Making a choice between personal computers can be a difficult task as there are numerous options and brands available to customers. Even similar specifications are available at different prices which make it all complicated for a normal customer with limited understanding and information to make the right choice. In this paper, three different models of laptops are assessed for the specifications in order to make a recommendation for the best buy.
Personal Computer: A Comparison Report
Personal computers are very important in any sort of IT organization, be it a business oriented firm or civic firm. This report is set out to inform the organization about the different models of personal computers that can be bought for the company’s use. The comparison between the models of personal computers has been made upon the level of reliability, power to operate multitasks, and the price of these laptops which may be cost effective for the company as well.
The report is significant as it provides a brief understanding about the models of personal computers that are likely to work for a longer period. The efficiency of personal computers matters a lot because it is important to have a certain level of specification for supporting the procedures of any organization as well as the continuation of the working atmosphere without any interruptions.
LENOVO Idea pad S205 11.6” Laptop- Black
This laptop has numerous features which are useful for the basic needs of computer users. The price of this workstation is £299.99 which is somewhat suitable based on its specifications. The processing power of this model of personal computer is powerful as it has dual-core Intel PentiumE-350 processor. This laptop comes with an internal memory of 3 GB. Existing users of this laptop have provided reviews claiming that it is easily portable and has a battery life of two hours which is less than what other laptops offer and are available in the market. The best feature of this laptop is that it has genuine Windows 7 which is suitable for a RAM of 2GB and hard drive of 320 GB. There are three USB ports for the usage of external devices (PC World, 2011).
HP Pavilion dm 1-4027sa 11.6 Laptop
The price of this laptop is £329.99 and has processing power of AMD E-450 processor. It is a dual-core processor which is suitable for multi-tasking and speedy computing experience. The battery life of this laptop is up to 8.5 hours which is quite suitable for longer work durations without the need of charging it. It has a hard drive of 320 GB. This laptop provides a whole new experience for the users in terms of its features. The laptop provides multiple ports for connectivity and card reading processes (HP, 2011).
COMPAQ Presario CQ57- 364SA Laptop
The price of this laptop is £329.99 and it has a processor of Intel Pentium B950 with an internal memory of 4 GB which can be further extended by installing additional RAM. The hard dive available for the user computing experiences is 500GB. The laptop’s battery life is 5 hours which is lesser than other laptops in the market. However, longer life battery option is also available at a higher price. This laptop provides three slots for the USB connectivity and integrated Wi-Fi connectivity at an easy go (Compaq, 2011).
Best Choice
Through the comparison of above three models of personal computers, it is suggested that depending upon the type of civic company under consideration, HP Pavilion dm 1-4027sa 11.6 Laptop should be bought.
The reasons could include its cost-effectiveness and its ability to meet the basic IT requirements of the company. Since, the company plans to employ computers for 45 workers therefore, it is important to select a brand and specifications which are suitable for the working of the company. It is also suggested that HP laptops should be bought for making presentations at the site meetings. These computers can be given to the public relations team of the company because this will enable them connect to the organization’s network from anywhere without being dependent upon cables.
Reference List
Compaq. (2011). Laptops. Web.
HP. (2011). HP Laptops. Web.
PC World. (2011). Laptops from PC World. Web.
Copy of Jermaine Bigby Post
Every year there has always been an increase of violence in schools mainly because of gangs and bullies. But for the last past five years these violent incidences have gotten so out of hand for some kids that they end up skipping school, they find any excuse not to go to school, or they end up committing suicide because they cannot deal with the day to day torture. Some forms of violence situations occur because of a child’s sexual orientation, race, a handicap, etc. School should be a place where everybody should feel safe and comfortable, kids should not have to come to school and watch over their shoulder to see if there’s someone coming after them.
My Review Post
The topic of the paragraph is School Violence and its impact on children. The paragraph should have included determinants that cause school violence. The paragraph that interested me the most was “Some forms of violence situations occur because of a child’s sexual orientation, race, a handicap, etc.” The point of author changes as he takes the stance that school should be made a safer place for children. The paragraph becomes effective in its continuum when the author provides detail of the impact of school violence. The paragraph by Jermaine is very effective in my opinion.
Copy of – Shaqual Williams Post
Attacks by youth in the community are becoming increasingly brutal and frankly, bold. News articles are filled with violent attacks by and against today’s youth. A Chicago student, Derrion Albert, who was brutally beaten to death on film and A New York student, Kevin Miller, who was fatally shot in the head; were both murdered by peers on the way home from school. These are only two very tragic examples of youth violence in the U.S. A total of 34 Chicago public school students were killed during the 2008 school year, according to news reports (Hoffman 2009).
