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Michigan To Purchase Record 130,000 Laptops
goombah99 writes "The Detroit FreePress reports that Michigan state is planning the largest single laptop purchase/lease ever, over 130,000 wireless laptops--enough for every 6th grader. And of course future purchases for each new class. The main competion is between Dell and Apple, with Apple having the edge in classroom integration experience. But price points will matter since the school districts may have to pay $25 per pupil. And the Gates foundation has a foot in the door. No word on what OS the Dell laptops would run. What would be your choice for middle school classrooms with minimal sys admin?"
integration with little boys... you know...
Not to be inflammatory, but in today's market, even for the six to ten years until sixth graders are in the job market, Windows is the skill set our schools should be training for.
Macs? Sorry, they're still a bit player. Linux? That will be gaining ground for the desktop, but slowly. If you want parents to help kids with homework, chances are the parents know Windows. If there's educational-related software, chances are it's for Windows (or possibly DOS). Maybe WINE can run some of it, but you're hiking your support costs up again.
But security of these machines is a big deal: Their contract had better include long-term antivirus support, firewall, having the vendor deliver with all patches installed (or 130,000 new Blaster hosts come on line all at once), and last but not least, a steel chain attaching the laptop to the kids' wrists, or they'll swiftly be traded for various illicit and licit (MtG cards, Yoo Hoo, MP3 songs) items.
Design for Use, not Construction!
Teachers have an easy job that pays well.
Their job is to talk to children, they're accountable to no one, and they work only 3/4 of the year.
Given the way the US is headed, these schools would better serve these future
proles by providing deep fryers, grills, basic gardening tools, and toilet brushes.
Basic urban wildlife hunting skills and how to make a shelter and clothing out of tarps
and cardboard will also be essential. They can probably reduce the number of books
they buy because any on the job training they'll get won't require much reading, but
they might need a little basic training in spoken Hindi, Mandarin, and Cantonese.