California school district getting 1,000 Asus Eee PCs

Students in California's Fresno Unified school district have a little something to be excited about this week, as officials have just invested $650,000 in 1,000 Asus Eee PCs, set for classroom deployment over the next few weeks. The concept is to use the miniscule laptops alongside good, old-fashioned textbooks, with each student being given the chance to create a "digital portfolio" of essays, drawings, and whatever else they can get away with. The computers will remain in roughly 60 classrooms, and will be shared by students -- but some worry they'll hinder the learning process by distracting pupils. Says Stephen Lewis, a geology professor at California State University, Fresno, "Teaching and learning is a person-to-person business. Are we moving toward a remote-control classroom?" We're not sure what he means by that... then again, we drifted off half-way through his statement to watch a video of that dog on a skateboard.

[steve @ Nov 28th 2007 6:17PM]

"$650,000 in 1,000 Asus Eee PCs"
I thought buying in bulk was supposed to lower the price per product.
Oh well, I guess that's our school system hard at work...

[DonatoM3 @ Nov 28th 2007 6:18PM]

Of course it does, but you know someone is pocketing $300k.

[Anthony @ Nov 28th 2007 6:20PM]

I imagine there are service contracts involved. County systems often buy things at a higher initial price, but bundle in additional warranty or on-site/overnight support.

As for "good old fashioned textbooks"- many of these poorer schools in the San Joaquin Valley don't have many/any of those, so their desk may be filled with only the Eee.

[EngadgetFanBoi @ Nov 28th 2007 6:59PM]

hmmm...

I wondered the same thing myself. I suppose it could be due to a warranty or service of some sort that Asus is providing them, but I would not be completely surprised if it is a variation of the Eee PC. Some variations could be a larger screen or (more probably) a higher capacity SSD like 8GB or 16GB. If these computers are to be used regularly by students, then 4GB would not be enough.

[webon @ Nov 28th 2007 7:49PM]

maybe they are paying Xtra to get Xp
who knows

[Gadgie @ Nov 28th 2007 10:19PM]

So it seems that they didn't purchase exactly 1000 Eee PCs; instead, the count is at least 1300. The 650k is also probably only an estimate. I can't imagine that they overpaid for each Eee, so I'm guessing theres a couple more factors that we don't know. My guesses for what these factors are are down to XP, a warranty or service of some sort, larger SSDs, or flash drives/cards for students.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Hunt-for-Asus-Eee-71832.shtml

[mister XR @ Nov 29th 2007 1:10PM]

Overpaying is just the tip of the iceberg! I personally know a guy who works for a school district in California. He says that 15 to 25% of all school electronics purchases are "borrowed" by the IT support staff at all levels, even the supervisors. There is very little security on the storage rooms, and there is no inventory tracking until the devices are actually put into use, and he says all school districts that he has seen work the same way. He has a projector in every room in his house, and at least one iMac in each room as well. They also get iPods and iPhones for "research into possible educational applications", which of course mysteriously disappear. If he worked in Fresno, he'd be offering me an eeePC in exchange for picking up a bar-tab.

[Sauerkraut @ Nov 28th 2007 6:18PM]

in experience computers in schools suck, they're always too cheap or district disables them too much for use,

money coulda been better spent

[Anthony @ Nov 28th 2007 6:28PM]

I certainly believe we should listen to Sauerkraut.

If his comments & misuse/abuse of grammar, punctuation & spelling is any indication- something is indeed going wrong in schools.

I doubt, however, that keeping him/her from viewing porn, pirating music or hacking a computer was the major factor.

[Poita @ Nov 28th 2007 8:08PM]

And I certainly believe that we should listen to Anthony

His western-centric view of the world (ie: anyone who can't use the English language like a native speaker is obviously lacking in education) and obvious cultural sensitivity (a user named Sauerkraut surely must be a native English speaker, no?) are a shining example of high level critical thinking skills at their best.

[Brad @ Nov 28th 2007 7:20PM]

I'm guessing you went to a school where nearly all of the students had decent computers at home. It must be nice to be white and middle class, but that's not really the case everywhere. With the importance of computer experience in the workplace, offering students at a young age the ability to use and become comfortable with computers is valuable, even if you can't play video games. You can still use it for word processing and basic internet browsing, which is a damn sight better than most of these kids have.

[Josh L @ Nov 28th 2007 7:51PM]

@Brad

I guess I've been operating under the mistaken impression that this is 2007, and you can buy a computer no matter what color you are.

[Brian @ Nov 28th 2007 8:02PM]

Well, Brad, being that I'm "white and middle class" I can reassure you that it's nothing special, really (except that maybe we're easier to see in the dark when we're naked). I'm just wondering what "white" has to do with classroom computers? Can computers really sense my lack of melanin? Must have been some decent home computers, indeed.

[NHAnimator @ Nov 28th 2007 8:54PM]

Can't we all just get along?