My Review Post
The topic of the paragraph written by Shaqual is Student or Youth Violence. The paragraph is very easy to understand as the author has enriched the paragraph with a lot of details from the news articles which makes the paragraph easy to understand. The enhanced and quality paragraph of the written piece is “. A total of 34 Chicago public school students were killed during the 2008 school year, according to news reports (Hoffman 2009).” I believe that the effectiveness of the paragraph continuum can be noted when the author writes “These are only two very tragic examples of youth violence in the U.S.”. Overall, the essay was very effective in my opinion.
Copy of Sallene Boyer Post
In 1965, April 11
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the first country’s general aid program for education known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). President Johnson who was a former teacher witness the impact of poverty on his former students so he passed the bill as a part of his “War on Poverty”. Students have 12 years to complete school to graduate, there are some students as it and was is known to President Lyndon B. Johnson who witness first hand that slip through the cracks of the learning system due to some children needing a little help in order for children to succeed as opposite to being left behind.
My Review Post
The topic of the paragraph is President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Role in Student Affairs. The author must have added the description regarding the reasons that student needed his help. The paragraph seems very direct and without a background. There was very little content that interested me the most about the overall information. The voice of the author as noted in the paragraph is understandable when he writes that Lyndon B. Johnson helped clearing weaknesses of the learning system. The effective continuum that I noted in the paragraph was “Students have 12 years to complete school to graduate, there are some students as it and was…..” my opinion about the overall written activity by Sallence is satisfactory.
Copy of Mallorie
A finely crafted guest list is one that consists of all the people you love. You want to be surrounded by the people who show you the most love and support. It might be a good idea to invite all whose weddings you attended and people who are infamous for giving the best gifts even if you can only tolerate them. Besides, it is the polite thing to do after all. Some people go as far as to do seating charts. If you decide that is what you like, make sure you separate the herbivores from the carnivores.
My Review Post
The topic of the paragraph is Significance of a Guest list. The paragraph written by Mallorie is very interesting as she has described the significance in an explanatory manner by stressing on the categories of the guests. The most effective line of the paragraph is when the writer writes “Besides, it is the polite thing to do after all. Some people go as far as to do seating charts.” The effective continuum can be noted when she writers that it is a good idea to avoid those guests who cannot be tolerated. I would consider the paragraph very effective as the paragraph is very clear and interesting.
The One Laptop Per Child project is regarded as one of the most famous ones in the technological and media world due to its intentions to help poor children and to introduce products, taking into consideration current conditions (Wikipedia, n.d.). The articles by Jon Evans and Paul Marks present a clear picture of how this project develops, underline strong and weak sides of this idea to provide children with laptops, and describe how human attitudes, inabilities to find out proper financial support, and the desire to earn money in a short period of time may lead to the collapse of dreams and pure intentions. Mr. Marks creates his article in 2008, when the idea to provide children with opportunities uses small and effective computers at schools and homes seemed to be captivating and winning. The work by Mr. Evans appeared at the beginning of 2009, and this author attempted to analyze why this project went wrong and when exactly the mistake was made. In their articles, Marks and Evans evaluate the worth of the One Laptop Per Child project and the opportunity for children to be closer to the developing technological world, explain the difficulties, its organizers face, and make personal predictions of the project’s future and its ability to change and improve this world.
Worth of the Project under Consideration
Technological progress with its ability to produce “unintentional consequences and side-consequences” (Schomberg, 2007 p. 303) is probably one of the most interesting and up-to-date problems to discuss in different types of media. The Internet is considered to be one of the frequently used sources that can change human lives and where novelties of the technological world are described (Comer, 2007 & Osso, 2000); this is why the articles, found in the Internet are not only reliable and informative pieces of work, but also interesting and illustrative sources, where people with any taste may become involve into reading. Marks (2008) admits that more than 600,000 children have already got the opportunity to use XO computers, offered by the One Laptop Per Child project. These computers are created to involve children in our every day life: small sizes, word processing, access to music and games, and Linux operating system promote an easy-to-use technology. The major worth of this project is that children have a chance to study computers, networking system, and other pros of laptops without a threat of finding out some obscene impressions, dirty video or audio files, and other vulgar information. The article by Paul Marks helps to comprehend the reasons of why this project has been created and realize the consequences of such project and their abilities to change the world.
