Rudd's Education Reform: Laptops to 9-12 Seconday Students (1 Viewer)

[xXmuffin0manXx]

I'm somewhat confused on this matter. I've been told that every student in NSW years 9-12 will get a free laptop issued by the government which is for keeps. Can anyone verify ?

 

[breaking]

yeah you can find details on it here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC

 

[jb_nc]

I'm somewhat confused on this matter. I've been told that every student in NSW years 9-12 will get a free laptop issued by the government which is for keeps. Can anyone verify ?

Yes, I can verify. Just need your address; still Drury Lane muffinman?

 

[Kwayera]

The idea was to provide a 1 billion dollar fund for schools to access (up to 1 million per school on an application basis, I believe), to provide enough laptops to service every student in the school.

Note that this does NOT mean there will be "one laptop per child" in the school (only enough to adequetly service the school) and the students will NOT get to "keep them". They belong to the school, not the students.

Also, it'll never happen.

 

[Foxodi]

Because 95% of student's don't already have access to computers and Internet.... O wait....

Reform? or WASTE? Think about it Krudd.

 

[TacoTerrorist]

^ Yes but how many non-VCE students use them for study? This is a bad policy: no one in school below year 12 or possibly 11 does anything except dick around when on the school computers.

 

[Iron]

What is the National Secondary School Computer Fund?

The Australian Government’s National Secondary School Computer Fund (the Fund) is investing $1.1 billion over five years to provide for new or upgraded information and communications technology (ICT) for secondary schools with students in Years 9 to 12. Schools are able to apply for up to $1 million from the Fund dependent on enrolment and need and are able to purchase laptops, desktop computers, and other technologies.

This funding is in addition to existing Australian Government funding and also to the money the state and territory governments, Independent and Catholic education authorities have set aside for investing in ICT in their schools.

The Fund commenced in 2008, continues until 2012 and will be implemented by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The Fund will provide grants to schools to purchase new or upgrade existing ICT.

All Australian government, Catholic and Independent secondary schools with students in Years 9 to 12 are eligible to apply for funding. Allocation of funding will be based on school enrolment, need and capacity to use the new ICT effectively.

The first $100 million available through Round One will be provided to schools with the greatest need. These schools have been identified through a preliminary audit of the number of computers (less than four years old) available for students in Years 9 to 12 undertaken in February 2008 by state and territory government education departments, the Associations of Independent Schools and the Catholic Education Office.

The Australian Government is committed to providing access to ICT for Years 9 to 12 students. The $1.1 billion available through the National Secondary School Computer Fund (the Fund) over the next five years will achieve this objective

The intent of the National Secondary School Computer Fund is to ensure every Year 9-12 student has access to ICT.

http://www.digitaleducationrevoluti...46-4DBD-ABA9-FA71A7608BC6/22363/nsscf_faq.pdf

NOT scrapped

 

[Iron]

How

 

[Iron]

Take the shame bro

 

[Skeeter]

Take the shame bro

 

[kaz1]

So do we get laptops or we don't?

 

[chicky_pie]

So do we get laptops or we don't?

NO!

 

[MysticalElement]

I'm somewhat confused on this matter. I've been told that every student in NSW years 9-12 will get a free laptop issued by the government which is for keeps. Can anyone verify ?

scam

 

[Captain Gh3y]

You don't get laptops, the school does.

They don't exist yet because the government hasn't found anyone who can make what they need.

It hasn't been scrapped. (this is straight from a high school principal so...)

 

[Ms. BRIGHTSIDE]

Sif the kids need a laptop each anyway.
The majority of the teachers I know dislike the use of laptops in class as the HSC is handwritten.
Most kids I know have access to computers and the net so inevitably, this whole 'idea' sounds like a waste of time and money imo.

 

[Interdrama]

~necro.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/NSW-to-censor-student-laptops/0,130061733,339292846,00.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...romised-laptops/2008/11/29/1227491892398.html

I believe it just got unscrapped.

 

[Trefoil]

~necro.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/NSW-to-censor-student-laptops/0,130061733,339292846,00.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...romised-laptops/2008/11/29/1227491892398.html

I believe it just got unscrapped.

Hmm. Interesting.

That article implies Rudd is opting for OLPC's or netbooks or something similar. That's actually a brilliant idea.

 

[Will Shakespear]

this is like the stupidest waste of money since the auto industry thing

there'd be almost no students without access to a computer in years 11 & 12 anyway

 

[Trefoil]

If they went OLPC or Netbooks w/ Ubuntu that would be amazing. Imagine an entire generation of kids growing up using Linux...

That's actually why I am somewhat optimistic about this. I think that would be a worthwhile investment.

If it's not Linux, I'll be really, really disappointed though. I mean, that would be such an epic waste of an opportunity (and money - Windows licensing doesn't come cheap!).

"He said the economies of scale in such a big enterprise would reduce the $2245-a-student cost further."

Oh, gee, let me see... $300-$400 for an Ubuntu netbook vs $2000 for a typical Winblows laptop.

I'd wager a maximum of $600 per student, if you include some infrastructure costs. $600 * 200,000 students = $120 million. Considering NSW is the most populous state, then a rough upper bound for all of Australia is like 4*$120 million = $480 million, which is $520 million less than the $1 billion allocated.

What if they choose generic notebooks instead? It would cost $1.76 billion > $1billion.

 

[Will Shakespear]

Abocoonriginals ridgey didgey ones wouldn't have computer boxes when they were thirteen

but they don't go to year 11 anyway