[BernieB @ Nov 29th 2007 3:11AM]

People in communist russia all get along.. Or else!

[Baseer @ Nov 28th 2007 6:22PM]

The extra 250k is probably going towards "imaging and software" costs (OS plus and office apps)

Also, they'll get some kind of service warranty. So it's a good deal.

[Bman @ Nov 28th 2007 6:35PM]

Its linux.

Open Office is free
linux is free.

What is the price for again?

[manfesto @ Nov 28th 2007 7:03PM]

"What is the price for again?"

Support.

Where do you think Red Hat, Xandros, etc. make their money?

[mushrooshi @ Nov 28th 2007 6:24PM]

The filter at school SUCKS!

They block things for the most ridulous things! Like, of course there are bad things that should be blocked...

But they block things for "Corporate marketing" and "Hobbies".

STUPID!

[Whitesoxfan5622 @ Nov 28th 2007 6:31PM]

My school no longer blocks anything. They figured out that we could have a 2 year old hack them. SO EASY!

[shelterpaw @ Nov 28th 2007 6:37PM]

They may have bought a prepackaged filter and never changed the settings, so a lot of things get blocked that probably don't need to be.

[mushrooshi @ Nov 28th 2007 7:05PM]

No, it originally blocked only games, violence, pornagraphy, and cursewords. Now the district is ADDING stuff to the filter!

I just wished they would at least block certain sites for highschool, middleschool, and elementary school.

Especially since its the 5th graders who get seducted in corperate marketing whereas the highschools (for ht emost part) dont...

I don't get why hobbies are banned...

[mushrooshi @ Nov 28th 2007 7:14PM]

No, it originally blocked only games, violence, pornagraphy, and cursewords. Now the district is ADDING stuff to the filter!

I just wished they would at least block certain sites for highschool, middleschool, and elementary school.

Especially since its the 5th graders who get seducted in corperate marketing whereas the highschools (for ht emost part) dont...

I don't get why hobbies are banned...

[matt @ Nov 28th 2007 7:46PM]

Maybe, just maybe, it's because you're not at school for the purpose of furthering your hobbies?

[webon @ Nov 28th 2007 7:53PM]

what if porn is their hobby?

[rodan32 @ Nov 28th 2007 9:27PM]

Ha ha, you're in school! Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!

[Legodude522 @ Nov 29th 2007 12:15AM]

There is a US regulation for public schools stating that there must be some sort of filter. Was your school a private school?

[BrettB @ Nov 28th 2007 6:24PM]

I have mixed feelings about laptops in the classroom. I certainly wasted plenty of time during law school classes playing games and surfing the net. But I also was able to access a lot of useful information during class, including all kinds of great info during a legal history class. I don't see them being a huge help until they start offering textbooks online or in ebook format. If they allow us to access the same (or possibly better) resources compared to books, then the possible distraction could be worth it. If they only serve as a distraction because nothing truly useful can be accessed (which is where I see the situation currently), then there is no need to keep paying a fortune over and over for technology that will be out of date in a couple of years.

[BigD145 @ Nov 28th 2007 6:40PM]

The problem I find lies in memory. I remember lectures better than I remember textbooks. I remember things on computers even less than all those. It's too easy to know you can go back and look something up later. Computers are too handy. Kids get lazy on them. Money needs to be spent on teachers and chalk boards, not computers. Most households have computers already. If I want computer training for the adult world, I can get it for free at many Goodwills.

[Brad @ Nov 28th 2007 7:45PM]

@BigD145: People have a wide range of learning models. It's awesome that you learn best by hearing. You'll probably do pretty well in most of your early undergraduate classes, that focus heavily on the lectures. Don't get lazy, you'll struggle on the ones that require you to do independent research or learn almost exclusively from textbooks.

Some people learn best by interacting with the material. These are the people that take copious notes. The act of writing them down (not reading them later) works best. Some work best by just reading directly, and if you say things to them it goes in one ear and out the other. Most people are a blend of these three models (auditory, visual, haptic), but lean heavily towards one.

The difficulty is that may people, yourself included, assume that one model works best for everyone. Usually, this is the model that they themselves prefer. For those that learn best through listening, the computers may serve as a distraction. For the other two models, it would be a great help.

[BigD145 @ Nov 28th 2007 8:08PM]

@Brad

I listen and write notes. It helps to solidify everything and any gaps in memory are easily found. The layout of a paper can jog your memory, regardless of what words are written. A little doodle in a corner does not change its position. Text on a computer changes from computer to computer. Every computer has different parts and different screens and software is set up differently on each one. Sight and sound and smell are all big kickers for bringing memories to the surface.

I don't make these assumption lightly. There are a few caveats, but everyone is human and there is a limit to exactly how we learn. Certain techniques work no matter who your are. Your genes dictate it. Humans adapt only within specific confines. Human-to-human interaction is one of those.

