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Ask Slashdot: Cheapest Functional Computer For Students?
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?
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?
I've no suggestions unfortunately - but I think it's good to commend imaginative uses of this forum
The critical question for such a determination is:
--Do you have anything else you can get get cheaply?
This very much alters the outcome. Por ejemplo: Given the inexpensiveness of wide screen monitors, the old 17" are thick on the ground at a couple of my work places, used only by interns. If your middle class folk can get you a heap of them for near-free, then yes, the Raspberry Pi2 will work well and keyboards and older mice are found in the same filing cabinet drawers. The Pi2 addresses shortage of CPU that was painful in the previous versions. It's very usable.
--Do you have shop class at a local school that can make you some cases?
http://lifehacker.com/make-an-...
--Are you looking for an amazing set of projects your kids can do?
https://www.raspberrypi.org/ma...
If you can't get the monitors cheap/free, then the Pi and even $80 worth of monitor have brought you into the Chromebook range.
At that juncture you have to choose your poison. If you want consistent and easy to maintain, you'll need to purchase large batches of new chromebooks. If you have a little technical know how, you can pick them up in the $120's all day on ebay and as refurbs on woot.
>> 3) Students can't be assumed to have the technical know-how to fix up a Salvation Army computer
This is the cheapest option. For $50 you can get a working computer, with monitor. If you think that's rough, think of all the gummed-up, malware-laden computers that the 85%-ers have at home. Yet somehow, they muddle through enough to keep basic word processing, youtube videos, and internet searches working.
>> (I wouldn't mind helping out a bit, but I don't want to turn into tech support)
If you do ANY of these options, or anything else suggested here, you WILL turn into tech support. Deal with it.
Not sure you can get cheaper than the mentioned chromebooks, even if there were a good 20 dollar option you'd still need a keyboard, mouse and monitor at minimum.
You require interaction with the internet through the computer. Even if you give them a free computer that is perfectly sufficient, you still aren't allowing them to interact with the internet from their home.
They can use the library for wifi, but if they are going there anyway, they can just use the computers there, no?
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).
I have a core 2 duo from 2007, its more than enough for what your students have to do, it even runs Windows 10 if it is needed and it costs nothing.
Full disclaimer: I'm teaching applied maths and CS and I design some of my courses on that computer so believe me it is more than enough.
There's a Google Docs app that will run on an iPhone to provide word processing. Google account is free and the app is free.
I would assume that if they didn't have a computer home they probably don't have a connection either.
love is just extroverted narcissism
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.
If you are willing to do a little traveling and effort, consider doing an electronics recycling drive. When I was the faculty advisor to the local college computer club, we received donations, evaluated them, built working systems from the parts, then shipped them off to Central America.
Also, contact the IT lead at local banks and hospitals, and other major corporations in your area. Many times, they are GLAD to have someone take their equipment. Be warned that many times they won't include the hard drive. They might be willing to allow you the drives if you show them how to use DBAN, or sign off that you will do it yourself. If you can't get hard drives, boot from USB. We got A TON (literally, 2,000 lbs) of desktops, keyboards, mice, and monitors from a local large insurance provider.
Xubuntu or Lubuntu with Libre Office ought to satisfy their software needs.
Good luck!
I got hold of one of these in the UK for £150. It's not to shabby for the price. Comes with a one year free trial of Office 365 as well. http://www.techradar.com/revie...
To err is human. To forgive is not company policy.
So, how cheap is cheap? $50? $100? $200? Does it need to be a laptop? Portable?
Is the goal to have something that can do e-mail, web browsing, and writing papers?
I noted the suggestion of linux. Are you prepared to teach linux? Android has it's "mostly single tasking" thing going on, and it's cranky memory management, so I'm not so happy with android as a desktop environment.
As has been suggested, the HP Stream 11's are pretty good. They're a very capable laptop. They're available at Walmart and are about $200.
Going much cheaper sends you into some really strange territory. Annoyingly the Pi-Top is $300... Which is a lot less powerful than a Stream11. If android is vaguely OK, there's a ton of android based tablets and laptop-ish things on the market.
You would have to be crazy to be sane in this world. -Nero
That's the problem. The OP is looking for something substantially more affordable. It's easy for those with some reasonable income to not realize just how tight things are for the poorest members of society.
That said, I think there's a real limitation as to what can be achieved at such low pricepoints. At about the $170 range you can have a decent screen, processor, storage, and RAM. As you go below that price point things have to be sacrificed. Unfortunately I don't see much in the way of screen-less options that save money. HP make a Stream desktop that runs windows, but it's still around the same pricepoint. Intel make a compute stick, which is better with a $135 price tag on Amazon, but that's probably still too expensive.
Maybe you're stuck with something Raspberry PI like, with a small but fast SSD and a cheap case, keyboard, and mouse. That sounds like it could work, but once you have the computer, case, HDMI cable, SD card and some sort of removable storage so the kids can submit work, you're still going to have a price tag that is well above $50/head.
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.
"Cheapest Functional Computer For Students?"
An Arduino running Haskel?
Nah, I'll stick with procedural ones.
Seriously, you are a bottom feeder with nothing to teach anyone. You are so unimaginative, you can't figure out how to get along without a computer or the internet. Especially for a language class! Oh, and to top it off, almost all your assumptions are overstated. Again, please duck off, we have enough unqualified shit loose in this world. Go sweep a floor or something. You have nothing to teach anyone, and the thought that you think you do makes me angry.
I was required to do research and type papers using the library. Public libraries are still a thing, and have Internet and printing available. I don't suppose taking a bike, public transit or whatnot to a public library is too onerous to do school work. Nearby university or college might have library's available for use also. It's a quiet environment to focus on study.
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.
Yes I will probably be modded down , but they have programs for educators and low income students and have been known to donate netbooks and tablets like their atom surfaces which are hybrids
http://saveie6.com/
Its not the cost of the computer - its the fact that you are giving them access to the internet with all that goes along with that. Our daughter was constantly trying to use the internet for all sorts of not great things. It was a constant battle. It sucked for us. All her teachers gave homework online or they had to turn it in online.
We had to give her a phone that would only allow her to call numbers we pre-programmed. She could only use the computer in guest mode under our direct supervision. Did we want to do this? Hell no. I would have rather given her an iPhone and a nice new computer and unlimited access to the internet. But I also didn't want her naked Skyping or dating adults. Ugh.
So please. Just teach english. Forget the computers. Please.
1) Find old Salvation army computers and toss linux on them. This option is probably the cheapest but requires the most time sink from someone to set up.
2) Go for something like http://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-... (if you can find cheap/free monitors/keyboards/mice). If you can overcome the expense of the monitors/keyboards/mice (find cheap supply or have them donated), this is probably the best time/cost option. The number of parts are really small, and the kits can probably be pre-assembled on a sunday with volunteer labor if you are afraid putting them together might be too much for the students.
3) Otherwise, as you noted, you're in Chromebook territory. Perhaps a fundraiser/sponsorship or some way of trying to subsidize them for the whole class might bring the cost per unit down into the more affordable range for your under-privaleged students (without single them out)?
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Thinkpad w/ i5 , T410 are a great deal for ~150-200 dollars.
A smartphone and a blue tooth keyboard is fully capable of what you ask, as long as the videos and websites are capable. The headache will be on your end with supporting several different word processors, as the better ones are not free, and there are several respectable free choices including Google Docs.
So what does this offer? The middle class American child already has a smartphone, or their parents do. Pretty high power devices are also available as the "low end" option, and older devices are capable so a castoff or hand-me-down phone that is in good shape will do the job quite well (yes, batteries need replaced about every 2 years). All smart phones have wifi access without having phone service turned on. This means that they can use wifi at the coffee shop or use data on their parents' devices for the actual submission.
Bluetooth keyboards start at about $25.
A prepaid smartphone is about $50 for the device.
Yes, this operates on the assumption that the student has access to a good smartphone (with or without service), and can get wifi access via local businesses.
Try this before you expect your students to use it, they will expect you to support them technically.
Laugh, it's good for you!
It comes out in a month and doe sboth Windows and Linux, has a 8.9" screen, HDMI.... http://www.geekbuying.com/item...
My feeling is that a Raspberry Pi is about the best option you're going to find. This is what it was designed for, after all.
Yes, you need at least a power supply and a flash card to make it work. Those will cost a few dollars extra. You can live without a case for a while if you're careful with it. The mouse and keyboard are generic items that can usually be scrounged up somewhere. Then use a TV for the monitor, just like we did back in the old Atari and Commodore days.
It's true that the Pi is a "some assembly required" system, but at least every system is the same and there are tutorial manuals available. It's way better than getting J. Random Computer from the flea market and then trying to figure out exactly what it is, what works and what doesn't, what OS it can run, etc. -- multiplied by X number of students!
It would be nice to imagine a super-cheap notebook computer. And technically it's doable, but it just doesn't seem to be viable in the marketplace. It would be so limited in functionality that only truly dirt-poor students would want it, which means it wouldn't sell in large volumes, which means the per-unit price would have to go UP due to lack of economies-of-scale, and then the whole purpose is defeated.
ya know those phones they all have run BSD or Linux these days ;)
all kidding aside cromebooks are also a PITA to use outside of google apps and might run afoul of some privacy issues.
USB stick computers cant run a real OS because ubuntu and mint both require horsepower for graphics, overlays, audio, widgets and FX. Android is based on gentoo, the Mad Max car of linux. extra ram is dedicated much like the Pi to bus resources for the USB/network.
the salvation army cant be expected to bankroll an entire class with spare computers that may, or may not work. kinda a non option here.
