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mamaslearning
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 9:13am | IP Logged
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So, if you had to decide between these technologies, which would give you the most bang for you buck?
Tablet
Dedicated E-reader (with the cool book like screens)
Lap Top
This would be a shared device, and I currently have a desktop PC. My oldest is 8 years old.
Any thoughts? What do you use and how do you use it for school?
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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jawgee
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 9:27am | IP Logged
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Wow, that's a tough decision. We use both our laptop and our Kindle for school. We don't have a Tablet. Overall, I think our laptop gets a lot more use than the Kindle.
Laptop:
-Teaching Textbooks math
-Sheppard Software for geography
-Typing Instructor
-listening to audio books from Librivox
Kindle (I have the Fire):
-Reading many OOP books. I got the Yesterday's Classics set for $99 and am so glad I did.
-There are educational apps available, but I haven't purchased any yet.
-can also be used for audio and video, but I haven't made use of those features yet.
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
The Catholic Cup on Facebook
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 10:14am | IP Logged
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I'm a bit behind in the tech department, but I thought the Kindle Fire and the new Nook's were tablets?
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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jawgee
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 11:23am | IP Logged
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mamaslearning wrote:
| I'm a bit behind in the tech department, but I thought the Kindle Fire and the new Nook's were tablets? |
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Oh, duh!, actually they are. For some reason I thought you were talking about an iPad or something like that.
IMO a small tablet (Kindle-sized) is best only for its e-reading capabilities. I haven't found any apps yet that I've wanted to buy. I'm new with the tablet, though, so take that for what it's worth.
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
The Catholic Cup on Facebook
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 11:59am | IP Logged
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So an I-Pad is a bigger version of say, a Kindle Fire? (I know they are different companies) Or, is an I-Pad a totally different animal?
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
St. Francis de Sales Homeschool
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SallyT
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Of those devices, the only one we have is a laptop -- a MacBook -- and we use it daily. Constantly. I read from Baldwin Project e-texts using the laptop (ok, a Kindle would be better for my eyes, but since I don't have a Kindle . . . and I can just pull them up online). The kids write on it, when they want or I need them to compose something that would be too laborious to do by hand, like articles for a homeschool newspaper which has not been printed yet, because my kids are taking the entire year to write enough articles, but that's another story. We can do instantaneous research and watch YouTube videos (with care, obviously, but this past week, for example, which began with Shakespeare's birthday, was a great excuse to pull up some plays and scenes from plays to watch). And we can watch, say, at the lunch table, because I can take the computer from room to room.
Our app selection is more limited than that for the iPad (which would be my one reason for wanting an iPad), but we've downloaded some fun things: virtual frog dissection, various math-facts apps, one called "Solar Walk," which my 9yo loves, art masterpieces, a few carefully selected games, and so on.
I keep my calendar on the laptop, and it goes with me most places, so I have a lot at my fingertips, including my own writing, which I work on at odd moments.
I'd actually love to have both a Kindle and an iPad, but if I had to choose just one device, I'd definitely go with the laptop, myself, for its versatility. This one is actually "my" own personal/work computer, but since I'm here homeschooling, what is mine becomes everyone's . . .
Sally
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jawgee
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 12:25pm | IP Logged
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A great video to watch about eReaders and the iPad is this one by Simply Charlotte Mason. It's a but outdated, but gives you a quick overview of each device.
Like Sally, if I had to choose one it would be a laptop.
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 1:52pm | IP Logged
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I'm sharing quickly, and I confess I haven't read through the other great replies in full.
Just so you know, I consider a tablet something that is handheld, can be an ereader device AND hold various apps which function as tools. A tablet's screens are usually touch sensitive and color. An ipad or a Kindle Fire would be examples of a tablet.
If I had to choose only one of the three tech tool devices you listed, I'd choose a laptop. Ours is a workhorse and in use for various needs all throughout the day. Like Sally, we have a little MacBook. It contains all my work: lesson plans, ideas, bookmarks, home management lists, notes I've taken from various talks and seminars, as well as books and gives me the ability to get online and take advantage of free media and print from my laptop. As Sally points out, the laptop can be used to read ebooks, too, so if you were taking advantage of that resource, these could be read on the laptop. As my children got older and began writing, and as I began using the laptop more and more for home management and home education, it was clear that we needed another laptop, so we now have two MacBook laptops (we took advantage of purchasing used through our local Apple store, which frequently sells computers which are 2 years old through a lease program). We set up a long table in our living space so that the children's laptop is always within view. They each have their own account on the laptop, and have access to those tools which would be useful to them. Our laptop allows us to restrict their use of the internet without additional software and each child's account has varying levels of internet security.
