5 ms·

It sounds like the key points are: -lack of keyboard -perceived as more of a game device than a work device -inferior cloud capabilities to a Chromebook (har

It sounds like the key points are: -lack of keyboard -perceived as more of a game device than a work device -inferior cloud capabilities to a Chromebook (harder to issue replacement device) -harder to use with some educational web applications -cost I never really understood the "tablets for schools" thing. Laptops are better on a desk than on a lap, whereas you might prefer a tablet when you don't have a desk: on the bus, on the couch, in bed... Maybe we just need more laptops with touchscreens.

ekianjo 12y ago
> Maybe we just need more laptops with touchscreens. I'm probably very old school (no word pun intended :) ) but I still don't really get much of why you'd need a touchscreen in the first place. I don't see tons of people drawing with their ipads or on their laptop/tablets, most of the time you just use fingers as a mouse replacement - yeah, it's pretty useful for browsing, but for most of the other applications a touchscreen feels very much "nice to have", i.e. not necessary at all. But again, I'm not in the target population.
- DSMan195276 12y ago
  I agree, I've never seen the need for a standard touch-screen laptop, it seems like the touch-screen is in an inconvenient position since the keyboard sticks out of the computer. That said, I've been eyeing touch-screen laptops that can fold into a tablet form-factor for taking notes in class. It's one of the areas where I find I simply can't type in most notes I take. But, paper's still cheaper and works pretty well.
  - ekianjo 12y ago
    For browsing instead of touching the screen at arms' length I guess the mouse is the most practical thing to use to scroll down in a page - especially those mice with touch sensors. As for laptops that can transform into tablets, I guess this makes more sense to have touch-screen anyway. By the way are you saying that you can not type in class using a keyboard? Is there a reason for that?
    - michas 12y ago
      There is one good reason: if 20-30 people are typing at the same time it can create quite a noise in a clasroom :)
    - DSMan195276 12y ago
      Honestly I've used touch-screen laptops before and using the mouse is just more convenient because you have your hands down there to type 90% of the time anyway. You can get 'used' to using the touch-screen for certain things but for regular laptop usage I've never seen a reason to. I can type in class if I wanted too (Though, typing it a bit loud, it'd be kinda annoying for my other class-mates). The issue is actually entering in my notes. For example, this summer I took Linear Algebra, and most of the class involves lots and lots of matrices. It's easy to write them on paper, but setting up the formatting correctly to have something readable on the computer is easier said then done. There were also a few classes where we had examples involving drawing two ovals next to each-other with dots inside and then drawing lines between the dots. I'd simply be fussing with my computer to much to actually pay attention and get all the information down when trying to draw out stuff like that. Using a simple notepad is just hands-down better. A tablet interface with a pen would be perfect though, because I could write all my notes down just like a note-pad into the computer, and then go back and reorganize them fairly easily. I'd rather just buy a laptop that can fold into a tablet because I have no real need or want to have two separate devices considering I probably won't use tablet mode that much.
- seanmcdirmid 12y ago
  Web browsing in bed or by the beach...touch is great. But on a PC rather than a tablet? The jury is still out.
- briandh 12y ago
  When I've used my mom's Transformer Prime, I've found the touchscreen/keyboard combo much more convenient than my own traditional laptop's screen/trackpad combo. A USB/Bluetooth mouse can be helpful, but there are many situations where that is inconvenient. That said, if you are a wiz with keyboard shortcuts it won't make much of a difference. But most people aren't.
- psherman 12y ago
  Unless the students have a mouse plugged in to their chromebooks, it's more of a comparison between a touchscreen and a touchpad. If the comparison is between two methods where you're dragging a finger around, I think that a touchscreen makes sense to have. You lose the precision of the cursor (and the convenience of the buttons), but you have a more interactive experience, which I imagine is especially convenient for younger students.
arcameron 12y ago
Try the MS Surface :p
seanmcdirmid 12y ago
I use my laptop exclusively on my lap. A tablet is horrible for lap usage when a keyboard is attached to it.
georgemcbay 12y ago
> -inferior cloud capabilities to a Chromebook (harder to issue replacement device) Also harder to share a single device among multiple users (related to the cost issue mentioned already) since unlike Chromebooks or most traditional laptops, iOS devices seem unlikely to ever support real multiple-user usage with profiles, logins and everything else.
gress 12y ago
It could be those things, or it could just be that Google gave them a bigger discount.
lotharbot 12y ago
> "you might prefer a tablet when you don't have a desk" ... on the floor, in the hallway, working with a group where you're passing work samples around. All use cases I regularly saw with my 4th graders last year. That said, for the cost of iPads for one classroom the previous year, we got enough chromebooks for the whole grade level last year. Cost is a huge factor, particularly in a school like mine (97% free/reduced lunch; surplus budget was hard to come by.)