Raspberry Pi power supplies can quite literally be anything. a wal-wart, a cheap USB hub, another students laptop or an adjacent desktop. phone chargers for android students will work on the pi. putting a pi in a case, in most cases, requires no tools (the rainbow case for example.) your real problem here is getting them a monitor.
tablets and cellphones are toys. you need to teach students how to get a library card. Modern american libraries have pools of computers you can use to complete job applications, school assigments, you name it. www.freeshell.org will give them network storage and a unix login, but i suspect that might be a little much for an english class (perfect if you want to teach unix though!)
Good people go to bed earlier.
" 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."
Typed could be done with a typewriter. The onus is on YOU to scan if you need electrons. While it certainly is harder, having to think before typing can provide the student with some benefits as well!
Provide pointers to offline texts that should suffice (books, libraries, etc. still exist).
Videos and other resources can be viewed, when they have access at school, library, or tablet (Amazon is rumored to have a $50 one in the wings).
Since you aren't teaching at an elite private school, make sure that you aren't depriving your students of the chance to learn!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/... - $50-$55, come in a variety of case colours, and has the basic cables included.
Not too long ago it used to be possible to send hand-written manuscripts to publishers. Admittedly, these times are mostly gone, but for classes handwriting still should be good enough. Unless you're too lazy to correct handwritten assignments or confuse writing skills with nice formatting.
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.
Will take some doing but it can be done, you give them a dumb screen with enough of a processor to connect to a central box that you manage. Assuming they have internet access. I once looked into it but got side tracked but there is plenty of on-line know how for the do it yourselfer or you can pay some one to set it for you and learn by watching. You could even do an ask slashdot on *that*. If you need portable, which I am guessing your internet solution will drive you to, this wont be much of an option though.
The best thing out there, designed specifically to address your concern, is the XO laptop by the laptop.org people for their "One Laptop Per Child" campaign: http://laptop.org/en/
Their price is $35 per unit, and they take significant cuts (and some creative solutions to be sure) to get there. They're not exactly readily available, particularly for US schools, but it may be worth talking to them. It's possible these would be enough for you, if you could get hold of them, but I'd consider them pretty under-powered for an applicable middle-school or higher education where there are other options.
The XO is a good data point for what you sacrifice going below the entry Chromebook or hp-11 style laptop, or even an android tablet with a keyboard. Also, it sets the bar at $35 so your hopeful target of $20 seems unlikely; the XO has been around for years and they probably can't go much lower, and you're not likely to get many people competing for this space, at least not for profit. The DIY kits (i.e. raspberry pi) you've already addressed and those are even more expensive. The idea of hooking to an existing TV (with an Android Stick) may have merit, but there's still the price of a mouse, keyboard, and a capable TV in the first place, so the real price is higher.
Anyway, I think you're going to be hard pressed to find better solutions. It's a noble goal, but the industry just isn't there yet, despite good examples of people trying. Hope this helps.
Actually there are a few options, especially if you already have a screen or TV.
Raspberry PI 2 starts at 50 USD - any power supply will do, and a basic keyboard and mouse are cheap.
Intel Atom based compute sticks with full Windows start at a similar price.
7" or 8" tablets are a bit more, but more useful, too. Some have HDMI.
Used laptops can be very cheap, especially the Windows XP generation.
Finally most kids have a phone? Old Androids start at about 50 USD.
Internet access may be a problem, under 100 USD a year you will not get much.
I believe the best option out there currently would be a raspberry pi 2 (4 USB ports, faster processor, and still relatively inexpensive). It's easily serviced, stupidly simple to get set up, and finally easily unhooked and carried with the student. Any issues encountered can be resolved by re-flashing the SD card. Just make sure your students use a USB thumb drive for file storage. Unfortunately you are off in your cost estimate. You cannot assume that a monitor or television will be present in your student's home. Just the pi, mouse, keyboard, power supply, case, and SD card can run $70. A monitor can run $100 easily on average. Bulk USB thumb drives can be had for as little as $5.
Assuming a $170 cost at the US minimum wage of $7.25 you're looking at 23.44 hours to earn the money needed (3 days pay). That's an expense you cannot shift to your students because you want to get papers typed. Lets face it, this is your requirement. Knowledge transfer is just as applicable via hand writing as the typed word. As you stated internet access is a whole separate issue that you are not addressing.
In today's day and age $170 is really the bare minimum for what can be termed a PC. You can always keep an eye on Woot or Meh for tablets. Meh has a sale on a 9" android tablet for $33 + s&h. This would be without a physical keyboard though.
Your best bet here would be to round up to $200 per student, contact your local cable provider and find out the details on their low income internet program. Comcast has something like this in my area. Slow internet, but it is internet. Then apply for a grant to cover the expense.
Coffee: The lifeblood of intelligence in civilization.
Android 4.2 is a deal killer. Unless that model is supported by CyangenMod or other flavor, I wouldn't want an OS that old on anything new.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Would something like this work?
http://www.amazon.com/COLAPAD-...
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.
Not to mention that typing a paper on one of those would be brutally painful.
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.
In other words, you've build your entire course around the experience and resources of the middle class student and what is convenient for you. You are looking for a quick. cheap, feel-good, solution that ignores --- among other things --- the problem of Internet access for the poor and their lack of experience online.
I wonder if you'll be forced to suck it up and join the time-honored crap-fest of grant proposal writing.
Nowadays it seems like having a computer almost requires internet access of some kind. Is that free in your area? If so, it's probably wifi which means your computer needs wifi access. If it's not free, then that's going to end up being a significant part of the cost.
Also, your post implies one needs hdmi out. Why? What's wrong with good old vga?
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
Hi,
older thinkpads
actually older thinkpads core2duo 1,8ghz / T61 / 14,1" 1280x800 / 160gbyte / 2gbyte / intelgraphics NO NVIDIA = buggy but you dont know if
you can get these for down to 60 - 90â (1$ = 0,89â)
sometimes along with the docking station or even with a 15,4" / 1650x1080 TFT
Even considering it's age it's decent machine, the keyboard quality is unmatched.
Apply an unofficial SATA2 patch install a solidstate drive and you have a boost.
x86-netbooks
atoms, atoms and atoms, and celerons
not as powerfull as the thinkpads but they mostly have a decent battery life.
If the kids(boys) can live with it the pink ones are ultra
cheap (unwanted)
Example: compaq 311 & pavilion (hint!), samsung some crazy letter combination, dell, etc..
running win7 (sometimes only 32bit) no problem
The keyb, sucks often.
This text was typed on a win7-64bit machine 3gb / 128gbyte ssd with a celeron netbook processor (hp pavilion looks like compaq311 no nvidia ion) gotten for ~40â on ebay (cracked tft), decent keyb, superb battery life (7,5hrs. considering an 4 yr. old battery), hdmi, vga, SIM-slot and un2420 umts card.
Replaced the tft for 40â within 1,5 hrs. (the hardware maintainance manual is perfect for figuring out which tft to buy)
And I'm not poor but I'm very stingy!
arm-netbooks
A little less powerful than the x86-netbooks but better battery life, but only for the macguyver style kids.
example: eeepc
Hint:
decent & known manufactureres have mostly the more satisfying outcome than some strange chinese brand.
"The OP is looking for something substantially more affordable"
"Affordable" isn't quite the word I'd use, "miracle" would be more appropriate. A few years ago a family friend needed a dirt cheap computer to replace their windows 95 box. The cheapest I was able to track down at that time was a refurbed business XP box, no monitor, for about $90. You're not going to find anything cheaper than $70 today unless you start raiding garage sales or bulk office equipment auctions. You can't buy a lot of decent peripherals (keyboards, mice, etc) for $20 let alone whole computers.
https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...
Failing that, why not "ubid.com?" after all, their TV commercials claim you can buy a Macbook there for twenty bucks!
Then, when you can't, sue them for false advertising, and use your windfall to purchase all the kids some laptops.
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
Microcenter has these for $60, $80 on Amazon. Quad core Bay Trail with built-in display, full Windows 8, Office 365 for a year, microSD slot and microHDMI out. Don't like Win8? Nuke it and put a Linux distro on there. It won't get much easier or cheaper than that from a practical perspective.
I'd love to see something for $20 that any student could afford easily, or perhaps I could just gift to a few students.
$20 is simply not realistic for new gear.
1) The very cheapest Chromebooks are also in the $170 range.
$170 will get you an HP Stream 11.6 with a celeron, 2GB ram, 32GB SSD and windows 10. Better than chromebook I think. And I see $140-$150 for a chromebook. At least in the US on amazon.
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.
And they'd need peripherals.
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)
Which would be inevitable.
4) A Raspberry Pi costs $70 once you include a case/power supply/etc, and students would receive a big bag of parts.
Does that 'etc' even get them a screen? Are peripherals free?
5) Cheap Windows Tablets have glitches, and don't have an HDMI out.
They need HDMI out? To connect them to what exactly? They don't have $140 for a chromebook, but they have $100+ HDMI monitors, and $30 bluetooth keyboards?
6) There isn't a good solution to using a cell phone as a desktop computer.
Because current cell phone OSes aren't desktop OSes; and again the peripherals would cost you more than small laptop/chromebook anyway.
In all seriousness. While a salvation army special might be too much work. Lots of 2-6 year old low-end laptops on ebay/craigslist are in the $30-$100 range. Or you could hit your local used laptop store and try and strike up a partnership; they might be willing to donate some of their oldest / least valuable stock or sell it for a song in exchange for some goodwill, advertising space in the school newsletter, sponsorship, referals etc.
