Thick” mean? According to the article, thick devices are regular computers or laptops which are working with operating systems like Microsoft windows Mac OS X, or Linux.
What does “Thin” mean? Thin devices are nonportable computers that are connected to a network.