How to choose the best laptop for students?
The merchants are chanting those three magic words again,
‘Back to School’ and consequences are everywhere!
Just when you get your deep dark precancerous tan
going, you hear those words, and it spells the end
Of summer. Once again we are bombarded with advertising,
featuring the latest in ‘teenage supplies’, ‘school supplies’ and
‘articles for metal detectors’. Kidding!
Is it just me or it seems that this year there is a lot
more advertising ‘Back to School’ for notebooks and laptops?
They seem to be everywhere…on TV, radio, and online.
Laptop ads are everywhere. Why is this?
Well, notebooks have gone down in price, they’ve become
more affordable, even for the modest student. laptops have
they also go down in size, making them ideal for that school
backpack or bedroom. They have also become tougher.
and tougher…better equipped to take on the tough/wear/tear
that the students give him.
With laptop technology changing every two years or
so; notebooks can now handle most assignments students throw at them
their way. These advanced laptops can get the job done. They too
present much stronger entertainment value to students, they
can handle better graphics and games, but most students
try to keep parents in the dark about this factor, as
advocate for a new laptop for college or school. All this
the pleas are further fueling the demand for laptops.
Then there is a little thing called the Internet. Throw
on a wireless connection and the student’s laptop comes
on his own. Big moment!
Internet has become a second teacher/parent/counselor
to most students. God help us all! But he too has become
an invaluable source of collective knowledge on this planet;
scary but true. The Internet is an invaluable source of
knowledge for any high school/college student.
Not having immediate access to all this knowledge and information.
will put any student at a disadvantage with their peers.
It’s a very competitive world, in high school, college and
in the future labor market; each student should have a pair
playing field.
That’s where the little laptop comes into the picture!
Laptops or notebooks have quickly become a school necessity.
When? How? Why?…
It is the perfect learning tool for students:
* very portableyou can take them anywhere, class, cafe,
sleep, home…
* very convenientyou can take notes in class, write homework, print homework, communicate with home, access the Internet…
* very rudemany newer laptops are designed to take a good bump and keep on computing, ruggedized for rugged use…
* very powerfulnotebooks or laptops are catching up to their desktop cousins in computing speed, hard drive storage, and
performance…
* very accessibleprices have dropped and are falling further, laptops now outsell desktops so this price will fall further, there are a lot of used and refurbished laptops on the market…
If you are a parent, student, or guardian; Here are some of the factors you should consider when shopping for the best laptop or notebook for students:
* Sizeit should be small, light and very portable, fitting comfortably under your arm or in that backpack
* robustit must be strong, robust, rugged and capable of withstanding more than one strong blow because students are students
* connections, wireless connections must be offered, the Internet is such a valuable tool in itself: a student must be able to access it from anywhere. Most laptops have these connections, but check: a printer port, a 56 Kbps modem, a VGA port for an external monitor, and should have at least one USB port for external keyboard/mouse, digital cameras, drives, and MP3 players.
* Technical specificationsit must have enough RAM, storage (hard drive) space, and computing speed to do any work the student can do.
* battery durationmake sure your student’s laptop has a reasonable battery life, 5 hours or more
* pricemust be reasonably priced, refurbished laptops may be an option for those on a strict budget
However, some words of wisdom, students or parents should not skimp
too much — if you’re spending tens of thousands on education,
must also provide the best possible equipment in the form of a robust,
high performance lightweight laptop. Also, a high-quality laptop
last for years… imagine your son or daughter writing their resume on
after they are done with college… keep this image in your mind as you go
about buying that perfect student laptop.