In a close second would be our ipad, which I consider a tablet. The ipad can do almost everything my laptop can do....only on a smaller scale, including check mail and get online. With an attachable (but purchased separately) keyboard, it can even function just like a little portable laptop. The ability to add apps, most free, but some very affordable and useful, makes the ipad a very useful tool for our entire family. My high schooler uses it primarily as an ereader, but also likes some of the other educational apps for research as well as some apps I have for her high school Biology. She also likes the way the ipad functions as an ereader over the (regular - non-tablet) Kindle. She prefers its style, function and ease of use. All of my children use the ipad in various ways, both for educational purposes as well as for recreational enjoyment. The apps make the device extremely useful - you're no longer tied to finding software to purchase - it's all just a little app, click on it, and it just pops up where it needs to be! We are selective in adding apps and organizing them on the ipad, although we make use of a very generous supply of apps!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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kristacecilia
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| Posted: April 28 2012 at 3:31pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
I'm sharing quickly, and I confess I haven't read through the other great replies in full.
Just so you know, I consider a tablet something that is handheld, can be an ereader device AND hold various apps which function as tools. A tablet's screens are usually touch sensitive and color. An ipad or a Kindle Fire would be examples of a tablet.
If I had to choose only one of the three tech tool devices you listed, I'd choose a laptop. Ours is a workhorse and in use for various needs all throughout the day. Like Sally, we have a little MacBook. It contains all my work: lesson plans, ideas, bookmarks, home management lists, notes I've taken from various talks and seminars, as well as books and gives me the ability to get online and take advantage of free media and print from my laptop. As Sally points out, the laptop can be used to read ebooks, too, so if you were taking advantage of that resource, these could be read on the laptop. As my children got older and began writing, and as I began using the laptop more and more for home management and home education, it was clear that we needed another laptop, so we now have two MacBook laptops (we took advantage of purchasing used through our local Apple store, which frequently sells computers which are 2 years old through a lease program). We set up a long table in our living space so that the children's laptop is always within view. They each have their own account on the laptop, and have access to those tools which would be useful to them. Our laptop allows us to restrict their use of the internet without additional software and each child's account has varying levels of internet security.
In a close second would be our ipad, which I consider a tablet. The ipad can do almost everything my laptop can do....only on a smaller scale, including check mail and get online. With an attachable (but purchased separately) keyboard, it can even function just like a little portable laptop. The ability to add apps, most free, but some very affordable and useful, makes the ipad a very useful tool for our entire family. My high schooler uses it primarily as an ereader, but also likes some of the other educational apps for research as well as some apps I have for her high school Biology. She also likes the way the ipad functions as an ereader over the (regular - non-tablet) Kindle. She prefers its style, function and ease of use. All of my children use the ipad in various ways, both for educational purposes as well as for recreational enjoyment. The apps make the device extremely useful - you're no longer tied to finding software to purchase - it's all just a little app, click on it, and it just pops up where it needs to be! We are selective in adding apps and organizing them on the ipad, although we make use of a very generous supply of apps! |
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This exactly.
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God bless,
Krista
Wife to a great guy, mom to two boys ('04, '06) and three girls ('08, '10, '12!)
I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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mommy4ever
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We have all 3 
I love my eReader, dd13 got one, but she doesn't use it as much. They are both strictly for ebooks.
We have an iPad, which is great! Love that software for it is super cheap. It has some really neat apps, but is still limited by sites that use Flash, but overall a great tool. Easy to use. There are accessories that make it easier to type on for writing assignments. It is easily portable, and can access wifi in most places we go, so connectivity is great. We also have laptops and netbooks. They are convenient too....
If I had to go with just 1, I'd likely go with the ipad. I really really enjoy it for both functionality and entertainment value, it can do just about everything. I loved having it as dd15 travelled this spring, and each night at the hotel we were able to connect with her through the imessage or facetime. It was fantastic. There are some great apps out there. I guess a Mac could so some of that too but the ipad is my favorite one.
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Technology in school
