there will be no need for students to make a transition from a mini keyboard
to a standard one, i.e., from a netbook to a laptop, because" . . . all
computers will have input devices that make input via one letter at a time
obsolete. As in, we'll all be talking to one another, the way we used to,
only it will be by voice /video via our very small computers.
: )
But maybe instead of being a bettor I am just an optimist? Or simply
hopeful?
In peace,
*Norman Maynard*
Interim Head of School
*Thornton Friends School* <http://www.thorntonfriends.org/>
Silver Spring, MD 20904
301.384.6672
On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 7:47 PM, Ross Lenet <lenet@patriot.net> wrote:
> If I were a betting person, I would wager that within the next few years
> there will be no need for students to make a transition from a mini keyboard
> to a standard one, i.e., from a netbook to a laptop, because netbooks will
> have replaced laptops in schools that have adopted or are thinking about
> adopting laptops.
>
> I say this because I see netbooks as solving what I still regard as one of
> the peskiest issues with traditional laptops: their relatively hefty size
> and weight. If the trend in netbooks continues, their weight will eventually
> be measured in ounces rather than pounds. This will be huge. This could
> finally allow all students to carry the thing comfortably and be able to put
> it in a locker comfortably. I see this as huge. There are already netbooks
> out there that fit in a large pocket and weigh barely more than a pound.
>
> Yes, the ever-shrinking keyboard will not be ideal, but I suspect that
> students will have larger computers at home and the tradeoff of size for
> extreme portability will be too hard to resist. What I don't know is whether
> netbooks will be just another stop on the road to even smaller devices that
> students will routinely use.
>
> But as David said, everyone adapts.
>
> Ross Lenet
> Sidwell Friends School
>
> [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
> Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution,
> non-commercial, share-alike license.
> RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
>
In peace,
*Norman Maynard*
Interim Head of School
*Thornton Friends School* <http://www.thorntonfriends.org/>
Silver Spring, MD 20904
301.384.6672
[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