Challenges Connected to the Project
In his article, Jon Evans presents one of the most serious ideas that the project One Laptop Per Child has already gone wrong, and it becomes hard to change the situation. He says that the company has laid off half of the staff, incomes of the company are far from being satisfactory, and the idea to distribute laptops to poor children was doomed to failure from the very beginning (Evans, 2009). And even in spite of the fact that it was “a learning project, not a laptop project” (Maxwell, 2009, p. 95), its failure is discussed on different levels. The peculiar feature of Evans’ article is that he uses own experience to present clear facts. This author cannot help but wonder “at what point did teaching children an interface fundamentally different from the windowing UI by all other computer seem like a good idea to anyone?” (Evans, 2008, para. 5) Such a provoking idea makes this article very interesting for different people. First of all, student should comprehend that a new product offered by a sophisticated scientists fails, this is why it should be interesting to read more information on this topic. Parents should find this article useful as well to comprehend what services and technologies are better to use for their children. And finally, even the developers of this project should not take offense because of these words, as it is another stimulus to make their work better.
Strong and Weak Sides of Marks and Evans’ Articles
The idea to present a laptop project for children becomes more and more popular among society (Sorondo, Malinvaud, & Lena, 2007). The articles by Jon Evans and Paul Marks are one of those media sources, which touch upon the ideas of the One Laptop Per Child project, its strengths and weaknesses, its necessity, and its challenges. The purpose of these two articles is to not only inform and share personal opinions about the concept, but also provide the reader with a chance to comprehend why such a great project undergoes all these changes and suffers losses. Proper structures of the articles, attention to modern human needs, abilities of technology to meet all the demands, and people’s desire to improve their present and future – all this makes the articles captivating. The authors do not try to persuade readers accept their points of view, they just describe and as ordinary people tell about the consequences of events, the mistakes, made by people, and the hopes, inherent to both children and grown ups. Taking into consideration the words by Mr. Negroponte in Marks’ article (2008), it is possible to say that people usually try to bring democracy and improvement their ways, and these authors show that they can do it their ways and do it perfectly in their articles about the One Laptop Per Child project.
Conclusion
Paul Marks and Jon Evans are the authors of the articles about XO computers, offered by the One Laptop Per Child project; they present their ideas and thoughts about the same project with a difference in several months. These works introduce two different perspectives on the project that touches children and adults in many countries. Marks writes about the positive sides of this project, the necessity to support children with any financial background. His words prove that Nicholas Negroponte’s intentions are great indeed, however, the terrible obstacles of the reality prevent this idea’s accomplishment. Evans’ article is another perspective of the project under discussion, where the author admits how thoughtless human decisions and how useless people’s money and efforts can be. These two articles touch the reader to respect human work and ideas, which are directed to help the others and to take care about people’s future and generations. Not each human action may lead to positive and effective results, however, it is not necessary to criticize everything after the first failure but to have enough patience and intelligence to provide the organization with another opportunity to show talent and skills.
Reference List
Comer, D. (2007). The Internet Book: Everything You Need to Know about Computer Networking and How the Internet Works. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Evans, J. (2009). One Laptop Per Child: What Went Wrong. The Walrus Blogs. Web.
Osso, R. (2000). Handbook of Emerging Communications Technologies: The Nest Decade. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
Schomberg, R. (2007). From the Ethics of Technology to the Ethics of Knowledge Assessment. In Assessing Societal Implications of Converging Technological Development by Gerhard Banse. Edition Sigma.
Sorondo, M. S., Malinvaud, E., & Lena, P. (2007). Globalization and Education: Proceedings of the Joint Working Group, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Casino Pio IV. Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter.
1. To make a right choice while purchasing a laptop, it is important to determine the priorities and criteria on which the choice will be based. Moreover, it is necessary to pay attention to the purpose of laptop’s using. It is possible to orient to different specifications in relation to using the laptop for having the Internet connection, for working with the office programmes, for using it for entertainment, and for working with the specific programmes.
Moreover, it is necessary to focus on the fact the market’s propositions are constantly updated in relation to the new characteristics added or improving the previous parameters.
Purchasing a Dell Latitude E6400 Laptop made in 2008, the customer does not get any benefits in relation to the comparably low price because the laptop’s characteristics can be discussed as outdated, and the customer can face the necessity to buy another laptop with the better parameters to satisfy his expectations and needs.
Thus, the main characteristic of the Dell Latitude E6400 Laptop is its Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P9500 (2.53GHz). According to characteristics of the Dell Latitude E6430 Laptop, the parameter of the laptop of the new generation is Intel Core i3-3110M Processor (2.4GHz) which can be considered as more powerful (“Dell Latitude E6430 Premier Laptop”).
Furthermore, such a parameter as DDR2 SDRAM is irrelevant for the modern laptops, and it is useful to pay attention to DDR3 SDRAM as it is in the Dell Latitude E6430 Laptop. The next problem of the laptop is the limited possibilities to watch video. Today, 160GB Hitachi HDD is not appropriate when 320GB 7200rpm Hard Drive is available.
