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Pencils, schmencils, I need a laptop

TRALEE PEARCE

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:23 AM EST 08/09/08

More and more, laptop computers are becoming a staple back-to-school purchase ...Read the full article

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  1. Knowledge is True Opinion from Canada writes: Thank you advertising.

    Flat screens, New cars, etc. is becomming more and more common for Christmas too.
  2. Angry West Coast Canuck from Canada writes: Ah yes, let's sell things based on how shiny it is, not on whether or not it actually meets the real requirements. Requirements they probably haven't even analysed.

    As for laptops in schools, good luck taking notes in class with a computer today. Soon as the prof draws their first diagram on the board, or anything that isn't plain text like equations or maps, etc., I have yet to find any applications that allow quick and efficient reproduction of these types of notes. So you either have to keep a paper pad handy, or keep multiple apps open and hope you're good at keeping track of which bits fit where, or translate everything into plain text "code" and hope you can reproduce the ideas represented later.
  3. Simon Michael from Toronto, Canada writes: Angry West: If you want to do equations, then use LaTeX. Awesome at equations. And drawings on computers are not that hard anymore (if your using LaTeX, then Xfig can do it very easily as well). Of course, I wouldn't do any of those in class either because I like a pen/pencil and a notebook. You can't scribble in the margins of a computer document. Plus, you can add your own derivations.
  4. Hugh Draper from Vancouver, Canada writes: Remedial writing courses are required in college??

    Just buy them a pick and shovel.
  5. Merlin the Wise from Canada writes: Tralee Pearce must really have something against porn eh or maybe there was some sort of bet to see how many times the word "porn" (3 times) could get into a back to school article
  6. Yvan Cazabon from Canada writes: @Angry West - have a look at Microsoft OneNote. It's not the only one that allows such a mix of typewritten, handwritten (on tablets), multimedia sources, etc. in one location, but it's a good representative.
  7. Lisa Wong from Vancouver, Canada writes: I bought a laptop in my second year of university because I found myself spending long hours on campus, and I liked the flexibility of being able to do research and write term papers anywhere I chose. It was really useful for notetaking in classes where professors presented a lot of detailed information just lecturing at a podium (like history), but as other commenters have said, it's not very useful in classes where graphing is required (e.g. economics).
  8. Rob Swanson from Edmonton, Canada writes: From the article;

    "In a recent survey Dr. Bauerlein cites, college professors said that only 6 per cent of their first-year students entered class well prepared in writing. As a result, remedial writing courses are on the rise. For those who miss the boat, he says, corporate America now spends $3.1-billion a year on remedial writing training for their employees."

    Neat, so we can offload education from the education system we taxpayers pay for and upload it via bluetooth to the manufacturer?

    In that case, I'll take my savings recovered from a failed basic AND a failed secondary educational system and buy a shiny new Macbook Pro in sleek chrome black please.

    What do you mean that the savings were transfered via 802.11n to the teachers union after they threatened yet another wage driven strike?

    Perhaps a little less gloss and a lot more pencils and erasers are in order. Last I checked, that $600 buys a lot of books, writing instruments and quiet time to think about what one is actually doing, instead of trying to interact with the world "virtually".

    Kids may have more info, but they are no smarter, and certainly less capable of any kind of critical thinking. These structural faults lie with all of us, but in particular those who defend society's lowered standards.

    Jobs, Gates, I'm looking at you.
  9. Paul S from Canada writes: When I was working as a TA last year I would sit at the back of the class and watch the students play solitaire during the lecture...

    Lots of hype, no substance.

    Still, the university administration would rather raise their salaries than buy infrastructure - so a wireless laptop meant no standing in line to access the library catalogue or check and email on old machines, etc..

    Hence, the tool is somewhat necessary, though its pedagogical role is not as great as the manufacturers claim.

    Anyway, when a student came asking for help if he was a student I observed not paying attention in class he was told to start paying attention.

    University is not for the weak minded and lazy and I refused to re-teach lessons to lazy students who should have been paying attention the first time around; I would rather spend extra time with a good student than even a little time with a lazy one; I was only paid to work so many hours per week and not the number of hours required to meet some abstract social goal designed to subsidize the lazy and stupid.
  10. s l from Vancouver, Canada writes: TAs like Paul S are a much bigger barrier to education/waste of pedagogical time than laptops. Overhyped, lazy, overpaid, self-important TAs like him are just one of the reasons my university education has been more or less a waste of time.

    Oddly, my productivity, along with the quality of my work, rose dramatically after I bought a laptop. No more waiting in lines for catalog access, no more dealing with antiquated computer labs, instant access to all of my files anywhere I had my computer, it all helped. Not to say that a laptop is a "neutral" piece of technology, but in the end, its user is the deciding factor. Unless, of course, you subscribe to the theory of technological determinism.

