Advice from IT guys

[adrianh]

This is what I am afraid of. The kids are going to be ginnea pigs in this process and they will be the ones who suffer the consequences of a bad experiment by the school.

Tablets in schools is nothing new. Many schools do it. Montessori has been doing it for many years.

Tablets will not fix the fact that the kids are taught garbage in school in the first place. The quality of education in this country is terrible - the textbooks are terrible and some of the teachers are terrible too. The beauty of using electronic devices that kids get to take home is that hey an watch tutorials and learn interactively even when thy are at home.

[IanF]

IanF - You know - My eldest daughter is doing a BA in English Literature so my house is filled with books (real ones with dog ear pages)

The problem with textbooks are as follows:
1. They are very very heavy (my girls used to lug a very very bag around every day)
2. They are expensive
3. The money making buggers revise them every year so as to sell you a new version for no other reason than making money. Math hasn't changed in 100 years yet every year you have to buy a new textbook.

University is even worse - R4,000 for books per year that go to a landfill because the publishers are in cahoots with the education institutions. Varsity College is a case in point - they must make a fortune in kickbacks.

So, is it good to use real books for education - I don't think so - its just a money making racket.

I suppose that I sound like a ranting old lunatic - I just hate the extreme unnecessary waste at our expense caused by institutions for their profit.

Adriaan
I hear you and this is not just a problem with books. Look at software most companies are trying to convert us SAAS model. When a programme like Excel won't need updating for 99% of the users.
But with books when you use one, you concentrate on that instead of the other 20 tabs open on your device. The closest I have seen to a proper book is a kindle but it is hard to dog ear it to the correct page with that one word you don't understand.
I remember copying 1 chapter for my daughter of a text book because they only needed that chapter and the book smelt of a dead animal. So the rest was a waste.

[adrianh]

Adriaan
I hear you and this is not just a problem with books. Look at software most companies are trying to convert us SAAS model. When a programme like Excel won't need updating for 99% of the users.
But with books when you use one, you concentrate on that instead of the other 20 tabs open on your device. The closest I have seen to a proper book is a kindle but it is hard to dog ear it to the correct page with that one word you don't understand.
I remember copying 1 chapter for my daughter of a text book because they only needed that chapter and the book smelt of a dead animal. So the rest was a waste.

I dunno about this - My daughter works with 2 laptops and 3 screens - she downloads and reads hundreds of books and journals all the time. Having many tabs open when you are studying is not a function of paper vs CRT but rather of ill discipline.

[adrianh]

Interesting that I can only reach this website via a VPN Now - Looks like my IP address got blocked....

...oh well... we live and learn....

[Dave A]

Interesting that I can only reach this website via a VPN Now - Looks like my IP address got blocked....

It is extremely unlikely that this is as a result of a setting on TFSA. Try running TRACERT from the command prompt which may help identify where the problem is.

Alternatively, if you connect via a static IP address, PM me your IP address and I'll look into it.

[adrianh]

It is extremely unlikely that this is as a result of a setting on TFSA. Try running TRACERT from the command prompt which may help identify where the problem is.

Alternatively, if you connect via a static IP address, PM me your IP address and I'll look into it.

I think it was a glitch in the matrix. Its all good this morning.

[ians]

So i am looking into a paperless 2020 ...a system to bill customs while on site etc etc

I went and had a look at an ipad with a plug in keypad and pencil (rounded figues)

R5000 for the ipad gen 7

R2500 for the pencil

R3500 for the keypad

I think i am gona stick to my R30 pen and R3 brown cover note books for now.

[Kevin Smith]

Hi Kavesh

I won't get into the apple debate - no winners on that argument.

Both the active and passive stylus will work taking down notes. Normally an active stylus has an input button that can be set to be used as an eraser or a double click, making his life easier when taking notes.

Incredible Connection (not a marketing plug I promise) have the Fundi 2-1 13.3" online at R4499 including active stylus. They also advertise a 3 year warranty Upon Registration, which you can complete online.

egadgets.co.za - R4450 including delivery

Compare the specs and make your own decision. There is quite a big difference between the Fundi 13.3 " screen and X360 at 11.6" in terms of landscape, and you child staring at it all day. The HP also has 500gig of storage compared to 32 on the Fundi - but the Fundi is emmc, so it will be a lot quicker to access. You may have to add an SD card to the Fundi if you need more space, but that isn't a very expensive exercise. Also try compare battery life between the models - nothing worse than having to be plugged in in every second class just to be able to work

If you are shopping purely on price - have you had a look at the Galactic Flex?

