5 ms·

Kinda off topic but why do grade school kids need a MacBook air?

by whoopdeepoo 4y ago

jacooper 4y ago
[flagged]
- shepherdjerred 4y ago
  Don't be snarky. It doesn't add to the discussion. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
fortituded0002 4y ago
Where's the reference to grade school coming from? It wasn't in the original post.
- blep_ 4y ago
  PTAs are primarily/only a thing in grade school.
  - dhosek 4y ago
    My high school had a PTO back in the 80s and checking the local public high school, it too has a PTO.
- jasonfarnon 4y ago
  Do high school kids need macbook airs?
  - xdavidliu 4y ago
    I don't know if high school kids need macbook airs, but I also don't see how that answers the question of where "grade school" was in the original comment
    - ThunderSizzle 4y ago
      It's asking if either grade or high school needs it? I'm not aware of PTOs for colleges.
  - sunflowerfly 4y ago
    At least the old design (have not seen tear down of new design) seemed purpose built for schools It was relatively rugged with key components easily swapped. It was powerful enough to do many tasks far easier than an under powered Chromebook. A pool of Macbook Airs is relatively common. Most schools in my (relatively poor) area that issue students laptops tend to offer inexpensive Chromebooks.
bsuvc 4y ago
Chromebooks seem to be the standard nowadays. At least that is what are issued by the school around here (Midwest US). My first thought is that if someone can't afford a computer, wouldn't they prefer to have a "lesser" computer and have the remaining difference in cash or necessities? Maybe the donors are a little out of touch with what their recipients need. I'm sure they are appreciative of the computer, but there could be more impactful use of that money.
- CodeWriter23 4y ago
  We took the novel approach of having the instructors choose the platform they thought would enable them to deliver the best program. Then we sought to see if we could meet their request, and we were able to. Donors had no influence over that decision. The computers cost about 40% of the overall budget. We had enough money to fulfill other aspects of the PTO’s program, PE, Art, Music, Dance, (the ‘A’ in STEAM that LAUSD skipped over) Robotics. This was a magnet school with widely varied socioeconomic family profiles. And the PTO is not authorized by contract with the school to engage in other social programs. But those in need were covered by a) the Federal hot lunch program, and b) LAUSD-funded anyone on campus child or adult could have a free breakfast (of dubious quality, all carb no protein and for example, a 10% juice sugar-laden drink qualified as ‘fruit’) just for being on campus. Going hungry was by choice only. And you would not believe how much food is thrown away from the breakfast program. My wife fought hard to connect with local homeless shelters to send the food but school administrators put the kibosh on that. So why should we opt for austerity when we had everything covered? Actual parents will always choose the best option within their reach.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
atyppo 4y ago
Good question. My elementary school/middle school had Macs. Even as a young child, I thought the appropriation of funds for that seemed wrong. I can’t think of a legitimate reason a school district needs luxury computers for children that are likely to spill stuff or otherwise ruin them.
- s0rce 4y ago
  We had 1-2 macs in a couple classroosm in my elementary school but this was early-mid 90s.
camdenreslink 4y ago
Some schools seem to be 100% Apple for all computers for decades. I would think a Chromebook would be more fit for purpose here though.
- peanuty1 4y ago
  You can get a nice, slim Chromebook with specs good enough for a high school student for a few hundred bucks. OTOH, a MacBook Air is $1000 and up.
thelock85 4y ago
Do the majority of MacBook Air users or customers need them? Though it feels wasteful (making assumptions about the use-cases) I’m guessing grade school kids need them for the same reasons or non-reasons as mostly everyone else. That these are coming from a PTO fundraiser and not a tax-funded budget makes it okay in my book (setting aside the reality that other kids might attend schools with much less productive PTOs —a problem I think for a public system).
edmundsauto 4y ago
OP didn’t say they were required. Maybe they are just beneficial. They are light, have a great battery life, connect without many issues to the sum of humanity’s explicit knowledge, etc. “Why do people need xyz” deserves its own form of Betteridges headlines.
sbaiddn 4y ago
Are you asking why they need a Mac or why they need a laptop?
kennyloginz 4y ago
Magnet should give you a hint.

