When students heard that computers would be needed in class, it used to warrant joy. But that enthusiasm has been replaced by dread, because of one reason: Netbooks.
If you have never been cursed with the task of trying to maneuver one of these machines, you are in luck. These “computers” have been implemented slowly into our school, and I have had enough.
What ever happened to the days when teachers would bring out a cart of laptops and we could do our work on those? Sure, they were as slow as sloths and these netbooks move more like snails (which I consider fast after seeing the movie Turbo with my sister), but the size is what is really the issue here.
These Netbooks are ten inches by seven inches. Ten inches by seven inches! This size might be satisfactory for a miniature seventh grader fresh out of elementary school but for anyone that is over five feet tall, I can imagine that they are hardly up to par.
I’m speaking for myself here of course, but whenever I attempt to utilize one of those dwarf typewriters, I end up frustrated and a little sad for myself. I am 6’5” and have hands big enough to palm a regulation basketball. While, many good things come from being this big, trying to type a page of notes on these miniature computers is near impossible.
My fingers smash three keys at a time as I try to dictate my point. And as I sit there feeling like Gulliver the Giant, I always think to myself that there has got to be a better way.
New and better technology is released every day, so there is a myriad of options that we can use our budget for. Instead of glorified chalkboards (“smart” boards) and glossier vending machines, why can’t we purchase some more iPads like some teachers have started to do in our school? I would prefer the simplicity of an iPad to the obscurity of a miniature laptop.
I do acknowledge how fortunate we are to even have access to so many technological resources, unlike some schools in our country. But if we are going to commit ourselves to being a tech-savy school system, why can’t we look like we know what we are doing? The laptops are slow, but satisfactory; the desktops are delayed, but doable; but the Netbooks combine all the problems with school computers together, and that is why they need to be on their way out.