Both machines have different merits, but you aren't the one working on it all day. Take you child to the local pc shop, give him the 2 options, and let him decide.

[New Perspective studio]

Given what I've seen among adults on the topic, can you imagine the playground "debates" between the kids about the merits of the different brands and operating systems...

Lol at this, Im not for apple either i have had this discussion way way too may times to do it again as for ops question. I had a hp and I put that thing through alot in college and after its had many sips of my morning coffee it was my second HP that lasted like that. I hear alot of bad things about hp especially the support related issues. I think However we just see more of it as its a more present brand. If there were as many acers or mecers or dells out there we would surely also hear alot of complaints. And like you said 3 years warranty, and the cables thing if they cant make an effort to make the outside look like quality imagine what the inside must look like.

[kavesh]

Thanks for all the replies guys. We eventually decided on the Mecer Fundi.
I bought the device from SAVE Hyper for R4 699. It was a new spec than the one at incredible connection with 128gb storage. Only 1 year warranty though.
One of the big reasons for going the Mecer route was the active stylus included. Read many articles which suggested that an active stylus is more precise.
Due to the intended purpose of the device I was not keen to spend more than I really needed to.
So far my son is really only using it for Maths. The other subject teachers are not geared up to it it seems. There are other failings at school where the wifi infrastructure appears to be totally inadequate as it has crashed a few times.
My son keeps telling me that he is unable to download any material the teachers have tried to give them. So far I am not a happy parent of this experiment!

[adrianh]

Thanks for all the replies guys. We eventually decided on the Mecer Fundi.
I bought the device from SAVE Hyper for R4 699. It was a new spec than the one at incredible connection with 128gb storage. Only 1 year warranty though.
One of the big reasons for going the Mecer route was the active stylus included. Read many articles which suggested that an active stylus is more precise.
Due to the intended purpose of the device I was not keen to spend more than I really needed to.
So far my son is really only using it for Maths. The other subject teachers are not geared up to it it seems. There are other failings at school where the wifi infrastructure appears to be totally inadequate as it has crashed a few times.
My son keeps telling me that he is unable to download any material the teachers have tried to give them. So far I am not a happy parent of this experiment!

Don't whine - be part of a solution!!!!!!!!

Education is a team effort - Both my daughters are doing well at university in spite of the national education system. We taught them to ask for help and find solutions rather than sit back and whine all day.

[Dave A]

So far my son is really only using it for Maths. The other subject teachers are not geared up to it it seems. There are other failings at school where the wifi infrastructure appears to be totally inadequate as it has crashed a few times.
My son keeps telling me that he is unable to download any material the teachers have tried to give them. So far I am not a happy parent of this experiment!

Any idea as to whether these are teething problems that will improve in the near future, or is this going to be a long process?

[kavesh]

Don't whine - be part of a solution!!!!!!!!

Education is a team effort - Both my daughters are doing well at university in spite of the national education system. We taught them to ask for help and find solutions rather than sit back and whine all day.

lol......this may seem like a whine but really it is stating the facts as they are now.
Have you ever met with school teachers? I am generalizing here but most of them will not listen to positive feedback or will not accept assistance. Well that has been my experience.
We are meeting the principal this week to further discuss our concerns.
So easy to say be part of the solution, will they accept help? that is a another issue!

[kavesh]

Any idea as to whether these are teething problems that will improve in the near future, or is this going to be a long process?

Dave, if you did not bring in experts to assist in setting up your infrastructure and the fact that teh teachers had not been trained on how to use the device as a teaching aid, or the fact that the teachers had no idea at the beginning of the year whether they were going to be given devices to use or have to buy their own, tells me of the preparation for this.
My gut says that this is going to be a long frustrating process.
Thus far the only subject it is being used for is Maths. The school said they were going completely digital in all subjects this year for the entire high school.

[adrianh]

lol......this may seem like a whine but really it is stating the facts as they are now.
Have you ever met with school teachers? I am generalizing here but most of them will not listen to positive feedback or will not accept assistance. Well that has been my experience.
We are meeting the principal this week to further discuss our concerns.
So easy to say be part of the solution, will they accept help? that is a another issue!

I understand where you are coming from - that said, I am a pragmatic person, If I can't solve a problem in one way then I'll solve it in another way - To me life is about finding solutions (to the real problems) - If the school is crap then work around it in some way - and yes, I will admit that I whine about lots of stuff - I HATE THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT - MORONS!