Netbooks Still the Way to Go

Tablets are all the rage these days – iPads, Samsung Galaxies, Acer Iconias, even Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble’s Nook are getting press as an educational tech tool.  But a good quality netbook is still the best tool for the job – especially when cost is factored into the equation (as it should be!).

While netbooks don’t have the “glitz” of a tablet, I’ve had a chance to test iPads and Android tablets alongside netbooks, and hands down as an educational tool the tablets can’t compare.  This isn’t a single decision – other districts have the same opinion.  Read about Wentzville School District in Missouri.

Netbooks are easier to manage and much lower cost (especially when the cost of software is factored into the equation).  Furthermore, there’s nothing one can’t do on a netbook that can be done on a tablet, but there’s alot one can do on a netbook that one can’t do on a tablet.

Budgets being what they are, it’s a struggle not to see a 1:1 netbook initiative as much more than a pipe dream, but personally, I just can’t give in.  The sooner we can get these devices in the hands of our students, the sooner we can start seeing revolutionary changes in learning in our classrooms!