Tag Archives: laptops

No More Laptops by Ian L

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Picture Drawn by Ian

When we got our laptops, I thought it would be an eternity until it was my time to give them up, but that time has come and gone. Only next week I will have to give up the laptop I have had for months now. I think I have the same feeling about the laptops that I had in the beginning of the pilot. I don’t really think that they are necessary for the learning of students; my laptop did not help me like I would have liked it to. Maybe my expectations were to high, or maybe laptops just aren’t for me.

I do not really think that not having laptops will do anything to me. This is because in English class if we need computers than we can get some from the laptop cart outside our room. I don’t use laptops for any other subject like many people do. Overall, I had a good time with the laptops, but I haven’t grew my school life around it. In other words, I don’t depend on it to do my school work.

However, I believe that technology is the future. And to maximize the learning of students, I think that Durham Academy should go on with the program. I think that if the Board of Directors sees fit for this to go school-wide, it will be a net-positive for the school. In the time we have had our laptops, I have seen many people working, doing homework, and using the laptops in creative, educational ways. This is why, even if it doesn’t work as well for me, I say again that we should go on with this project.

Laptop Review 2 by Ethan G

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Recently I have not been using my laptop because it is heavy, awkward, and I could get in trouble if I lose it. I find it is easier to leave it in the class so I don’t get in trouble. I-pads on the other hand are small, light weight, and easy to carry. They also are easy to access at the lockers for schedules and assignment note books. I believe it would be better if we had I-pads. It could be a useful tool but it is too big and bulky for me to carry around.

I also am a very organized person and these laptops are too big to organize in a small space like a locker. Yet again I-pads are small and easy to organize with many of the capabilities of a laptop. Apps are also easier to download and use on the I-pad. If we had new, smaller computers then maybe I could use them but right now they are just too big. Along with the fact that they are four years old and keep having kernel panics. In our class we continue to have a constant stream of problems like “My computer won’t charge!”, and “I can’t get my computer to turn on!” For these reasons I would suggest I-pads or smaller newer laptops which could be less bulky and easier to carry around.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/iPad Image

Laptops, Nowadays by: Ashwin S.

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After a couple of months of using these computer I have got my official opinion on it. It’s useful. BUT, I don’t use it very much. That’s one of the problems. I don’t use my MacBook because I have a newer Dell at my house so I prefer to use my Dell. My MacBook  has come in handy though, because I sometimes have to get information from the Internet. That is why next year it would be a huge help if we had computers because then you can look up all the information you need in school and around the clock. Surprisingly I have not become dependent on my computer which I thought would happen but that’s only for me, it might me different for other people. Also at the same time there an iPad pilot program going on. Personally since I have used an iPad before I think it will be harder to move documents around and know where your stuff is. Still, iPads have some really nifty applications that are quite useful. In the end though I personally think that for MOST people, it would be better to have a laptop than a iPad. Still if that happens we should still stay with the traditional ways of studying and we should not try to do everything on our laptops or iPads.

I’m in the pilot: Davis C

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Using this laptop is a decent idea. I have been using this computer to the minimum. This is due to the Macbook Pro which I own which makes it hard for me to use a computer four years older than the one I own. This idea with the pilot has a flaw. One is that many other students have another laptop and a newer computer so it is hard for them to use a 4 year old laptop. Also, a lot of kids don’t have an iPad so it would be more effective in my opinion to get an iPad for the students because most kids don’t use it yet. This would make it more fun and more kids shall enjoy it.

 

From flickercc

MacBookPro Apple logo

 

Using My Computer by Ian L

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Picture from Wikimedia Commons

I am feeling much better now than I was at the beginning of the pilot program. I now get on the laptop I was issued every day. I have slowly warmed up to blogging on this website. It has become almost an obsession. I just love posting on the blog. In our Spanish class people almost every day take notes on their computer for the Moodle page. We have a class notes page where people post what we did in class that day. In History today many of us typed our paragraphs on our computer. This saves time and you can write much quicker. This is very helpful when you want to be productive. Language Arts and History are usually the only subjects that I use my laptop for, but I could conceive of using it in Spanish and Science as well. Overall, so far, the laptops have been very useful to me, both with schoolwork and homework.

