Jornal Article #8: Choosing the Perfect Tools for One-to-One

Bouterse, Brian (2009/08). Choosing the Perfect Tools for One-to-One. Learning and Leading with Technology, 1, Retrieved 08/07/2009, from
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/Current_Issue/L_L_August.htm

The article Choosing the Perfect Tools for One-to-One deals with the issue of selecting the right computer for the classroom. The article lists three types of computers, the thick, ultraportable, and thin. Thick devices are traditional computers, ultraportable devices that can't handle application or educational content locally, and thin devices are not portable and cannot work unless they are connected to a network. The article also lists six critical questions that should be addressed before selecting the type of devices needed to create a portable educational atmosphere. 1. Does the schools have the need for single-purpose machines or does it have the need for multipurpose machines? 2. What sort of operating systems does the school have the resources to support? What system do the teachers feel most comfortable with? 3. Does the school want to install local applications, web-based applications, or both? 4. Does the school want to install local content, web-based content, or both? 5. Will the school be using peripheral equipment such as probes, microscopes, GPS units, digital cameras, etc.? 6. How well can the school protect its devices from the everyday wear and tear from students and staff? Schools need to take into consideration the robustness of the device, battery life, virus protection, etc. The article also lists some important expenditure consideration in regards to new technology: device, support, professional development, connectivity and networking, software, replacement, and retrofitting. It is also important for schools when purchasing new technology not to be overly concerned with the initial expense of the device itself. The total cost of ownership reflects many more considerations. If the technology is inexpensive, but the output is poor, then the overall investment is a bad one.

What good is new technology if it can't do it all? The article lists several alternatives to a traditional computer, but what are the advantages of buying new technology that is so limited. The article listed a TI graphing calculator as one of the alternatives, but it seems almost pointless. What school plans on buying new technology to perform single-purpose functions. It seems to me that the logical thing for a school to do is just spend the money for traditional computers that can do it all.

What exactly is an ultraportable and thin device? The article listed what they can and cannot do, but it did not give any examples of each (except for the graphing calculator, which I don't even think of as a real computer, and an Alphasmart, and I have no idea what that is). The article did not make a very good case for these alternative devices because they did not explicitly define what they are. Are they computers or not? I would like to see a picture of what an ultraportable and thin device look like.