To Tech As Jesus Did

The eee PC from ASUS is the little laptop that I passed around at the meeting last month. I presented this as one of the possibilities for future student use. I want to be careful here. I’m not suggesting that we jump to this machine (or any other device). Rather, I was pointing out that there are several interesting developments in the portable PC market, and as we do an overall analysis of our program, we should be looking at everything out there.There are five things that attracted me to the eee for student use:

1. The size and weight: The machine measures only about 6″x9″x1″ and weighs about 2 lbs. One of the objections I have always had to the traditional laptop is that it is not practical for students to carry and store a heavy machine that won’t fit into a locker.
2. The stripped-down ease of use. Well over 90% of student computing is simple application use and Internet access. The eee is specifically designed for these tasks. The Open Office software is comfortable for any student who has used Microsoft Office and the Open Office program opens MS Office documents and saves in these formats. Though Open Office does not have all the functionality of the Microsoft product, the average user would be very hard-pressed to find anything lacking. The built-in wireless makes Internet access possible anywhere on campus (or in a Starbucks!).
3. Portability of data. The eee shifts the paradigm of computer from data storage unit to a processing unit. Since the machine has virtually no hard drive (only 4Mb, 2 of which is used by preinstalled programs), Documents will primarily exist on memory sticks, SD cards, or on the Internet. This new model better fits an evolving image of technology where we have universal access to our data (I carry documents back and forth on my cell phone).
4. Cost: The $400 price point (this is the retail price before any special school deal is reached) seems so much more reachable for parents than the $1000 or more that would be spent on a well-equipped laptop. At this cost, as student could use the machine for two years and then perhaps upgrade for 2 years.Connected with the cost would be the possibility of using the machine to replace other costs. I’m thinking mainly about textbooks here. I don’t think that “reading intensive” subjects like English, social studies or science would lend themselves to online textbooks (I could be wrong here…personally I don’t like to read books on a computer screen, but this may not be as true with our students), but math could easily be adapted for a digital format, available on a memory stick (or better still online). It would be easy to make the case for a machine like this if we could say that students would save $100 or more a year on textbooks.
5. School Curricular Program: One of my biggest fears about going to a laptop program is the pressure it would place on teachers in every class to use the laptops incessantly…even for projects not best for suited to them. The small laptops would be easy to carry and have available at a second. This could replace some of the trips to the Multi-media labs, which are currently impacted because (with the exception of 503 and 209) they are the only place where Internet or application based project can be done.

Those are my initial positive reflections. I will be following this up with a discussion of some of the not-so-positive things about this machine (I was going to do this all at once, but this post has become ENORMOUS!.But what do you think about a program that would involve student laptops? Are there points that I am missing (I’m sure they are)? How do you feel as a teacher about this? How would you feel as a parent? as a student?

“Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.”

–Stewart Brand