What it is Like Being in the Pilot Program By: Mariana R

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I use my laptop for my homework and all of the time for taking notes and my homework. I support the pilot program 100%. I think that it is good to keep children in touch with what is happening in the world now by giving us laptops and iPads. I specifically think that the laptop helps me more because I used to have to wait for my mom or dad to finish with their laptops so that I could do my homework. It is so much easier to just go home, sit down, take out my laptop, and do my homework. It helps me with the time and everything. Whenever I am in a class and they let me take notes on my computer, I don’t say anything I just open up my computer and start taking notes. It has helped me in being more organized for most of my classes and also at home in that I don’t take home that many books because of this pilot program.

 

 

 

Laptops So Far by Cam

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We have had our laptops for a while now and have encountered a few problems. One is that people are losing track of them. When the time comes for use of the laptops, a few people get mixed up. On the other hand, when I get home I immediately open up my laptop and plug it in. It reduces homework time by a lot because instead of having to go down to the kitchen and power up our PC which doesn’t have all the software I need I can use my laptop. When I open up the laptop I go to whatever application I need. Whether it be Pages, Safari, Chrome, Comic Life or Evernote. Overall the laptop program is going smoothly.

From flickrcc.

My First Blog Post By Finn M.

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Evernote

Flickrcc

This my first blog post in L.A. We had a lot of trouble trying to get Evernote on the laptops that the school owned. So first we went on to Safari and went to the Evernote website. We tried to download it but then Safari quit. Then we opened it all over again and it took a long time. Then it turns out that we had the wrong type of Safari. So we had to go to the computer lab to learn how to use Evernote. We got to the lab and class was almost over so we had to hurry!!!!!!!!!!!

Laptop Pilot Program by Olivia C.

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cat and laptopAll about Laptops

In my sixth grade English class we were given laptops to use at school, and if our parents said yes, to take home.

In my opinion it is great that our school is giving us the privilege to have these laptops. But with privilege comes responsibilities, responsibilities that I think the majority of us are ready for. Unfortunately, some people are not at all ready for this privilege. And those who are not ready could bring this Laptop Pilot program down due to their immature behavior.

First Day Laptop Reflection

Today is the first day that we are using laptops. We, the students, get to use laptops to help us learn. The laptops have been refurbished. That means that they have been re-built. I am really happy that I am a student who has been chosen to get a laptop. I realize that with this laptop comes lots of responsibility and that I will have to be responsible to retain this privilege. Part of me is happy but part of me is worried that I won’t be able to take care of this machine. However, I will try very hard to retain this privilege.

These are some tips that I use to help me retain this privilege

  1. Always keep it with you, in a classroom or in your locker.
  2. If you take it home, always charge it overnight.
  3. Always pack the laptop away properly.
  4. Don’t use the laptop inappropriately, a.k.a., no taking stupid pictures, no browsing YouTube, no instant messaging in class, etc.
  5. DON’T LOSE IT!!!
  6. If you put it in your locker, LOCK YOUR LOCKER!!!

I hope that as a group we can make good decisions so that we can show people how we can use these machines to our advantage.

Thanks for reading!

 

Writing with Laptops by Ian

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                                                                                                 Picture from Wikimedia Commons

Before I had this laptop that all the students in the LA Green Language Arts class were issued, I was forced to use a program called Google Docs, which I did not, and continue to not like. Now with my laptop that I can easily and painlessly bring between my home and the school, it is easier to create documents and do homework digitally. Now all it takes for me to move documents from computer to computer, is to insert a flash drive into one computer, and walk a few steps to the other. I love this new technology that Durham Academy has provided us with. I hope that this pilot will go forward, and become school-wide.