As we continue to consider what the future might hold for public education in California and Riverside, one wonders about the possibility of every student having access to a laptop and to the Internet. Obviously, we are much closer to the Internet scenario than some might imagine given the presence and deployment of SmartRiverside. What you may not be fully aware of is the option of every student with a laptop is somewhat foreseeable -- given the availability of "netbooks" and very good pricing. There is some recent discussion of the netbook option and how it might compare to laptops. Essentially for a few hundred dollars we could have a 1:1 relationship between students and technology. A few hundred dollars sounds like a lot of money -- until we compare it to the cost of textbooks. At current prices one netbook equals the approximate cost of 2 textbooks -- which by the way are now offered in a digital format as well.
Clearly, the next question is how would we utilize such a powerful deployment of technology to enhance the learning of students? What I find even more intriguing is the idea of students using their cell phones as technology devices in the 21st century classroom -- which is also being explored.
What a way to "level the playing field"! Laptops for every student would be fantastic as long as the students are instructed on appropriate use as a tool for school. It sounds less expensive than textbooks, but who would pay for maintenance and repairs? Would students be required to have a printer at home as they now must with the LaunchPad program at Earhart?
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