That's the route I'd try first.
You might be able to scrounge up some donated hardware simply by sending a news letter home asking if anyone has any old laptops, or soliciting local businesses for same... for units that work that aren't in use they'd be willing to donate. Hell I dumped some shitty sony vaio's with 1GB ram, Vista, etc just the other day off at a recyler. I wouldn't make my own kids use them, but if someone threw Mint on them, and they'd be adequate to use use google docs to write some essays.
These are the only ways you are going to get anywhere near your price target.
Realistically, this isn't for word processing. This is for all the other tasks and school/library/home computers can provide the rest of the functionality. In a pinch you can pickup a USB keyboard/mouse for $5 and hook it up.
If they have a TV, then all they need is this: Rasberry PI. $30
USB Keyboard $1
USB Mouse $1
SD Card $1
Micro USB Cell phone charger $5
You have a fully functional Linux desktop computer.
Sure you can spend more and get a better computer, but this one will get it done on the cheap.
That said, I think there's a real limitation as to what can be achieved at such low pricepoints. At about the $170 range you can have a decent screen, processor, storage, and RAM. As you go below that price point things have to be sacrificed.
I think screenless is the best way to get to the sub $100 dollar or even sub $50 range. Most people have access to a TV or monitor.
I like the zotac ci320 zbox but it's over $100 and overkill for what this person is looking for. The better solution would be some sort of hdmi dongle.
A quick amazon search turned up this: http://www.amazon.com/Androset... as well as several
mentions of "finless bob roms". Not sure if they are any good but I would think that would be a good starting point.
On a side note, I have an entire basement full of computers that are faster than most current tablets but are basically worthless.
I could probably sell them for $50-$75 each but it would likely cost me more in labor to get them up and running to a usable state and
unless it's someone local, shipping heavy computers at $20+ a pop makes it even less worth while.
If anyone has recommendations of how to do something productive with several dozen decade old computers running windows XP, let me know.
I would suggest looking at CHIP. It's a single board computer with built in Wi-Fi and a 1GHz ARM chip for $9. You'll need to add a keyboard. It supports composite video out on the board, so depending on what they need to do that should be enough. The Internet resources are going to be the killer though. Not everyone has access at home. Does the school provide free wifi access? If so, I'd recommend getting references / videos in a form that are easy to download and let students use them offline.
If the computer is working at all, the following tricks might make it like-new:
Open it up and vacuum out the dust. Dust accumulates, especially in the CPU heatsinks, over years, causing them to overheat. For a long time the CPUs have had circuitry that slows the clock to reduce the heat - and thus slows the machine way down, which may be why it was finally abandoned. Suck out the dust and the CPU will be back to its full speed.
Replacing the BIOS backup battery is good, too, as it may be nearing end-of-life - especially as the machine sat on the shelf waiting for a new home. Also: A little time with the battery out may clear out oddball BIOS settings in older BIOS chips that are battery-backed-RAM, rather than flash, based.
If the keyboard is dirty or a little flakey, try washing it with clean (better yet, distilled) water and drying it thoroughly. As long as you don't power it while it's still moist, and don't use hot water or the heated drying cycle in a dishwaher, you won't corrode anything.
Then installing Linux from a live disk, with the use-full-disk options, will clean out any malware and give them a modern, supported, OS with a good and easy to use word processor (Open Office) for free.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
They can be had at Walmart for ~$180:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-1...
Microsoft Office 365 is on these for a year or students can use the free Google office apps. Students that don't have Internet at home can go to a public library after school or on weekends or visit a McDonalds, Starbucks or other place where free Internet is available. Generally, one does not need to buy anything to use the free internet in those places. Depending on where you live and your local ISP providers (Comcast), if income is below a certain level, adequate Internet can be had for $10 per month.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
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.
In my city, we have a community group that takes hand-me-down computers from corporate and government sources, refurbishes them, then makes them available to schools, other community groups and needing individuals. For example, their computers are in the local senior drop in centres, boys and girls club, and I know a few families who've taken computers home.
Perhaps your city has a similar organization.
Ask for donations. I personally have several old PCs stashed in the basement and if anyone ever asked for one, I'd be more than happy to unload one. Granted they might be a little on the slower side, but better than nothing.
You want a working computer for less than a $170 Chrome book? Well sure, who doesn't. But, no such thing exists. Seriously WTF kind of Ask Slashdot is this?
a monitor alone will set you back $100
Go on Amazon.com and type computer. there is your answer.
I know I shouldn't feed the trolls but this is an excellent ask slashdot. And if you have to pay $100 for a monitor then you are not thinking very hard.
17 inch CRT monitors can be gotten for LESS than free. Most places now charge a disposal fee for them. And that's even assuming you need a
monitor as even most poor students have access to a TV and as the OP stated, he wasn't opposed to a solution that allowed a keyboard to connect
to the smartphone the kids likely already have.
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.
In our school district, it's all Apple stuff -- iPads for students, and a lot of Apple hardware in the libraries and so on. I'm guessing Apple has a pretty steep educational discount, as our district isn't particularly wealthy (we aren't particularly poor, either). The vendor is kind of a secondary consideration to the curriculum, though -- and the teachers and staff integrated the Apple stuff into the curriculum so they are using the same applications across the district, so instruction is consistent and any bugs only have to be worked out once. From the IT side it's also vastly easier to have one vendor to deal with, and they can keep spare equipment around so when the inevitable happens and an iPad or iMac meets the floor somehow, they can reimage and replace it quickly. They also have school email accounts for students and staff which are managed in one place, and also sidestep a lot of nonsense with undeliverable mail, full mailboxes, usernames, etc. Since they control the infrastructure they can really do a lot of automation and also lock down the machines so the kids aren't playing Minecraft all day when they should be learning. The teachers can also blank every screen with the touch of a button to control distractions.
Compare that to a ragtag collection of Chromebooks, Windows PCs, Linux, Macs and whatever else may be dragged into the classroom. You get dragged down by anything and everything. Some kids set up a Minecraft game. Someone else is on WhatsApp all the time. Someone's craptacular Salvation Army PC wets the bed, losing all the data. Someone's email gets hacked.
Oh, and then there's the privacy concerns ... keep in mind these kids are not adults, and their parents may have different ideas than you about their access to the Internet, watching videos and so on. And/or having their own email address that's outside of school control and oversight.
Then the teacher down the hall decides they want to do something that doesn't line up with what you are doing, and there's a new set of applications and websites for the parents to get peeved over.
Also, I'm not an Apple fanboy. You could do the above with Windows, Linux or Chromebooks. The key is that the district picks one thing and then you build around that one thing. Same reason businesses, colleges and so on pick one thing and try to stick to that as much as possible to keep administration sane.
Android 4.2 is a deal killer. Unless that model is supported by CyangenMod or other flavor, I wouldn't want an OS that old on anything new.
Compromises have to be made somewhere to keep costs down. There's cheap and then there's "best practice", this is the former. A Pi is $20 more for a more up to date OS + hdmi cable but you provide the child labour to assemble it. There's trade offs with everything at that level.
A working Palm m105 can be had for $25-35. "Typed" student papers (Graffiti'd in) could be transferred to your computer by IrDA or a serial cradle. If you're willing to reformat electronic readings to ePub format, readings can be transferred to students the same way. "Notes" up to 4kB hold about a page and a half of single spaced text. Small but readable screen, free applications that raise the limit on the editor to 32kB (about 12 pages single spaced). A pair of batteries lasts 1-2 weeks; using the IrDA is the big current suck, so use a serial cradle for everything. The "supercaps" in the m100 series don't hold a charge while switching batteries, so the device resets. "Hotsync" to a PC before & after battery swap makes that irrelevant. For those who must keyboard, an attachable full-size keyboard that folds up to pocket size is another $35.
Not the same. In 1987, we would read the books or the mimeographed material, write out the papers on actual paper, and then could go into the 'media lab' at school to type it up on their typewriters. Today, the material is online and the kid must have online access just to read the needed material. Libraries close and there is usually a line for the limited computers they have (at least at my library). Neighbors don't run internet cafe's and assuming a kid can go tot he neighbor's house every day after school to use their PC is just ridiculous. What if the neighbor is on vacation, out to dinner, or just sick of your kid coming over??
The only DIY paper computer! Turing complete*
*with an infinite strip of paper, not included
Try it! Library of Babel
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?
There is probably a computer club at school, and there is most likely a dedicated IT staff. Talk to them. Our local school sold a bunch of old PCs last year for real deal ($30 for desktops, and $50 for a few servers IIRC). Home computers are used/required by most classes anymore; make this an issue that the school addresses. Look into setting up a program where old school computers are leased/loaned/sold/given to low income families.
Alternatively, you could go down to the local recycling center and look into getting old electronics. People recycle old, still working electronics just because they bought new stuff. If there is a college nearby, check the curbs on recycling day near the end of the semester. I have a friend that did this for years (until he moved). You could also run an ad in the local paper asking for old computers to be donated to the school (You'll probably need permission/help from administration for this).
I have a Toshiba Satellite A45-S250 (built in 2004, Intel P4, 1GB of RAM) that is still usable for most everything I need a laptop for. I was able to get it for free and loaded Gentoo with XFCE on it.
Really, the cheaper the option the more work is going to be required, but it can easily be close to $0 for the hardware.
There in no religion higher than truth.
Pi is not a viable option because it isn't a complete solution on its own.
