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Actually, part of my job is maintaining the iBooks that kids get at a couple of schools in Maine that are part of the laptop initiative.

Our kids take them home, have their own e-mail accounts, etc.

Classroom logistics are easy with charging stations and adequate wireless coverage.

Some of our machines are 3 years old, and are still doing fine. Apple is great to work with, and Maine has it's own repair depot. Just get a ticket online for the serial number of the machine to be repaired, box it, and UPS comes the next day with a pre-printed ticket.

I usually use Windows, having all MS desktops, a Thinkpad and a couple of HP laptops, but I also have a IBook for work. I also have and use linux or BSD machines for various tasks.

In a school/internet environment, I think an iBook may be more cost effective just due to the easier maintenance in regards to AV and spyware. Keeping good clone images for the machines does eliminate that factor, though.

Teaching kids with a one-to-one is a dream. Create a web page with links for their assignments, provide your e-mail address for them to send the work, and they're gone until your time is up.

Also, Maine is phasing in their standardized achievement tests to be done on-line, which kids seem to like.

I see what kids are doing with the laptops when I check where they're surfing, so I probably have a different philosophy about it than others.

longjack

Actually, part of my job is maintaining the iBooks that kids get at a couple of schools in Maine that are part of the laptop initiative.

Our kids take them home, have their own e-mail accounts, etc.

Classroom logistics are easy with charging stations and adequate wireless coverage.

Some of our machines are 3 years old, and are still doing fine. Apple is great to work with, and Maine has it's own repair depot. Just get a ticket online for the serial number of the machine to be repaired, box it, and UPS comes the next day with a pre-printed ticket.

I usually use Windows, having all MS desktops, a Thinkpad and a couple of HP laptops, but I also have a IBook for work. I also have and use linux or BSD machines for various tasks.

In a school/internet environment, I think an iBook may be more cost effective just due to the easier maintenance in regards to AV and spyware. Keeping good clone images for the machines does eliminate that factor, though.

Teaching kids with a one-to-one is a dream. Create a web page with links for their assignments, provide your e-mail address for them to send the work, and they're gone until your time is up.

Also, Maine is phasing in their standardized achievement tests to be done on-line, which kids seem to like.

I see what kids are doing with the laptops when I check where they're surfing, so I probably have a different philosophy about it than others.

longjack

Longjack, unfortunately your philosophy of logic and common sense in the 21st Century is lost on this group.