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Ask Slashdot: Cheapest Functional Computer For Students?

Posted by Soulskill on from the race-to-the-bottom dept.

An anonymous reader writes: I've started a second career, teaching English at a High School in a middle class area. While the large majority of students have a computer and internet access at home, about 10-15% do not. I assign papers that must be typed, I have papers turned in online, and I plan to freely refer to texts, videos, and other resources that are available online. This gives an extra disadvantage to students that may be from the poorer end of the strata, and also means extra inefficiency for me, as I have to make allowances for students who don't have a computer available at home.

Right now, I have to tell them to either use school computers during the day, or to pick up a $170 laptop (more than enough — I administer the class using such a laptop). However, I was surprised at the lack of a super-cheap option for students. I'd love to see something for $20 that any student could afford easily, or perhaps I could just gift to a few students. I feel like something in this price range could be sufficiently powerful for basic word processing, youtube videos, and internet searches (internet access is a separate issue). But looking over my options I see:

1) The very cheapest Chromebooks are also in the $170 range.
2) Android Sticks have been around for a while, and do cost in the $20 range, but don't seem to have matured into a generally usable technology. Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be a community effort to easily turn these Android sticks into Ubuntu/Mint sticks.
3) Students can't be assumed to have the technical know-how to fix up a Salvation Army computer (I wouldn't mind helping out a bit, but I don't want to turn into tech support)
4) A Raspberry Pi costs $70 once you include a case/power supply/etc, and students would receive a big bag of parts.
5) Cheap Windows Tablets have glitches, and don't have an HDMI out.
6) There isn't a good solution to using a cell phone as a desktop computer.

Are any of my assumptions wrong? Are there any other options I'm not considering?

11 of 508 comments (clear)

  1. No good without internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Students who don't own/can't afford computers almost certainly don't have/can't internet access either so there's not much point in finding an ultra-cheap one when the service cost would be a much bigger issue (with a $20 computer, internet access in most places costs more than that EVERY MONTH).

    1. Re:No good without internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Public Libraries have computers and often require a bus pass. Coffee shops throw out children who look like their parents can't afford high speed internet. If the students have smart phones, then a Bluetooth keyboard is a good answer. If they don't have cell phones, TEACH TO YOUR STUDENTS instead of to the middle class students you don't have.

      $10/month for broadband assistance is larger than the (negative) discretionary budget of many families. Asking your students to choose between dinner and homework because you want writing assignments typed is FUCKING STUPID!

  2. Let them write it on paper by butchersong · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sounds like you either need the school at the administrative level to have a policy that students need to have a cheap laptop (not unreasonable) provided by school or parents or you need to let your english students use their pencils and papers. I would think that reasonably legible handwriting would be a good skill to have and if they are going to learn that anywhere it is in english class.

    1. Re:Let them write it on paper by alexander_686 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I will disagree, and I would argue that computers should not be intruded into this classroom.

      I tutor inner-city kids. Common issues are highly mobile families, poverty, English as a second language, and refuge status. They are academically behind their peers. Their parents are unsophisticated or put little emphasis on education. Throwing even modest obstacles can derail them.

      I get why computers are important to education. However, this has to be a school wide initiative, not a classroom one.

  3. Overlooking the true cost of computer hardware. by geekmux · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The true cost of that computer asset does not start and stop with that one-time purchase.

    I think you might also be overlooking the fact that these families don't have a computer because they also cannot afford the $40+/month for broadband internet access to take advantage of all the online resources you wish to present to your students.

    And trying to keep that cost fixed by using a computer offline 100% of the time is rather pointless in today's environment.

  4. Don't require a computer by pavon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Are any of my assumptions wrong? Are there any other options I'm not considering?

    Yes, you shouldn't design your curriculum assuming students will have limitless access to a computer and internet. Don't have paper turned in online, print out resources to pass out to the student, show the videos in class, and make the amount of typing such that it can be done on school/library computers without excessive burden. There is nothing about learning the English language that requires a computer.

  5. Re:Stream 11 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Since the OPs school district isn't one that provides students with hardware, and some (increasingly more) do, then he/she has no business making it a requirement to have access to a computer in order to do their work.

  6. I hate to be a dissenter here BUT... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You are an English teacher.

    There is absolutely zero need to have everything typed as a matter of fact you are doing the kids a disservice here because they need to learn how to write legibly.

    There is zero need to have the papers turned in online.

    If they need to research online then they can and should use the library.

    The English/Literature classes are classes where paper should still rule.

  7. Hmmm ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've started a second career, teaching English at a High School in a middle class area. While the large majority of students have a computer and internet access at home, about 10-15% do not. I assign papers that must be typed, I have papers turned in online, and I plan to freely refer to texts, videos, and other resources that are available online. This gives an extra disadvantage to students that may be from the poorer end of the strata, and also means extra inefficiency for me, as I have to make allowances for students who don't have a computer available at home.

    At the end of the day, you can't demand parents buy computers or can provide access.

    Unless there was a stipulation that the kids have it, you might be stuck.

    So, maybe we can rephrase the question: I'm a complete prat who is going to insist my students have access to computers even if they don't now, what's the best way to do this?

    Maybe you need to be having this discussion with your principal and/or school board. You simply decreeing students get computers might not actually mean anything other than you want it to be the case, and no matter how good your intentions are it might not be possible.

    People living hand to mouth don't need some teacher telling them they need to buy a damned computer.

    This whole question smacks of someone who is a little clueless and out of touch with reality due to not enough real experience.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  8. So what? by s.petry · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You can get 1.5 Mbps broadband from comcast or centurytel for $10/month.

    https://apply.internetessentia... http://www.centurylink.com/hom...

    The 10.00 per month is meaningless to a family who is in poverty. "It's only 10.00" sounds really good when you are not in poverty. I came from poverty so know what it's like not to be able to eat because I had a bill to pay.

    Perhaps you are volunteering to pay some of those 10.00/month fees for families and I just misunderstand, but you can call me a skeptic.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  9. Exactly this. Rethink your curriculum. by tlambert · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Exactly this. Rethink your curriculum.

    "I assign papers that must be typed, I have papers turned in online, and I plan to freely refer to texts, videos, and other resources that are available online."

    Don't do this. Don't force them to type, don't force them to turn in online, don't refer to text, videos, or other online resources, unless you also offer library resources that allow them to reference the materials without buying a computer and paying for internet connectivity.

    "This gives an extra disadvantage to students that may be from the poorer end of the strata, and also means extra inefficiency for me, as I have to make allowances for students who don't have a computer available at home."

    Yes. So cut it out. You are unnecessarily disadvantaging them for your own convenience.

    P.S.: If someone is using a computer with a spelling and grammar correction capability, how will you catch students with learning disabilities so that they can get help sooner rather than later? How are you going to detect copy and paste plagiarism, if it's possible to copy and paste?