And not considering TCO is also a problem with "low cost" solutions, because if the initial cost is low, but ends up being a complete time sink for IT to support the "low cost", all you have done is cost shifted from product to services by IT. The cost of servicing IT devices is the bane of IT departments everywhere.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
But in general, if you don't want to be further disadvantaging kids who don't have access to computers, you should probably rethink your entire strategy of basing all coursework around them. The school district I live in got around this issue by issuing all students their own loaner chromebooks for the year at no extra charge. That's one way to do it, but this also happens to be the wealthiest school district in my state.
Even students without traditional computers at home likely have very servicable smart phones in their pockets. Fairly capable smartphones are available at very low prices or free with contract. There's even the so-called "Obama Phones" (cheap phones and cell service offered to various government assistance recipients) that some students may have.
With that in mind think about how you can get them to use those devices they already have to not only access resources but do their homework. Do some research to find out some cheap or free apps that can do the sorts of tasks you need done for your class. For instance a good PDF reader for books and documents and an editing app/suite for writing assignments. Google Docs and Microsoft Office are both readily available for Android and iOS, you could provide some instructions for writing papers and sending them through those services. You can even do document sharing so you can collaborate with them on assignments. Don't limit that concept to the phone-only students. Online collaboration can be a useful skill for them to learn and it gives you as the teacher an ability to correct or advise their work in real time.
There's a lot of cheap Bluetooth keyboards that work very well with Android and iOS. You can recommend (or provide) some for students lacking traditional PCs at home so they can type up long form assignments. Additionally give your phone-only students some idea of places that might have free WiFi (libraries) so they can access higher bandwidth content.
Between students with traditional PCs and only smartphones you're probably going to get 99% of your students. For those handful without either a PC or smartphone there's computers at the public library, school library, or even your classroom. You can always accept handwritten papers and abuse the school's printers to get a few dead tree copies of online documents.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
http://www.techradar.com/revie...
To err is human. To forgive is not company policy.
Talk to local companies, especially ones that are giving back to the community. There may be a few that are willing to donate old laptops that IT no longer supports, and these laptops will be good enough for your described usage.
Something like the Stream 7 tablet at $100
They could get something way better if they bought used instead of new. My local Goodwill has usable laptop computers for $25. That is less than the cost of a single textbook. Most come with Windows and MS-Office pre-installed. As a bonus, some come with a photo collection of the previous owner.
Go to the source (China)
7" Android tablet ($25.73)
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
Tablet case with built in keyboard ($4.97)
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
Under $35 and they are usable, my wife and daughter have used them a lot. ;)
I have several around the house used for general browsing, remote controls for the Kodi systems, and e-book readers.
An HP Stream 8 can use the T-Mobile free 200Mb/month data. Although a low limit, it is enough for some light web access (email, accessing documents, some web searches).
Why can't the students simply go to a public library and use the computers there? Or go to a friend's house and use their computer?
Typewriters are pretty cheap on eBay these days too.
You're a teacher, and you don't know enough to use "give" as a verb and "gift" as a noun.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
Not agreeing but yes you can http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pukka-...
To err is human. To forgive is not company policy.
The best thing out there, designed specifically to address your concern, is the XO laptop by the laptop.org people for their "One Laptop Per Child" campaign
The XO laptop is molded in the day-go colors and toy-like shapes that appeals to very young kids. The third-world education minister that was XO's prime market knew from the beginning that it wasn't a product for the middle school and beyond.
We're at the point now of retiring 2008-era Core2Duo PCs, and plan to make these (and some Atom netbooks. Ugh what a bad purchasing decision that was) available for free to staff & students that want something for basic word processing and web access needs. Most will go out with Vista Business, which won't hit end-of-life til Spring 2017. All they'll need to get for themselves elsewhere is a monitor.
So hit up your IT people and see what they have.
WalMart: mouse under $7, keyboard $7.40.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
Seriously, when I was in grade school and assigned reports that required research, the school didn't twist itself into knots trying to figure out how to get me an affordable set of encyclopedias or other reference material. I went to the damned library and did the research.
It's my understanding that schools today have internet-connected computer labs and/or public computers in their libraries, so this question is moot.
You can get them cheap - often free from a friend. That was my daughter's first "computer". There are text editing software, spreadsheets, and the like available and you can watch videos as well. REMEMBER - YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A PHONE SERVICE TO USE THESE, JUST WI-FI ACCESS...
Pay attention for god sake. From TFS, he knows how to do it for $170, but that is too much. So you know it has to be significantly below that figure.
Oh shut up. What do you suggest? Windows? OS X? Do you think he can afford to "teach" those?
I don't think students without a family PC will have a personal smartphone.
You won't get any disagreement with me there. I'm very much a fan of paying up front for the right tools for the task and minimizing ongoing costs that usually only increase with time.
By far the best option for this scenario is finding a machine owned by somebody else to use. Libraries have computers for public use, there are likely computer labs at the school that are free periodically, and students definitely have friends or relatives with computers. Work with other teachers and the IT department to come up with a solution - if everybody in the school took one evening a month to monitor a computer lab and allow students to continue working, the problem/excuse goes away. If you can't get traction in the school overall, get a desk and put one or two Goodwill computers in your room for students to use before/after school or during lunch.
Fundamentally the "I don't have a computer" problem is an excuse - I guarantee your students have Facebook, when they want to get connected they find a way.
As a note, the web site says those are in-store only. So you'd have to live pretty close to a MicroCenter or you're paying more in gas than you're saving.
The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
I have an android quad core stick PC ($40). I have Office Pro on it, and remote printing is set up. I have a mouse, a keyboard and an external HD connected via USB. It all works great. Not sure exactly what you are looking for, but my kids can do their homework on the stick.
Also, do the kids without PCs have phones? Everything on my stick PC can (and does) run on my android phone.
Of course, this all assumes they have an internet connection...
She'd be better off getting one of the old W8 tablets (http://deals.n1wireless.com/unbranded-windows-8-10-1in-tablet-32gb-gray.html) for $60 and a second hand keyboard/mouse.
But you're right - without internet they're going to be pretty limited.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
If they don't have computers at home, do they have internet connectivity? Otherwise it isn't very useful if you want them to be able to look stuff up online, send in papers, etc. Could you refer them to go use a local college library (which often have longer open hours than a K-12 school) where they could get online?
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
http://deals.n1wireless.com/un... for $60
add a mouse and keyboard ($10, maybe $15 if you're lucky) or go second hand.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
$20 in quantities of 50 or more. It might take a few teachers getting together to do that. Still, less than $25 per piece below that.
Why not buy used laptops? If a Chromebook is sufficient for your work , any laptop from the last 5 years will also be sufficient.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html...
There's a few hundred under 20$ right there on eBay. Put in some work , install Xubuntu/Ubuntu-MATE and Libreoffice and you're good to go. Go to any large local corporation and ask if they will donate depreciated laptops. When corporations depreciate , they will give away their machines for free. Since you only need about 10 or so machines, this should not be a problem.
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.
This is better
It is in just about every way. Amazon, that is not "in store pickup only" like MicroCenter, is $80. Problem is, when that sale ends the regular price is significantly more. The option I listed is a sale price as well but it's ~$10 more regular price vs $120 more.
http://www.heliosinitiative.or... is not quite the same thing, but if you're the type who does homework, you might find interesting stuff.
As mentioned above, that's in-store only, sale price.
Cheap.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
I've seen those photos.
It isn't a bonus.
See if anyone is giving away computers or selling them cheap on there. Or Kijiji (but that's more popular in Canada than the US).
I've been using a $5 mouse for over 10 years. Hardly something that will "break when you look at it". My keyboard cost I think $8 or something like that. It's lasted easily the same length of time. It's not like keyboards, mice, or even monitors routinely crap out and are replaced. Other than buying a new computer when was the last time you actually needed (not wanted) to replace your keyboard?
"Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional."
If you look around you can find a Proscan Android 4.4 tablet. My local grocery store is selling them for $49.00.
It's not a full-function computer - but it's close. Add in a cheap bluetooth keyboard and you've got more computing capability than I had in college.
Your $20 target might be impossible to reach.
If they don't have a computer, they probably don't have the internet connection they'll also need for your described work flow. In the end, the internet connection is going to cost more than the computer, even with your $170 option.
Of course, they could go use internet at the library, but then it needs to be portable (higher cost) and they already had an option to use a computer there so what are we actually solving.
I think trying to get below the price point of a raspberry pi isn't going to be worth the trouble. I think you can lower your price point on that if you try though.. Looking to price on up cheaply I get: pi 2b ($35), case ($4), wifi ($4), micro sdhc ($4), ac usb charger ($3), usb wire ($2), keyboard ($7), mouse ($2). ...for a grand total of: $61 dollars... OK, and I went with the cheapest available (mostly) so a prudent choice would likely cost a few dollars more.. That means that basically your estimate was right on! Doh! I guess I take for granted that I have almost all those cheap little parts already laying all over the place at our house..
Still, I think you can help them put the parts together, and it's probably your best bet.. Anything cheaper is going to quickly lose functionality/quality. A Pi is a really solid little machine for basic computing, and it's really well supported.
There's tons of cheap, decent laptops on eBay, not too old. Buyer has to know what they are doing, they all need a cleaning, and Linux would "have to do".
More grassroots, workplaces replace their laptops and usually toss very good used ones all the time. (Speaking from experience). Do some calling around and you may find yourself sitting on a stack of 100 of them very quickly.
I like the idea of phone as computer, everyone seems to shell out for phones and they are quite powerful. Peripheral-izing them could be costly tho.
Don't use a vacuum cleaner to clean the dust.
YES!
Take the computer outside, open the case, and use canned air to blow out the dust. When the can starts to get cold, do something else for a few minutes until it warms to ambient temperature (otherwise it will fizzle out before its time.)
