2008: the Year of the Laptop December 23, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Hardware, History.trackback
Looking back, 2008 will be remembered for many things. On the technology front, 2008 is the year of the laptop. According to a CNET News article, laptops outsold desktops for the first time (world-wide) in the last quarter of the year.
Global notebook shipments exceeded desktops on a quarterly basis for the first time ever, with Netbooks playing a decisive role, iSuppli said on Tuesday.
For the classroom, laptops have many advantages. Space is often at a premium in classrooms, and desktops computers take up a lot of room. Laptops, on the other hand, can be deployed in any room instead of a dedicated lab room and stored when not in use. Laptops can also be used in any part of the room, something that isn’t easy to do with a desktop computer. Wireless networking also eliminates the need for cabling. There is the negative of having to manage battery power. Do you have access to laptops or a lab? Which do you prefer?
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When I first started working at Harambee we had a lab with 30 desktop computers and two smaller labs with 12 desktops. The school needed the space so the 30 desktops disappeared and we got laptop carts. I think now I prefer the laptops but there are times when I regret not having the lab.
Thanks for the comment! We’ve had several schools disband their lab to add an additional early childhood classroom, so I’m guessing there are some mixed feelings about laptops and labs there as well.
Matthew