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Desktop or LapTop computer for schoolwork?

Melensdad

Melensdad

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My daughter is using an aging laptop computer and really is in need of a new system for her schoolwork. All the computers in my house are currently laptops, she asked for an iMac desktop system.

What are the advantages to a desktop system for schoolwork? Off the top of my head I see they have much larger screens, full keyboards and mice are more accurate than touch-pads. Desktops also have bigger hard drives, so would probably not be outgrown, and they are better values given the added features. But I also see some disadvantages to desktop, all related to the lack of portability.

Thoughts? What do your kids use for schoolwork (desktop or laptop) and what do you recommend?

I'm thinking of getting either an entry level iBook or a 20" iMac.
 

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thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
How long before she is off to college?? I can not see a college student using a desk top with the studying habits the college kids have today. At my daughters college you will see kids getting away from it all and sitting in the hallways studying and they are always in each others rooms "Hanging Out" I guess that is what they call it but they take their laptops with them. Printers are not in their rooms but they will go a computer lab and print from the wireless.

If you have wireless in your house she can sit with her laptop where ever she wants. Today's laptops are pretty powerful. If you like the larger keyboard and mouse systems get a docking station and another monitor. I have the docking station at work with a large monitor and I can take my laptop where ever I go. My battery will last almost 3 hours before I need to charge.


My choice would be laptop.


murph
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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She is in 7th grade, so she'd have almost 6 full school years before she goes off to college.

Our whole house is set up on a wireless network, printers are on various levels and any computer will work any printer. This would be true regardless of whether she got an iMac or an iBook.

She actually asked for a desktop. I was surprised by that choice and am not sold on the idea. I've been using laptops exclusively for the last 4 years.
 
California

California

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Bob, if she wants an iMac then get her one.

She's still at an age (8th grade??) where most homework is done at home, and she can borrow your laptop for the infrequent offsite study session.

Whatever you get will be replaced when she starts college so you might as well buy her what she thinks she wants, at this stage in her life. Kids need to try out alternatives - let her do it.

I would say a desktop has a little better functionality so long as you don't need to move it. It's not a wrong choice, just different. (Now where have I heard that before?)

Edit: I didn't see your post. Ok, 7th grade. Same conclusion.
 
Melensdad

Melensdad

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PBinWA said:
Get a desktop and put it in a public location where you can monitor it.
Click to expand...
I'm inclined to go with the desktop. But it will go in her room. In our house there are no locks on the doors of the lesser bedrooms (I did that on purpose when we built the house) and she knows that my wife or myself may come in her room at any time. We do that now, it won't change. I'm not sure how much internet access to give her, one of the nice things about the new MAC OS is that it seems to have reasonably good parental controls. Currently she has full internet access but doesn't even use it (I check) except for school work.
 
jwstewar

jwstewar

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I agree with the others and saying that if you go with the laptop get a docking station. Otherwise spring for a laptop with a larger 15 or 17" screen. I know I sure wouldn't want to do my work on a 13" laptop screen. Could that be her concerns with the laptop the small screen?
 
Gatorboy

Gatorboy

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My daughter uses pencil and paper. Only when she NEEDS to use a computer (which really isn't that often), I let her use my PC.

Most of these high school/college students are online chatting, watching YouTube, bouncing around MySpace, playing games, etc. Other than using the word processor and possibly doing research (yeah, right), why do they need a computer?
 
DaveNay

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Gatorboy said:
Other than using the word processor and possibly doing research (yeah, right), why do they need a computer?
Click to expand...

Because computers and internet are an integral part of modern life, and are unlikely to go away. A child who is not intimately familiar with interacting with a computer is going to be at a severe disadvantage later in both their education and life in general. How many people do you know who repeatedly ask "ok, now what screen do I go to?" or "I saved a file in Word, but how do I save in Excel?" For anyone under the age of 20, using a computer needs to be an almost involuntary and innate skill.
 
B

bczoom

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jwstewar said:
I agree with the others and saying that if you go with the laptop get a docking station.
Click to expand...
That's my vote as well. Add an external monitor, mouse and keyboard and you're all set.

Not sure about the newer desktops but the ones I have make a lot more noise due to fans and such so I prefer the laptop.
 
thcri

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
I kind of like it because my girls would do their homework while sitting in the family room doing their homework with my wife and I. When they just had one desktop they would be in the computer room all the time and we wouldn't see them much.

Thus I can do some monitoring and they don't even know it.

murph
 
Gatorboy

Gatorboy

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DaveNay said:
For anyone under the age of 20, using a computer needs to be an almost involuntary and innate skill.
Click to expand...

Similar to the ability to text message each other with their cellphones?

That's just one weak argument -- I know how to use computers and software better than 95% or more of the population and did not use one until I was 25. Kids on computers these days are goofing off far more than using them for schoolwork or for learning.

Ever read any of their writings? Has the youth today never learned to spell? The future is going to be one scary place.
 
XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

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Gatorboy said:
Similar to the ability to text message each other with their cellphones?

That's just one weak argument -- I know how to use computers and software better than 95% or more of the population and did not use one until I was 25. Kids on computers these days are goofing off far more than using them for schoolwork or for learning.

Ever read any of their writings? Has the youth today never learned to spell? The future is going to be one scary place.
Click to expand...


I'll side with GB on this one. Recently, a local school district had to shut down their computers for 2-3 days a few weeks ago because of a virus or something.

Everything ground to a halt. One teacher spent the time teaching high school kids how to address and mail letters. Some of them didn't know where to put the return address or the stamps.
 
XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

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Bob, give her your notebook and buy a new one for yourself. That way you always have the latest and greatest.
 
terbear1963

terbear1963

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Bob, One thing that you may want to consider is the fact that with your daughter being a diabetic, she may be having a difficult time seeing the smaller laptop screen. Diabetes can effect the vision with blurriness when the sugar is high. This may be happening to her and she may not realize the cause. A bigger 20" monitor on the desktop may be what she needs to see to do her school work. Diabetic retinopathy is something that your daughter needs to also be checked for thru an opthamologist since she has been diagnosed if you haven't already been advised of this thru her other doctors. Just something to think about.:)

Terri
 
DaveNay

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PBinWA said:
One teacher spent the time teaching high school kids how to address and mail letters. Some of them didn't know where to put the return address or the stamps.
Click to expand...

Did your teachers spend time teaching you morse code so that you could be a telegraph operator? Did they teach you how to groom and saddle a horse on the off chance you wanted to be a Pony Express rider?

I didn't think so.

Technology advances and brings changes to everyone's lives. I you don't keep up, you will be left behind.
 
XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

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DaveNay said:
Did your teachers spend time teaching you morse code so that you could be a telegraph operator? Did they teach you how to groom and saddle a horse on the off chance you wanted to be a Pony Express rider?

I didn't think so.

Technology advances and brings changes to everyone's lives. I you don't keep up, you will be left behind.
Click to expand...

Actually, I did learn about morse code. We even made little morse code machines. Of course, I forgot it all but I understand how it works.

Understanding how something works is more important than how to use it. It's that level of critical thinking that is grossly absent from our schools these days.

Tell you what, you make sure your kids are wicked fast at texting their buddies and strangers on the internet. I'm going to try and get my kids to understand how to write an IM application (or at least how it works). We'll see which ones come out ahead.
 
California

California

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I'm going to try and get my kids to understand how to write an IM application (or at least how it works).
Click to expand...
Then why not use AutoCoder or RPG as an introduction to critical thinking? Or maybe Fortran, Basic, Cobol? That was good enough for our generation. :):):)

I suspect your reply will support involvement in the modern world.
 
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