Teaching with Netbooks

mere implementation of 1-1 laptops alone will not accomplish great learning gains; they need to be integrated into effective, contemporary, forward-looking, best-practices learning environments, one where teachers are serious about engaged, active, collaborative, and creative student learning.

let’s not be too terribly deliberative and gradualist about this amazing opportunity to empower our students with these digital learning tools.   We have seen the future (I have seen it, at a bunch of schools), and we need to embrace it, not resist it.

we believe a ‘bottom-up’ approach is better than a ‘top-down,’” said Katie Morrow,

At about half the price of laptop computers—most are in the $300 to $400 range—netbooks may be cost-effective, but the savings can be lost in their scaled-down features and limited computing power.

Netbooks are defined as laptop computers that are smaller than 10 inches across, have slower and less powerful processors, and limited memory, making them useful for little more than accessing the Internet. They have smaller screens and keyboards, and are not equipped with CD or DVD drives and other features included in most laptops or desktop computers.

The full-screen shortcuts for a few common applications are: Firefox/IE/Opera/Chrome - F11 (press again to return to normal view) and Microsoft Office - ALT+V+U (press ESC to return to normal view).

Microsoft Office: Ctrl+F1 minimizes the ribbon, which reappears when you mouse-over or press the alt key.

But for the past several years, though the need for one-to-one computing was clear, the cost was extremely prohibitive. Even with educational discounts, Macbooks run $900 apiece and cheaper laptops are more than $600 each (not to mention the costs of additional software, like Photoshop and Kidspiration).

The implication for faculty who would like to implement mobile learning in their online or traditional courses is that they can begin by making content and information available to students in formats easily accessible by mobile phone or laptop computer.

convert their lectures to podcasts or streaming media files and post them on their course Web sites, or on free online resources such as Apple's iPod University or YouTube, for convenient download.

The Division of Information Technology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison offers the following guidelines for creating podcasts14: Avoid overly complex material that includes lots of facts and figures. Complex subject matter is often more effectively conveyed through handouts and readings than through a podcast. This is because most students will listen to podcasts as they perform other tasks (i.e., riding a bus, driving, exercising, walking to class, etc.). In most cases they won't be taking notes as they listen. Always keep in mind the learner's context when selecting content for a podcast. Recordings of classroom lectures may not be the best use of podcasting. Podcasts of entire lectures often come across as overly formal and boring. Important visuals are excluded. Only use lectures as podcasts when you have a strong pedagogical rationale for doing so. Narrow the focus of a podcast. Limit the scope of the content to only a few main themes. Don't try to communicate too much material in a single podcast. Instead, identify important concepts or issues students tend to struggle with and develop a podcast that addresses each one.