Wrong--this is part of the support they are getting included in the total contract.
Within two days each computer that is being used by the kids will be infected with every variety of spyware, adware, popup, etc., making Internet use almost impossible. Who is gonna teach the kids about Popperstopper, Ad-Aware, Spybot, etc.?
You obviously have no experience with a Mac--these computers are inherently resisant to all that stuff. I have not had an antivirus or popup stopper on my Mac for the past 10 years and have never have even one of these problems.
Powerpoint? The kids are going to learn Powerpoint. This is so post-modern. It's about teaching the kids STYLE and appearance and perception
Have you ever worked at a professional job in the past 10 years? Right now, today, mastery of Powerpoint is one of the unspoken requirements for advancement. I have not even seen a transparency used in a presentation in the past 5 years. Why would you deny the kids the opportunity to learn a real busuness skill? At first, PowerPoint seems flashy and able to disguise lack of content with fluff, but after a year or so of experience, the audience knows how to tune this out. If someone doesn't have something valuable to say, it becomes apparant quickly.
I work in technology & engineering--drawing intricate graphs on a chalkboard is just not practical. With PowerPoint I can present real pictures and real data.
Really? I gave seminars for about three years back in the late 1990's. I used Power Point. I learned how to use it by opening it up and firing away. It is simple. I could teach the average high school student how to use it in ten minutes. What's the big deal with Power Point?