    Besides, solitaire in lecture might sound terrible, until you realize that the lecture in question might be 300 students, and a prof with a poorly put together Powerpoint presentation. Here's an idea: force profs to learn how to use their own software.

    If you're considering a laptop for school, I'd venture to say that the number 1 factor, by far, to consider when buying, is how comfortable you are with the hard/software that is your $1500 computer(and yes, that's what it'll end up costing you). Take your time, play with a bunch of different ones, and use your school's computer labs to try out different OSes. Figure out which one you're most productive with, and which one is most intuitive. Windows? Great. It's more or less a standard. OS X? Awesome, a good 2/3s of academia runs on it. So do a bunch of industries. Linux? I didn't like it, but hey, whatever works for you, and it's free. Then realize that while they all have their differences, the basics are pretty much the same: point and click. If you can use OS X, you can use Windows, and vice-versa.

    And after all that, if you end up on Windows, OneNote is great. If you're on OS X, check out Notebook view in Word. Great for taking notes, even better for things like outlines.
  11. The Central Screwtinizer from Ottawa, Canada writes: Like, we were in a store like, walking by the laptops aisle eh, like, and like, she says like, the argument like, going on was like, this family like eh, she was arguing like saying, what color, like, the damn laptop had to be like...eh, fur sure like eh? because so-and-so had one, like another colour eh!
  12. The Central Screwtinizer from Ottawa, Canada writes: Its truly like, f#@kin painful, listening to teenagers talking amongst themselves...like, eh?
  13. Shirley Jackson from Oliver, BC, Canada writes: Laptops are a blessing for bright kids with bad handwriting. I wrote and printed "chicken scratch". My teacher convinced me that I'd never pass grade 2. I did. I studied 6 years at university, ruining my handwriting by writing notes and exams fast. Interestingly, my handwriting has become unreadable even to me after a traumatic experience. Now I have to teach myself how to print and write again and buy a laptop.
  14. B H from Toronto, Canada writes: For $1500, I wonder how many hours of private tutoring they could get for their kid.
  15. Seb D from Ottawa, Canada writes: Paul S: There were lazy and stupid students back in my day, and that was before every single one of us had laptops.

    Laptops will make access to resources and working on assignments a lot easier, but ultimately it's the student's effort that will determine degree of success.
  16. Cin Solmn from Albany, United States writes: Laptops are currently not enough bang for too much buck. For students in high school, they are a status symbol and for young professionals, they are a lifestyle choice - much like the type of car. None of these are energy efficient, green or sustainable. I'm an anticipated fan of the CherryPal for this reason - it will not use up a lot of energy, it is lighter than the smallest laptop, and it is a cloud computer, so anything accessed on the CherryPal could be accessed on any available computer. So what that I'll need to connect it to a monitor and keyboard for now - much more ergonomical than a skanky notebook keyboard and tiny screen, anyway. I can't wait until they start shipping so I can start using it to post comments!
    http://cherrypal.blogspot.com CherryPal 4Every1 (CPFE) is the number one CherryPal fan site with info on CP discounts, gigs, sitings, buyings and cloud computing and green computing raves...Use CODE CPP206 for $10 off a CherryPal C100 desktop. Subscribe at http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?previewfeed=424285
  17. Ziad Fazel from Calgary, Canada writes: I'm with Angry West and Paul the TA.

    I see no reason for any student to have a laptop unless they are studying in another city. Until then, generous access to a desktop at home throughout elementary, junior high and high school. Be a responsible parent and help your child learn how to use it productively for homework, and separate between play time and work time.

    A laptop is mandatory for a child going away to university, but it should not go to lectures. Although it may be possible to use OneNote or Latex to take notes, it is neither efficient nor wise. Teach your child to use computers for their strengths: research, term papers, statistical/scientific analysis, collaboration, and scheduling.

    Buy the laptop during Grade 11, so your child can get used to it, and get the gaming urges out of the system before university. Check out the academic computing websites for the universities your child is interested in for specific requirements. I recommend a refurb Mac from Apple's online store, and use the savings to add Applecare to the 1-year warranty. If you absolutely have to run a Windows app for a particular class, you can cross that bridge with Boot Camp or a VM when the time comes, as they run the real Windows on a real Intel motherboard.

    Don't waste money or induce the wrong behaviour by buying a hot gaming and multimedia computer. Get advice from people who graduated by using computers, not salespeople who likely did not. The computer is for homework; there are plenty of games and entertainment temptations for a university student away from the computer. In fact, looking back on my university years, I did not partake in enough of those, and they are way more fun.
  18. Mr. Coffee from Victoria, Canada writes: Need a laptop = Get a job and earn it.

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