Will
You can get a Win8.1 (probably Win10 by now) tablet for $99, OTG USB adapter for $5ish (assuming you can't find a cheap tablet with a USB A port), USB keyboard and USB mouse from goodwill for $5. If you're lucky, you can get a keyboard with a built in hub. If not, another $5 for a hub. So you're looking at $105-115.
However, that's going to be clunky with a tiny screen. A better bet would probably be to watch sites like Yugster and Woot for a netbook on sale. I got a refurbished Asus X205T for $130. It's small, it's light, it's got great battery life, they keyboard's nearly full size (like 95%), the screen is big enough to read. Another option would be to check those sites for refurbished machines. They often sell Core 2 Duo systems with Windows 7 (free upgrade to Win10) for $100-150. $25 for a monitor and keyboard from Goodwill and it's good to go. Neither option is good for gaming but that's not the goal here.
Honestly, you're not going to find much cheaper than that. Even a Goodwill desktop or laptop that's ready to roll will cost more.
And getting them a computer is only half the battle. If the family can't afford to spend $150 on a computer, how are they going to afford $20-50/month for an internet connection?
Are you serious about that? If you are, it should be perfectly acceptable to hand in assignments as plain ascii text. In fact, it should be a requirement. If that is the case, people can salvage an old DOS or lightweight Linux PC for free from somewhere and use that for their typing assignments.
If you'd require regular internet access and/or pro-level processing power from a student without funding plans I'd smack you.
The worst are those idiot teachers requireing assigments to be handed in in MS Word. My daughter has a Acer Aspire One Netbook with Ubuntu - which, for a teenager - already counts as a luxury item in my book. And I'm a computer expert.
Anything you can't do with a computer that costs a few dollars or can be aquired for free from a junk yard or a donation center shouldn't be on a school curriculum.
Kids should learn the basics of computing, not that abyssmal subscription MS junk.
Basic computer stuff can be done with FOSS on anything that runs on electricity nowadays. Or an emulator running in a browser on a library computer. The only two acceptable options for such school assignments - period.
And, btw., handing in handwritten stuff should still be allowed as an option, especiall in a country with a borderline third-world educational system such as the US.
My 2 cents.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Satellite internet is available in Middle of Nowhere, NV. Also Indiana. I've got a cousin in rural Indiana who uses satellite internet. They're about 30 miles from a major city. I wouldn't live in a place where that was my only option but I also paid a lot more for my smaller and more boring house.
$5,000 to extend internet service to a rural location is cheap. That was what I had earmarked when I was house hunting. It never came into play because I didn't find a rural location I liked where a mere $5k would get me broadband.
$100 will get you a RasPi with the official touchscreen monitor that just came out.
It's more than sufficient for most purposes, but if you're going to have them writing long essays, buying a cheap keyboard would also be a good idea.
I think your best option is still the Raspberry Pi. You could easily assemble the Pi computer in a few minutes in the class room and students may learn valuable information about computers. I know several middle school kids who have very powerful gaming computers but use the Pi because of the multitude of things you can do with them. You could introduce this as a class project for all who want participate and see if there is a way to have those with more money contribute extra to cover those with not enough - or have a fund raising event like a 5k run or something.
They provide students access to equipment at school, the op is asking for options for them to be able to work from home. For the most part $50 is going to be the very bottom, but will usually need some things added on to make them really usable, a $50 tablet is going to suck for typing reports without a USB-to-go cable and keyboard.
Something like the Stream 7 tablet at $100 (sometimes less) would be close, but fails the hdmi output they are wanting. Realistically they are looking at $75-$150 to get a decently usable general purpose type of system. The lower end requiring more assembly type of work and technical knowledge.
I think the HP Stream 7 is a very workable device, and often goes on sale for $80 or less. HDMI will become less of an issue with wireless display to SmartTVs (or cheap HDMI dongles that turn regular TVs and projectors to SmartTVs)
Reposting from yesterday's "Best Tablet?" thread:
I'm pretty happy with our HP Stream 7 that we picked up early this year. Win10 on it is fine. Win8.x wasn't as much of a pain as people would lead you to believe. The OSK is still crap, though (even after enabling the hidden full 104-key virtual keyboard), so I threw a bluetooth keyboard and also a nice mouse at it.
$20 BT keyboard http://www.amazon.com/Jelly-Co...
$30 BT mouse http://www.amazon.com/Microsof...
Runs Steam fine, much of my 2D game library works well. People have reported success getting it to boot Linux. Its main limitation is the 1GB of RAM which preempts a lot of multitasking, but for that price, you can buy one tablet for each app you want to run and line them up on your desk and walls and laugh maniacally.
The nice thing about the current proliferation of smartphones and tablets is that, unlike old power-hungry PCs, they're still pretty useful after you retire them to a life as a digital photo frame or weather station or garage door opener or baby monitor or dashcam or whatever.
Back in my day, when we all had to walk five miles to school and back, in the snow, uphill both ways. . . All our assignments were written in longhand. Except one. On our senior year, before graduation, we had one assignment in English class that had to be type written.
And then there was panic, because almost nobody knew how to type or had a typewriter! There was much gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, and wailing about the unfairness of such an impossible requirement. There were even stories of students paying enormous sums of money (like say $10) to other students to type up their papers. My parents dragged a portable Sears typewriter, which apparently hadn't been used in about 25 years or so, out of the back of a closet for me, and I completed the heroic task myself.
Today I was tempted to write one of those posts about how a computer shouldn't be needed for High School English class. Good to know others beat me to it. But you know, the world has moved on. I don't know what it's like out there today, and even if a computer isn't strictly necessary these days for teaching English, it certainly seems like a broadly useful thing for students to have. So I'm not going to judge. The question of affordable computers for students is valid to ask.
Sure, a techie (even a poor techie) could make that work. But when something goes foo-bar on that laptop, the teacher doesn't have the time to provide the free tech support to make it work again.
In a bit of shameless internet panhandling, I accept Litecoin Donations at Lbd2oH9QsthD1GfuUXPyka12YxvWJYnBVf
State insitutions sometimes also sell gear in bulk on eBay. Here's is the page for New York State:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/nysstore-albany/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
I expect you can get a lot of 2010 office computers for $15 a piece. They tend to take out the hard drives, which would be an additional cost, but not a huge one.
Dell Lattitude 600 series or 800 series laptops are worth a look for around 100-120. These were the workhorse laptops in the Core2Duo days at most businesses. Very easy to find a 2gig model with 80gig hard drive running Vista 64bit (eeew) that can be upgraded to Win10 for free. Spend another $30 bucks on ram to bring it up to 4 gigs and its a snappy little laptop. These are what I pickup and use at the churches I volunteer at providing free IT support.
Best buy usually have very cheap android tablets for around $40.
Like this one:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ze...
I never tried these, though, could be garbage.
First Option: Search for a computer recycling center in your area. Free Geek in Portland OR was one of the first. These typically use volunteers to refurbish donated computers set up with FOSS software and provided to charities, churches, non-profits at no cost. I was one of their Build Instructors a few years ago. The volunteers would either contribute 24 hours of service to receive a free computer, or build up 5 computers from tested parts bins to earn a computer of their own, that would be their sixth build. Typically businesses that were upgrading would contribute bunches of used computers for the tax write-offs. Free Geek would sometimes get 25+ used computers coming in on a truck.
Desktop computers that would do what you want would probably cost less than $50 at a Free Geek refurbishing store, including a wifi card. It might not be too difficult to arrange some kind of free-to-deserving-students program, probably by triangulating through an Elks or Odd Fellows Lodge.
Second Option: Instead of providing computers, provide the students with their own personal thumb drives. Let them know that they can put their own music library on the thing, in addition to the school/homework folder, and they will be enthusiastic participants. They will find ways to plug in to somebody's computer, somewhere, whether at a library or a friend's house, or a neighborhood youth center.
These are not mutually exclusive.
I'd suggest talking with your IT people about whether they could put together a bundle of portable software that would handle homework requirements. I used a customized version of Portable Apps Suite several years ago, to provide clients of a workforce entry job training program with something they could develop their resumes on (and which also provided a number of useful reference files, including lists of community resources). Some of the advantages of this approach are that it encourages students to seek out community resources, and since all students are using the same software it is easier for the instructor to provide support. And again the concept that they could put their own music on the thing created instantaneous and enthusiastic buy-in.
Will
There will always be excuses for those who seek them.
Consider involving others as a charity. You may want to talk to some salvage computer business. These folks buy computers by the pallette from govt and industry and schools. Usually these are less than 3 years old and in fantastic shape except most will be missing a hard drive. Almost by definition, anything you buy this way will have an easy to access hard drive bay (otherwise they just grind them up), so it's not too much of a hurdle to recondiution these. Now, getting one at a wholesale price is another matter-- they sell them for a profit. But maybe for a good cause you could talk them into sell you a palette at cost. If you are part of a school this might even be profitable write-off for them. Then run them off a USB stick entirely (128Mb $7 these days). Or if you can get some community organization like the Eagles or Rotary Club to volunteer to put in some harddrives. Let the kids install Linux off a live USB so they all get the same platform and apps.
That leaves you with something far better than an XO-1.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Rpi is a very poor choice compared to Odroid C1
There are a lot of good reasons not to require the least advantaged kids to use computers, and one is that in a tough neighborhood, that shiny laptop will get stolen and it's owner will get beat up as he/she is toting it to and from school. I don't see the wisdom in requiring computers for poor kids (and thus, not from any of them). I think it is a bad enough idea with kids who have means, but that is a discussion for another day, but for kids who's parents or guardians haven't got two nickles to rub together....