[John @ Nov 28th 2007 6:25PM]

dude, that dog is AWESOME.

[Matthew Hilario @ Nov 28th 2007 6:33PM]

omg look at the screen, momentum, energy, power, radial acceleration!

MAKE THE PHSYICS GO AWAY!! STOP!! PUT A MYSPACE SCREEN NOW!! MY HEAD IT HURTS!

[shelterpaw @ Nov 28th 2007 6:35PM]

Big deal. Tell me when they order 100,000 or 1mm then it starts getting interesting.

[Sauerkraut @ Nov 28th 2007 6:37PM]

Anthony where is my false grammar, punctuation and spelling? I can't even get bad spelling, I don't use IE like you- I use Firefox.

Try using commas instead of 3 &. Noob.

[Matthew Hilario @ Nov 28th 2007 6:51PM]

i read your first comment and my head hurts.

[michael @ Nov 28th 2007 7:09PM]

Newsflash - IE7 does spellcheck just like any other browser.

I mean really, I understand if you dislike another browser, but don't make up lies about it and associate it with things that aren't true.

IE7 can do spell check, and a browser that someone uses has almost no reflection on how a person actually spells and does grammar.

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 28th 2007 7:39PM]

For kicks... here:

"in experience computers in schools suck, they're always too cheap or district disables them too much for use,

money coulda been better spent"

I'm assuming you meant:

In my experience, computers in schools suck. They're always too cheap or the district disables too much for them to be of any use. The money could have been better spent."

Even with the corrections, there are a few other grammatic rules I would have followed to make it sound a bit more intelligent. Spelling isn't everything.

[vcx @ Nov 28th 2007 8:11PM]

Michael:
IE7 does spell check... really ?
You mean its built in and works without installing an add-on.

[michael @ Nov 29th 2007 12:12AM]

@vcx:

But that's the power of add-ons. If you don't like what included with the browser, or the browser doesn't have one, just find an add-on, and you got that functionality instantly.

I thought that was a main feature Firefox it touted for: lots of add-ons. So add-ons are a bad thing now?

So IE7 doesn't 'officially' do spell check, but with a nice add-on called IE7 Pro, you get the function, plus many others in one package.

My original point is, is that IE7 still 'can' do spell check. Ok? Sauerkraut was making it sound like IE7 is that dead-beat, and he has it all wrong. Just merely telling the truth here.

[Sauerkraut @ Nov 28th 2007 11:04PM]

Andir3.0 how long have you been using the internet? You truly don't know how people post

That's pretty trollish, if you know what that means

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 29th 2007 1:01AM]

You asked man:
"Anthony where is my false grammar, punctuation and spelling?"

[JB87 @ Nov 28th 2007 6:42PM]

Computers can be useful for teaching, but depending on the condition of the schools, this could've been better spent.

I remember my highschool getting brand new computers for the offices (while neglecting the teachers who still had to use early Win95 machines), when they supposedly couldn't even afford to have a full set of textbooks for each class.

[rodan32 @ Nov 28th 2007 9:30PM]

Dunno. Some teachers tend to be Luddites when it comes to computers. My wife's school (she teaches special ed) has to special order laptops with floppy drives to keep the teachers happy.

[Baylink @ Nov 28th 2007 11:10PM]

Of *course* teachers are Luddites.

If they try to use computers in their classrooms, they'll run the risk of being senteced to 40 years of felony charges if a pop-up trojan pulls up a porn site during class.

*I* wouldn't ever let a computer be turned on in my classroom. And I'd tell everyone who'd listen why...

[Homeboy @ Nov 28th 2007 6:52PM]

$650 a pop, TAX FREE(I assume)??!!! W00t!

LOL, talk about getting ripped off. For that money they could have bought fulle capable Windows Vista machine with 160GB HDD, Dual core CPU, 15.4 inch display 2GB RAM and more.

With those specs the Eees won't last more than 6-12 months and the students will probably get a headache from writing a 1500 word essay on a 7 inch screen.

For the school's sake I hope that there will be 4 more in each box or something.

[James @ Nov 28th 2007 6:55PM]

Did "officials invest $650,000" in them, or did they spend $650,000 of my tax money on them?

[Reader @ Nov 28th 2007 7:11PM]

This is a lot better waste of money then half the shit schools buy. It is frustrating to see how they spend their money. No offense to teachers, but that's what happens when the people in charge of finances are just a higher ranking teacher. Anyone in that position should be required to have some form of finance college degree or at least minor.

[MR @ Nov 28th 2007 7:40PM]

"Did "officials invest $650,000" in them, or did they spend $650,000 of my tax money on them?"

Well.. somehow I doubt that you've paid $650K tax in your life time.
;)

[Delvis343 @ Nov 28th 2007 6:55PM]

Wish my school district had new computers, we still run programs from the 1995! Next comes iPhones with text books preloaded.