PC Evolution (ultraportables)
Submitted by Shelley_Chamberlain on Mon, 02/18/2008 - 9:10pm.
One of five trends written in the CoSN newletter. This can only help the 1-1 learning initiative.
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Evolution of the PC Perhaps spurred by the increasing focus on the environment, there are several predictions on 2008 being the year of the evolving PC. PCs are expected to get smaller, more affordable, and use less energy, although not necessarily all in the same product. Begun by Apple in January with announcement of the Macbook Air -- "the world's thinnest notebook" -- 2008 may be the year the ultraportable becomes popular. Going hand-in-hand with this development is a similar increase expected in the use of flash drives, with one source predicting that each of the major PC vendors will release at least one flash drive-equipped laptop this year. The push to make cheaper PCs, which began with the One Laptop Per Child initiative and the introduction of the Asus Eee PC, may also move into the mainstream, with predictions that Apple and Dell will develop similar, low-cost PCs in 2008.
But what can it do?
As I was reading Shelley's blog? entry?, one thought came to mind with regards to "ultraportable" machines? What do we want it to be able to do? Yes, I think that the Macbook Air is pretty cool, but what is it designed for? Probably an exec reading over some Office charts, or perhaps a prof going to prepare a talk of some sort. But would a video professional making a movie sit down with it to do post-production? Or would a university student be able to use it to hang a bunch of instruments off it to collet data? Maybe, but it's probably not the best platform for those tasks. It might be great to have the world's thinnest notebook for our students, but does it fill the needs of teaching the student with an exciting curriculum? (OK, I'll admit that lightening up their backpacks is a positive thing!
)
One big question I'd like to pose in thinking about 1-1 computing and our pilot is: "What do we want this machine to do?" Do we want them to be toting them home every night? Are they just used in class, or are they a tool that a student could whip out at any time? Do they need to stand up to use "in the field" for a science project or field trip? What kind of stuff might they want to plug in? Does it have enough horsepower to run the stuff we want? Will it run on the battery long enough when computing at full power? As is pointed out in the paragraph, all the desirable stuff (less weight, less power, more battery life, low cost) gets traded around. And as the "latest thing" in computers, I think that useful ultraportables will still cost a fair dime for a while....
In many discussions in the TAC?, stuff like the OLPC laptops come up in discussion, but they have been targeted for a different audience. Again, we must answer the question - "What do we want to use them for?" (Have I said that enough?
) . This is where our teachers and coordinators can/should stretch their imaginations to think how might they really utilize and take advantage of this technology with new and innovative teaching techniques. More than just powerpoint, or iMovie - a paradigm shift in teaching methods. These computers enable wireless access on the go (out in the field), collect more data, control other widgets, broadcast/stream content, enable wider collaboration, etc... If they can't come up with anything, then what's the point of spending that money on the latest gadget? There are certainly other things in our schools that could use the extra dollars.
I was just going to add my 0.02 but I think you got a nickel's worth....
Andy