Don't step on the baby.
Don't use a vacuum cleaner to clean the dust. The static will kill it.Don't use a vacuum cleaner to clean the dust. The static will kill it.
Thanks. I never heard about that. (Was your friend in a cold state during winter, so the humidity was low, or is this an issue generally?)
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
I see, you were expecting to see someone else's wife naked.
Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
If they need to have internet access at home, the cost of the hardware is insignificant.
Didn't apple announce new products today? Should be a lot of hipsters out there replacing their "old" apple products.
Then "borrow" a shopping trolley and go get a free crt tv from a rubish tip.
... seriously though, if you can't afford $70 for a usable Pi i'm not sure how you eat and live... unless you are a hippy trying to live in a forest, in which case i would have thought you'd consider computer to be an evil un-environmentally friendly product of consumerism, capitalism and human greed. But perhaps you can use twigs and crabs to create a rudimentary computer, there was a slashdot post a while ago about people creating adders with crabs. Btw what are you accessing slashdot with ? telepathy and fruit juice?
Your statement indicates that you have one of two possible beliefs. First, you may believe that 100% of poverty is caused by drugs, booze, and cigarettes? Alternatively, you may be attempting to claim that poverty pushes 100% of the population living that way into drugs, booze, and cigarettes.
Perhaps you meant to say something other than an absolutely false generalization and wish to apologize for being incorrect and induce dialogue on how poverty impacts everyone differently?
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
Not if you contract with a leasing company to get a deal on ex-lease computers. They should be 100% functional, re-imaged as new, and are usually pretty cheap.3-5 year old business computers for under $100,
Learn to love Alaska
Perhaps he could hire one of his minions ... er, students, to do basic tech support. Either for pride/helpfulness, extra credit (for educational tech support and helping a fellow student), or even for money.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
>Are any of my assumptions wrong? Are there any other options I'm not considering?
Yes. Your assumption that homework must be typed is wrong. Accept handwritten homework. Problem solved.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
As far as I know only Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users are entitled to a free upgrade, not Windows Vista. It's technically possible to put on a Daz activated version of Windows 7, then upgrade and activate Windows 10, but it's not legally licensed.
My wife is a teacher. She uses this at least once a year.
So far, she's used it to buy a a bunch of building blocks, books, a few bean bags, iPad reading and math apps and a few devices for non-verbal kids to learn to communicate.
It's pretty amazing how much people will contribute to helping kids learn. I suspect if you did it thoughtfully, you could get the $170 chromebooks for every kid in your class (or school) who can't afford one.
A 17" CRT would cost $20 a year in electricity to run if you use it 2 hours a day.
His best bet is the Windows tablets, I have been seeing them in the $80 and below for quite awhile. So it doesn't have HDMI...and? Its fricking $80 for a netbook that runs Windows, you want features like HDMI? Those cost more money bud.
It seems like he wants full laptops for $50,well girls want ponies, people in hell want icewater and I want a million bux...its nice to want things, it does NOT mean you are gonna get 'em and the cheapest units I have seen that are ready to go OOTB with screen, Wifi, and keyboard is those $80 Windows tablets. I have got to play with a couple of 'em and for school work? I don't see why they would have any issues, the quad Atom is more than fast enough for web surfing and running something like Libre office and the keyboards while nothing fancy work decently. Its light, cheap, easy to use...what more can you ask for at that price point?
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
As others have pointed out, you might be able to source a cheap computer or even an android stick, but the problem is that if a family can't afford a computer, they also probably can't afford an internet connection. There are still some free options, like juno/netzero, who have plans that give you 10 hours per month (which is enough to email assignments, and watch a few short videos, but little else.) However, these are dial-up services, which means you need a phone line. These days, I'm guessing that most low income families have a cell phone (lots of cheap options there, like Virgin Mobile or Net10 or T-Mobile, with a plan that has a little bit of voice/text and little or no data) and no land-line. There is freedompop, which offers 500GB/month on a free plan, but then you need a device to take advantage of the service (they use the Sprint network) so you'd need a cell phone or a mobile hot spot, and even used, you already well over the $20 limit before you have even purchased a computer. Also, the way freedompop works, they will want to charge you for more data when you get within 100GB of your limit, so they require a credit card to sign up. You can turn off auto-updates so that when you hit 500GB the service simply turns off, rather than charging you, but as the instructor, you might have to put in your own credit card, as you can't assume a low income family has or would be willing to sign up for something like that.
Another option might be to structure the class so that students can type up assignments at home, and then bring in the files on a USB stick or something and print them out or you can copy them when they come to class. This removes the need for an internet connection at home, but now you need something that can easily interact with a USB stick, so that eliminates most cheap tablets and some android sticks.
As far as sourcing cheap computers, you could look into something like freegeek (or something similar in your area, if it exists.) Freegeek is an organization that allows donations of computer equipment and then will teach people how to rebuild a computer from parts. Once you've built the computer, you get to keep it. The 'cost' is the volunteer time. I is probably too much to ask the kids to volunteer themselves, but if there is a similar organization in your area, you could volunteer yourself and collect computers for free that way, or set up a similar program at your school, and get the more affluent families to donate equipment to the school, and then have kids volunteer to rebuild them (with linux, to avoid licensing issues.) However, this is an entire program that requires storage space, management, time, etc. So, that might not be a good option.
Honestly, as other people have mentioned, you might just need to deal with allowing kids (any kid, not just the low income ones) to write their assignments on paper. If your school has a computer lab, you could take class time to allow kids to type up some assignments just so they get some exposure to using a computer and a word processor, but making it a requirement for everyone all the time is just going to disadvantage kids that already have the deck stacked against them.
When my parrot got on my desk and tore all the keys off of the keyboard, but other than that....... never.
Everything above is my opinion....YMMV
I left K-12 in 1963. At that time we had many teachers who had insisted on typed papers being turned in and that practice was common back to about 1956 . We were not allowed to use white-out for errors so any glitch mean typing a page. A paper written in the ninth grade might mean 15 hours for me to peck it out. That meant that using a machine in someone else's home was not practical. So in essence we were indirectly required to get a typewriter or receive very low grades. The hand written paper may well be considered as not completed as required. The problem with kids getting a computer today are about the same as it was for us getting a typewriter. Schools need to supply students with these items. We ran into the same problem in chemistry classes as the slide rule calculations were difficult and required great precision. It helped to be able to buy a high quality slide rule.
Unless they are literally in abject poverty and/or homeless, I can't fathom even $300 being a huge deal for anyone financially able to raise a child. There's no way a parent couldn't kick back a few less beers or smoke a couple fewer packs so they could afford a decent computer. We're not talking the third world where people get by on lard and beans here; these are people that drive cars and probably spend money on vices.
I grew up in, by American standards, abject poverty. My parents owned an unreliable 20+ year old car that was given to them. Gas was so expensive that riding in a car was an exciting luxury to me. My clothing had patches and my siblings would be wearing those clothes when I outgrew them. We're talking so poor that I got free school lunches and ate government cheese. I still had a pocket calculator.
Now, let's get real: If you can't cobble together a computer out of 5+ year old parts for somewhere between cheap and free, you're way too picky. I guarantee every one of you either sells all their old tech or has some working old computers in your closet gathering dust. A quick search of ebay turns up decent workable tablets/netbooks for under $20. Full laptops for under $40. We're talking pocket calculator money here, less than I spend on a cheap dinner out, less than a single trip to the movies for two, less than it costs to fill my car with gas, less than buying a latte every day for a week. How do you even afford to have children if you can't afford a computer? What happens to these children that grow up in a home and world without technology? There's simply no excuse.
I have a top of the line Winbook - 2GB/32GB upgraded to Windows 10 - and that cost me $100. If the student doesn't need Windows 10 and can do w/ Windows 8, s/he could use a 1GB/16GB equivalent for $80. I doubt one would get much cheaper than that.
If one has access to a discarded USB or bluetooth keyboard and mouse, then one effectively has a PC, which could do the work. Assuming that the software one needs - Office, et al - is already there. If you're talking about budgets, it's rather ridiculous to think about HDMI screens - anyone who can afford an HDMI TV can just as easily afford a $250 laptop, which is what I bought recently for work purposes.
I think this solution is simpler than the submitter makes it out to be
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Leave a note on the bulletin board at your local library offering inexpensive computers.
I have to mildly disagree with point 6 - it's maybe not QUITE $20, but you can assemble a few components which will make a decent Android phone into something resembling a desktop.
First you need a Miracast dongle - they're available as low as $10-$15 on eBay, though the cheaper you go, the worse the performance can be (they all use the same chipset but some skimp on the antenna...). Second, get a microUSB OTG hub so you can plug in a commodity mouse and keyboard. Third, download Google Docs or get free MS-Office.
Assembly: Plug Miracast into HDMI input of old monitor (or use $5 HDMI-DVI adapter). Plug peripherals into hub and hub into phone.
And that's about it.
I did a lot of product research on these components during the first half of this year, intending to turn it into a pocket-sized product with a custom case and everything, before dropping the project due to lack of time. So I've bought half a dozen kinds of dongle, as well as virtually every folding Bluetooth keyboard on the market (none worked well enough to be worth it for me) and about half the pocketsized Bluetooth mice, and I've done a lot of testing.
Of course this depends a certain amount on the performance of your phone (Miracast does put a load on the CPU) and the availability of monitors and keyboards. But more and more offices are offering docking stations for roving/traveling employees' laptops, which was my intended target market.