Kinda off topic but why do grade school kids need a MacBook air?

jacooper 4y ago

[flagged]

shepherdjerred 4y ago
Don't be snarky. It doesn't add to the discussion. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

fortituded0002 4y ago

Where's the reference to grade school coming from? It wasn't in the original post.

blep_ 4y ago
PTAs are primarily/only a thing in grade school.
- dhosek 4y ago
  My high school had a PTO back in the 80s and checking the local public high school, it too has a PTO.
jasonfarnon 4y ago
Do high school kids need macbook airs?
- xdavidliu 4y ago
  I don't know if high school kids need macbook airs, but I also don't see how that answers the question of where "grade school" was in the original comment
  - ThunderSizzle 4y ago
    It's asking if either grade or high school needs it? I'm not aware of PTOs for colleges.
- sunflowerfly 4y ago
  At least the old design (have not seen tear down of new design) seemed purpose built for schools It was relatively rugged with key components easily swapped. It was powerful enough to do many tasks far easier than an under powered Chromebook. A pool of Macbook Airs is relatively common. Most schools in my (relatively poor) area that issue students laptops tend to offer inexpensive Chromebooks.

bsuvc 4y ago

Chromebooks seem to be the standard nowadays. At least that is what are issued by the school around here (Midwest US). My first thought is that if someone can't afford a computer, wouldn't they prefer to have a "lesser" computer and have the remaining difference in cash or necessities? Maybe the donors are a little out of touch with what their recipients need. I'm sure they are appreciative of the computer, but there could be more impactful use of that money.

CodeWriter23 4y ago
We took the novel approach of having the instructors choose the platform they thought would enable them to deliver the best program. Then we sought to see if we could meet their request, and we were able to. Donors had no influence over that decision. The computers cost about 40% of the overall budget. We had enough money to fulfill other aspects of the PTO’s program, PE, Art, Music, Dance, (the ‘A’ in STEAM that LAUSD skipped over) Robotics. This was a magnet school with widely varied socioeconomic family profiles. And the PTO is not authorized by contract with the school to engage in other social programs. But those in need were covered by a) the Federal hot lunch program, and b) LAUSD-funded anyone on campus child or adult could have a free breakfast (of dubious quality, all carb no protein and for example, a 10% juice sugar-laden drink qualified as ‘fruit’) just for being on campus. Going hungry was by choice only. And you would not believe how much food is thrown away from the breakfast program. My wife fought hard to connect with local homeless shelters to send the food but school administrators put the kibosh on that. So why should we opt for austerity when we had everything covered? Actual parents will always choose the best option within their reach.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

atyppo 4y ago

Good question. My elementary school/middle school had Macs. Even as a young child, I thought the appropriation of funds for that seemed wrong. I can’t think of a legitimate reason a school district needs luxury computers for children that are likely to spill stuff or otherwise ruin them.

s0rce 4y ago
We had 1-2 macs in a couple classroosm in my elementary school but this was early-mid 90s.

camdenreslink 4y ago

Some schools seem to be 100% Apple for all computers for decades. I would think a Chromebook would be more fit for purpose here though.

peanuty1 4y ago
You can get a nice, slim Chromebook with specs good enough for a high school student for a few hundred bucks. OTOH, a MacBook Air is $1000 and up.

thelock85 4y ago

Do the majority of MacBook Air users or customers need them? Though it feels wasteful (making assumptions about the use-cases) I’m guessing grade school kids need them for the same reasons or non-reasons as mostly everyone else. That these are coming from a PTO fundraiser and not a tax-funded budget makes it okay in my book (setting aside the reality that other kids might attend schools with much less productive PTOs —a problem I think for a public system).

edmundsauto 4y ago

OP didn’t say they were required. Maybe they are just beneficial. They are light, have a great battery life, connect without many issues to the sum of humanity’s explicit knowledge, etc. “Why do people need xyz” deserves its own form of Betteridges headlines.

sbaiddn 4y ago

Are you asking why they need a Mac or why they need a laptop?

kennyloginz 4y ago

Magnet should give you a hint.