ekianjo 12y ago

> Maybe we just need more laptops with touchscreens. I'm probably very old school (no word pun intended :) ) but I still don't really get much of why you'd need a touchscreen in the first place. I don't see tons of people drawing with their ipads or on their laptop/tablets, most of the time you just use fingers as a mouse replacement - yeah, it's pretty useful for browsing, but for most of the other applications a touchscreen feels very much "nice to have", i.e. not necessary at all. But again, I'm not in the target population.

DSMan195276 12y ago
I agree, I've never seen the need for a standard touch-screen laptop, it seems like the touch-screen is in an inconvenient position since the keyboard sticks out of the computer. That said, I've been eyeing touch-screen laptops that can fold into a tablet form-factor for taking notes in class. It's one of the areas where I find I simply can't type in most notes I take. But, paper's still cheaper and works pretty well.
- ekianjo 12y ago
  For browsing instead of touching the screen at arms' length I guess the mouse is the most practical thing to use to scroll down in a page - especially those mice with touch sensors. As for laptops that can transform into tablets, I guess this makes more sense to have touch-screen anyway. By the way are you saying that you can not type in class using a keyboard? Is there a reason for that?
  - michas 12y ago
    There is one good reason: if 20-30 people are typing at the same time it can create quite a noise in a clasroom :)
  - DSMan195276 12y ago
    Honestly I've used touch-screen laptops before and using the mouse is just more convenient because you have your hands down there to type 90% of the time anyway. You can get 'used' to using the touch-screen for certain things but for regular laptop usage I've never seen a reason to. I can type in class if I wanted too (Though, typing it a bit loud, it'd be kinda annoying for my other class-mates). The issue is actually entering in my notes. For example, this summer I took Linear Algebra, and most of the class involves lots and lots of matrices. It's easy to write them on paper, but setting up the formatting correctly to have something readable on the computer is easier said then done. There were also a few classes where we had examples involving drawing two ovals next to each-other with dots inside and then drawing lines between the dots. I'd simply be fussing with my computer to much to actually pay attention and get all the information down when trying to draw out stuff like that. Using a simple notepad is just hands-down better. A tablet interface with a pen would be perfect though, because I could write all my notes down just like a note-pad into the computer, and then go back and reorganize them fairly easily. I'd rather just buy a laptop that can fold into a tablet because I have no real need or want to have two separate devices considering I probably won't use tablet mode that much.
seanmcdirmid 12y ago
Web browsing in bed or by the beach...touch is great. But on a PC rather than a tablet? The jury is still out.
briandh 12y ago
When I've used my mom's Transformer Prime, I've found the touchscreen/keyboard combo much more convenient than my own traditional laptop's screen/trackpad combo. A USB/Bluetooth mouse can be helpful, but there are many situations where that is inconvenient. That said, if you are a wiz with keyboard shortcuts it won't make much of a difference. But most people aren't.
psherman 12y ago
Unless the students have a mouse plugged in to their chromebooks, it's more of a comparison between a touchscreen and a touchpad. If the comparison is between two methods where you're dragging a finger around, I think that a touchscreen makes sense to have. You lose the precision of the cursor (and the convenience of the buttons), but you have a more interactive experience, which I imagine is especially convenient for younger students.

arcameron 12y ago

Try the MS Surface :p

seanmcdirmid 12y ago

I use my laptop exclusively on my lap. A tablet is horrible for lap usage when a keyboard is attached to it.

georgemcbay 12y ago

> -inferior cloud capabilities to a Chromebook (harder to issue replacement device) Also harder to share a single device among multiple users (related to the cost issue mentioned already) since unlike Chromebooks or most traditional laptops, iOS devices seem unlikely to ever support real multiple-user usage with profiles, logins and everything else.

gress 12y ago

It could be those things, or it could just be that Google gave them a bigger discount.

lotharbot 12y ago

> "you might prefer a tablet when you don't have a desk" ... on the floor, in the hallway, working with a group where you're passing work samples around. All use cases I regularly saw with my 4th graders last year. That said, for the cost of iPads for one classroom the previous year, we got enough chromebooks for the whole grade level last year. Cost is a huge factor, particularly in a school like mine (97% free/reduced lunch; surplus budget was hard to come by.)