As for underprivileged students, my own kids use 4-5 year old desktop PCs my employer gives away for free and every time they get an upgrade, their old ones go to our school for the less-privileged. I just gave away a Core2Quad Dell with 4GB RAM and a 320gig HD, monitor, and color inkjet, with Windows 7 Pro. Because that's what my office was giving away LAST YEAR...
Perfectly Normal Industries
20 bucks bt keyboard and 50 bucks cheapo android.
or a 40 bucks android tablet + keyboard.
or the 20 bucks dongle + 20 bucks keyboard.
the use case doesn't exactly need a full blown computer/os. really the next level is the 170 bucks laptop. he already knows the cheapest choice.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Leave a note on the bulletin board at your local library offering inexpensive computers.
Yeah, this would be great if they were ready to go. If they were ready to go, I could sell them on craigslist. The problem is that most of
them are in various levels of disrepair. Most of them are missing their harddrives and the ones that aren't missing their harddrives would
still need their harddrives wiped before giving them away. A "computer club" could probably get them all up and running in a matter of
a few days but I don't have the time to do it myself.
This post caught my attention because I am doing something very similar, trying to make old computers useful again. I received 3 older computers. (2004) Dell Dimension 4700, dual core, 1GB ram. (2002) Dell Dimension 4550, single core, 2GB ram. (2002) Gateway eSeries, single core, 512MB ram. Parts and prices I have been playing with: $99 Windows 10 OEM version (can't move it between computers once activated) $35 SSD 60GB $16 SATA 3 PCI card $15 1GB 6400 RAM Monitor / keyboard / Mouse donated I started with the newest computer. It already had a SATA 1 port built in. I picked up a SSD for $60 and have since found them for $35 (60GB). Installed Windows 10 OEM on the SSD. Performance was good enough to run a youtube video without jitter if you are not trying to do anything else in the background. Next I tried Linux Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on the SSD. Performance was nearly the same, perhaps slightly better. Next I got curious about the RAM speed. It had 1GB of PC2 3200. Kingston has memory that is twice as fast and compatible with this Dell for $15 each GB of ram, so I picked up 2 GB. Unfortunately trying out the faster ram also means putting the ram in 2 slots to make up a single bank, so it is not possible to know if the speed is making an improvement or having more ram (less swapping to disk). The ram made absolutely no difference in speed that I could see in my linux tests. I reinstalled Windows 10, this time on the old PATA drive that came with the system, and Windows ran pretty well. I think I'll stick with the SSD so the 10 year old drive doesn't die soon on who every I give this system to. The Dimension 4550 and eSeries I tried Ubuntu 14 on the SSD, with a SATA 3 card in these older systems, since they only had PATA built in to the mother board. Their CPUs were maxed out just looking at the performance monitor's graphic view of CPU utilization :/ I have not gotten any further with these yet, but plan to try earlier distros of ubuntu and others to see how linux was actually usable on computers 13 years ago.
What are the basics needed?
An office suite able to open MS Office docs (Office Libre can do that, perhaps not always perfectly, but it works in most cases)
Can view youtube videos without stuttering
Regular security patching
Security patching. I simply refuse to hand someone a computer with Windows XP, or a Linux distro that is not committed to long term patching. My friend informs me that Windows 10 is 5 to 10% faster than Windows 7, so I am inclined to only consider Windows 10 and the more demanding Linux distros like Ubuntu 14.04 and 12.04 LTS.
Internet. Yeah, that is pretty important, and I don't have a solution to that yet. Tether to your phone for temporary internet access? Although I agree that even $10 can be too much to spend each month for some of our community's families, I already have 2 families lined up for these computers who do have it in their home.
Conclusions
A computer from 2004 can work well for an 8th grader needing to look up information on wikipedia, watch youtube videos on Khan Academy, write documents in Office Libre, and email or print to PDF. Price to refurbish with windows is $165 to $180. Perhaps there are educational licenses that can be used instead to bring that cost down, and SSDs are getting cheaper very quickly. Price to refurbish with Linux is about $65 to $80. Stay away from single core old computers.
Final comments
There may be animations that can be disabled and unnecessary services to stop, to squeeze the memory requirements down to not needing to purchase faster or new ram. To help avoid malware from infecting a computer, consider Linux or making the windows user account not be an administrator privileges account.
Womens Timberland companies especially its competitors and which the organizations have and contributes to the achievements of the stated goals or objectives. (Proctor, 2000) A weakness A weakness can be defined as any aspect of the company which may hinder the company from attaining its objectives or goals. Usually, it covers the Marketing is a wide are in the company and Nike has managed to take full advantage of it in as a world number one company in sports wear (Hampy 2006). Product This is an object or service that a company produces or manufactures particularly on large scale with precise amounts (Bakan, 2004). Nike has a large collection of products that it sells to the market, this include shoes, clothes and apparel used for sporting activities. The products cater for different sports like basketball, road running, tennis, soccer, athletics and many more others. Nike products are meant for men, women and children. The company is renowned for its hip hop culture and supplies urban fashions in terms of clothes. In order to improve its products quality, Nike together with Apple Inc. produced the Nike+ line of products that are able to monitor how a runner is performing through a radio device that is place in the shoes which is http://www.timberlandccc.uk/ then linked to the iPod nano. In doing this Nike is able to market its products and retain its market share (Hampy 2006).
Then installing Linux [...] will give them a modern, supported, OS with a good and easy to use word processor (Open Office) for free.
OpenOffice is dead.
LibreOffice is the better Office clone.
(I don't understand why so many students torrent MSOffice when they could get LO legally for free.)
What if you used a Raspberry Pi or some other cheap thing and got the mouse/keyboard/monitor from the salvation army? The total prize would not be much more than for the Pi and you wouldn't need to worry about getting defective stuff (if you did, you'd notice it right away).
Some of the students would probably be bribed (with extra credit) to set up systems like this.
And yes, this wouldn't be a laptop or a tablet, but no-one can get work done on a tablet anyway.
the cheapest function computer may be uses as new technological giant in cheapest Nano Technology.
It's great that you're trying to find cheap options for those students, but to be honest, that's a side issue.
The main issue is that you have what may be an unreasonable expectation about the resources available to these students. They don't have a computer at home, which means their family probably cannot afford to buy one, and even if they manage that, they may not be able to afford internet access. Before you make requirements for papers to be typed and submitted online, or assign materials that can only be viewed online, consider the following:
1. Does the school have computers available before or after school, or during a free period (if the student has one)?
2. Even if the computers are available, does the student rely on school buses that are scheduled too close to the start and end of the day for them to make use of the computers at school?
3. If the public library has computers available, are they in good enough condition and do they have the necessary software for your assignments? Will they charge the students to print out their work? What are the hours of the library, and is public transportation good enough that students can reasonably be expected to get there (if you live in many parts of the country, don't bet on it!)
Remember: these students are already at a huge disadvantage, and even though you' mean well by trying to find cheap options for them, it may not be good enough. But you are obligated to provide these students the same ability to succeed as the others, and that may well mean changing your plans. It may be more work for you, but if you're not up to it, quit now, otherwise you're just helping the system screw those children.
I think we might be overlooking a couple of other issues here.. if these kids don't have a computer at home in this day and age... their parents might not WANT them to have one. I know some 'impoverished' folks and although they might shop at goodwill for clothes and eat off of subsidized cards in the generic aisle, the one thing they ALL have is a computer. AND a relatively powerful smart phone. There are certain 'luxuries' in the US that have literally become ubiquitous. If someone doesn't have a computer or easy access to one, there's very possibly another reason than money.
If I sound stupid, it's not me talking....
$170 for _middle-class_ students?
That's how many S*bucks coffees or pairs of jeans? Yeah, $170 is chump change so the real reason they don't use the computers is not because they don't have one or can't afford one, it's because they don't want to do the work. Nothing cheaper computers can do about that.
"Consensus" in science is _always_ a political construct.
How old are they? Pentium 1 MMX types? Porn? ;)
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
There is free app Linux Deploy on the Google Play, which installs Linux into chroot on android device, and allow it to be accessed with VNC protocol. Combine it with some VNC player android (preferrable one which handles physical keyboard well) and you'll easily get ubuntu or Debian on android stick. nd no problem with proprietary video drivers and so on, because hardware would be handled by Android.
Vendor mark up and kickbacks was $1857 per IPad. Furthermore there was a high damage rate because kids didnt treat free stuff well. http://www.npr.org/sections/ed...
Get electrocuted or stabbed by screw driver and a late-night TV lawyer would be on the teachers or school system's ass immediately. This would be a far more expensive solution than anything pre-assembled new or used. Have you seen how politically correct and litigous public schools are?
Jason Spisak, producer and voice actor for some top-end video games; formed a non profit to provide inexpensive computers to students needing one. It won't run Crysis or Call of Duty et al but it does nicely for younger students who don't require video editing power. Made from a recycled plastic and using recycled computer parts, Jason's effort, SymplePC; provides inexpensive computers while addressing the mess of electronic waste, at least here in the US. The going price for these machines is $89.00. Jason donated 12 of his SymplePCs to my organization, Reglue.org; which is basically in the same business. My organization places the rebuilt computers. Our computers are repaired from donated machines from the enterprise as well as individuals. We have already placed all 12 machines donated by Jason and the reviews are in and they are all positive. It gets even better when SymplePC guarantees their machines for life. Some critics have emailed me, stating that these machines are too difficult to learn because they come with Ubuntu pre-installed. But I can help with that as well. If you are having trouble using an Ubuntu computer, please contact me. I have hundreds of 12 year old kids that would be glad to tutor you. Their prices are pretty cheap as well. The Var Guy explains all here
Windows assumes you are an idiot...Linux demands proof.
The one at the library
Check with your local community college or CS department at a Regional University. They are usually bound to strict asset disposal rules but often they can transfer assets they are retiring to public schools or sell them in auction. When we auction old PCs they usually go for $20 to $50. Some of our faculty or staff members buy ours and donate them to needy organizations or even students. Linux with Open Office installs pretty seamlessly and you would be surprised how efficient an old PC can be in the hands of some of these youngsters.
I can only recommend the Raspberry Pi 2. It costs 35$, has a quad core ARM processor, 512 MB, and runs Raspbian quite nicely. Install LibreOffice for any document work. It needs a display that can work with HDMI (TV or a DVI monitor, HDMI-DVI adapter cables are fairly cheap), a USB mouse and keyboard. Ask on Freecycle for USB mice/keyboards, or buy them online in bulk from computer recyclers for cheap. The Pi 2 has 4 USB ports and an Ethernet port, it also has a composite video and stereo audio output. Plus, it comes with programmable I/O pins that can be used for all kinds of other subjects. You also need a microSD card which based on size and speed will vary in cost. A 4GB card might be enough, bigger is better. And you need a micro USB power adapter, ask at a cell phone store if they have a few extras that they are willing to donate or give for cheap. So, yes, the 35$ price tag is a bit misleading because you need to obtain a bunch of other stuff, but it will overall clock in way less than 170$ for a craptastic laptop. Alternatively, look into any one of the 99$ Android tablets. I have one that has a USB port that can run with a small USB hub for mouse and keyboard. Has wireless built in and comes with a display...although it is rather small for any extensive writing work. Might find one that also has an HDMI out so that it can be connected to a TV or monitor.
Why do papers need to be typed?? Students can write them by hand and as long as you can read it that is all that is necessary. You make your students life only more difficult by demanding typed papers that need to be submitted online. Focus on teaching and learning, not a rigid process. Look at the many generations before us, they wrote on slate tablets, only more recently on paper. Look how well they have done and what they accomplished! Don't get me wrong, I do not advocate against using computers and I agree that being computer literate is an essential skill that is needed. I object only to have that be a non-negotiable requirement for English class. In fact, the sole reason why you have to turn to /. is this unnecessary requirement of typing papers and submitting it online. Remove that and you do not have to find cheap computers for your students.
Take a look at the series of Michael Clay Thompson. His material is absolutely excellent. Both my sons learned the ins and outs of the English language using his books. He is also able to explain English grammar in five minutes. And no, he does not need a computer for that.
Lastly, as expressed in my other posts, the Pi 2 will be an excellent option. Anything else is either noticeably more expensive or comes with more restrictions. The Pi was designed for use in schools, primarily to teach programming, but it is a fully featured computer and comes with the same requirements for additional hardware as any other desktop PC.
Find a local corporate sponsor and make a huge PR deal out of this. "Big Bob's mattress store helps students in need!" "Johnny's Used Cars does not only move people, but also knowledge." "Sheena's Computer Box helps closing the digital divide!" And get the local paper and radio station in on the action, have them facilitate a donat-a-thon, sponsor one Pi 2 kit for a student and get entered to win tickets for some concert or whatever the papers and radio stations raffle off almost every day. And pick up on this being an excellent teaching opportunity, make it a student project for extra credit, have students figure out the best way to get the funds needed.
Neither is a tablet. The intent is to have the students type papers. Do you want them to do that on these craptastic soft keyboards? And even worse, do that on a 7" peep hole screen with low resolution? Need to add at least keyboard, mouse, and display....which overall will then cost more than the Pi 2 with a Wifi dongle. Plus, the Pi 2 can run many native apps that are identical to desktop apps compared to a tablet. I find the Pi is a very viable option if cost is the biggest issue.
You would be very wrong. My wife is taking nursing classes at a tech school. Most of the students in her class are poor young women with at least one child. While two or three do not have a computer at home they all have iPhones. Most also have a grant to pay for the course that includes an $800 check to pay for incidentals. No one showed up with a laptop but several got new iPhones. My wife is happy with her Galaxy S2 but her old HP dv1000 had gotten too slow so I got her an HP 15 for $350 from Amazon
Of course nursing courses are more advanced than middle school. Much of the class work is presented on Power Points and the text books only cover the basics. People without computer skills and Internet are very disadvantaged. With me for IT support my wife is the top student. Should she be held back because most of the students are not as privileged?
Look into existing federal (GSA/DoD) and state level programs which provide surplus technology to schools. These programs aren't just for getting military-grade hardware to rural police forces, they can actually be used for the benefit of the public as well. For added bonus, create/participate in a student-run club which discovers, writes, and submits grant requests for student/school needs like this.
To get you started:
GSA Eligibility Info: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/cont...
Find your State Agencies for Surplus Properties: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/cont...
DoD Defense Logistics Agency: http://www.dispositionservices...
Tried it myself; blew out a $350 Dyson.
You have an incompatibility in your premise.
You know that your students are going to have difficulty getting a computer (and several of your cheaper suggestions ignore the need for a monitor and keyboard and mouse, so that laptop is likely the bottom end for someone starting from scratch). But you're requiring all your assignments to be typed and emailed.
So, my hopefully armor-piercing question to you is - are you teaching English or Computer Studies? If the latter, then the 10-15% are just SOL. If the former, you should be making an allowance for hard copy submissions (for folks without email, or who perhaps have an old typewriter they can use - don't laugh, they still exist!), or for handwritten submissions. It wasn't that many years ago when you weren't allowed to type up your essays, after all - made it too easy to use the computer spellcheck instead of learning to spell yourself.
Well first I doubt they all have an iPhone. But if they do, and they can't afford a PC, they are pretty dumb. The iPhone is the most expensive phone out there.
But anyways, I was talking about younger people. They live with their parents. If their parents buy them a personal smartphone, but not a PC for the whole family, they made the wrong choice.
The Raspberry Pi option would become viable if it could be sold to your local Jaycee chapter as a study in manufacturing for a Jr. Jaycee project.
Assembly of raspberry pi units and loading a viable OS with Open Office and selling as a low cost word processing, spreadsheet, email machine would be a great study in manufacturing and sales. And, provide a cheap source for a basic use computing machine for your students.
What I heard in the original post was a need for submitting work in an electronic format and the ability to pull information off the world wide web. Free wifi at libraries and at school could fill that niche. I'm thinking of the gaggle of middle school students at my local coffee shop working on homework and annoying the adults with the giggling.
NRRPT/RCT
I was extrapolating where the younger students will be in 6 or 7 years. The class is only 13 students so it is a small sample. Most are employed as CNAs and are trying to get better positions. A cellphone is a requirement for employment. The iPhone is a status thing and they somehow find money to get the best. Their lives do not revolve around computers and if they have one it is so virus laden as to be useless.
I taught my wife on-line searching skills and she spends hours researching and finding nursing help sites. Many of the other students do little or no studying and depend on the teacher throwing out enough missed answers so they can pass the tests. Supposedly they have good people skills and will still make good nurses. At least I have my wife to care for me in my old age (she's 15 years younger than me) but the rest of you shouldn't expect much. People living outside of the South or large urban areas may have a different experience.
In Minnesota, we have a great program called Minnesota Computers for Schools. Businesses donate their old hardware to the program. The program wipes or shreds the HDs. After that they are sent to a correctional facility for the rest of the refurb and imaging work (teaching inmates valuable IT skills for when they get out). These computers are then put up for sale to schools and other educational institutions on the cheap. I'm talking $300 for an i5/i7 laptop with 4GB and reasonable HD, more than enough for an average high schooler. They have cheaper options as well, down in the Chromebook price range.
Check around and see if your area offers such programs. Heck, even see if you can arrange for a business to donate some old kit. They get a tax break and lots of goodwill in the process, and their savings on recycle fees help make up for their IT person's time in reimaging the laptops.
Even a B+ can't render Web pages for mainstream sites fast enough. Would that this were not the case, but it can't, I've tried - at least Raspbian and Ubuntu Mate
Justfy that.
You're not doing a course in programming ... no, scratch that, my first computing course none of the students or teacher or school had a computer. There wasn't one in the town's Further Education College either. It was all done by mailing (snail, not e-mail) the coding forms to the computer centre and getting paper tape result back a week or two later.
So, what possible reason do you have for not accepting manuscript?
Do you also refuse to accept Braille scripts?
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Ask the WiFi password of a neighbor, and then agree on a time he will not mind large downloads, for instance 09:00-17:00 or 23:00-08:00.
Offer something valuable in return that does not cost money like bringing old paper or glass bottles to the recycling center every week, or mowing the lawn.
Why does a Raspberry Pi have to be $70?
You need to buy a power supply? Almost every cellphone uses a 5V wall wart as the charger. Repurpose one of those!
You need to buy a case? No you don't! Kids enjoy simple woodworking projects. Make a wooden case. No skills, tools or still to expensive? Just cut some holes for wires in a cardboard box. Maybe even the box the Pi came in! You shouldn't be demanding pretty when you come asking for cheap! Just stick to functional and you will be ok.
Peripherals? Well.. I assume the display is the family TV. Otherwise I don't even know how you got it down to $70! Hand me downs.. thrift shops... garage sales... worst case just go ask around local businesses. I bet many of them have closets they would be happy to free up some space in!
Still too expensive? You could save a few bucks and go with an Orange Pi! http://www.orangepi.org/
Every vacuum I've seen is belt driven with plastic casing, making it a basic Van der Graaf generator.