In addition, the opportunities to receive the specialized service for the laptop made in 2008 are questionable because of typical 3 year basic hardware service for Dell laptops (“Dell Latitude E6430 Premier Laptop”). The last reason to choose the more expensive but the updated model is the orientation to the laptop’s possibilities to operate new programmes.
2. The information technologies are in a constant progress, and new products which are smaller, faster, and cheaper often emerge in the industry. In spite of the fact the aspect of size is not critical for comparing notebooks, it is important to pay attention to the tendency of weight decreasing.
Models of Lenovo notebooks support the idea the computers become faster and more powerful. Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 operates Intel Core i3-311 (2.4 GHz) when Lenovo ThinkPad X131 operates only processor typical for the E-series Intel Core i3 (1.7 GHz). Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 is characterized by 750 GB HDD and Lenovo ThinkPad X131 by 320 GB HDD. The difference in price is correlated with improving technical characteristics and it is approximately $70 (“Lenovo”).
The latest model of Samsung notebooks Samsung NP-R428 is characterized by Intel Pentium4 Processor (2.3 GHz), and the memory type is progressive DDR3. One of the previous models was Samsung N150 which is characterized by using Intel Atom N455 processor, and memory is only 1 GB DDR3 in comparison with the Samsung NP-R428 2 GB. Although the price of Samsung N150 is lower than the price of Samsung NP-R428, its technical characteristics are also lower (“Samsung”).
Asus W3J is not as powerful as Asus K56CM. Asus W3J uses Intel Core Duo “Yonah” T2500 2.0GHz when Asus K56CM operates Intel Core i7 Processor with Processor Cache 4MB. Moreover, Asus W3J is characterized by DDR2 667MHz RAM and Asus W3J has 4GB DDR3 (“Asus”). In spite of the fact the model Asus W3J can be discussed as cheaper than the model Asus K56CM, the characteristics of the first model are significantly lower than the specifications of Asus K56CM.
3. Ubuntu (Linux) operating system can be discussed as a successful open-source software product because it is based on the popular Linux system. It was presented in 2004, and its popularity growths. Thus, the free open-source software product is distributed world widely today, and it is easy in usage. The system requirements are different and can be discussed as appropriate for many products and vary for non-powerful computers (“Ubuntu”).
WordPress cannot be discussed as a specific piece of computer software. However, this open-source programme is successfully used by many clients. It is the popular blog software which became the dominant on in the Internet space. The popularity is based on the availability and easiness in use (“WordPress”). Moreover, the technology responds to the modern tendencies in blog sphere.
One of the most interesting open-source products is Asterisk 10 which is the specific platform for conferencing which is known as “confbridge”. The technology which was discussed as rather progressive some time ago became extremely popular in the business world. The organisation of conferencing became easier and the high quality contributed to the popularity among the audience (“Asterisk”). Asterisk 10 is discussed as one of the biggest IT developments during the latest period of time.
Excessive use of laptop greatly affects the health of the user. The misuse or overuse of laptops contributes to injuries of the eye fatigue, fertility, neck pain, and other laptop-related diseases. This overuse may not only affect our health but also functioning of the computer, from fan damage to overload of the laptop capacity if the users continuously download staffs.
The laptop producer seem not to understand the consequences of using the laptops and they expose people to some health issues like battery explosion, as well as exposure to radiation discharged by laptops (Jones, 2012). Lately, reports have showed that several deaths were caused by these effects of laptop which were the main reason for police to present a warning from using laptops while driving. The death was brought about by an unsafe laptop causing severe head injury to the people who were using them while driving.
Discussion
Effects of Laptop radiation
As there is increased technology in the world, many people may doubt if the electronic world comes with some hazards, particularly radiation discharged from electronic items which people use daily, for example, at home, in offices and learning institutions. Even though laptops do not discharge radiation, there is high possibility of becoming ill through the discharge of radiation by laptops.
Nevertheless, heat produced by laptops should be considered as a dangerous to peoples’ health. It is essential to point out that even if the effect of laptop radiation discharge has not been approved by scientist, the kind of radiation discharged from other electronic devices that people use daily like radio waves, computers, televisions, mobile phones, and even microwaves are measured to produce minimal non-ionizing radiation (Barone, 2012).
Non-ionizing radiation normally cannot break chemical bonds in the body and bring health issues related to ionizing radiation from exposure of atomic radiation. Excessive brightness, the position of the monitor, and the distance from the user to the laptop are some of the factors which lead to back strain and eyestrain.
Radiation from the laptop seems to contribute mostly to laptop-related health problems. The radiation produced by laptops is known as thermal radiation. Anything which has warmth, like human body, often discharges thermal radiation, according to Avendano, Mata, Sarmiento, and Donce (2011).
Such thermal radiation from laptops is not similar to the emissions produced by nuclear substances. If they are closer or placed on the genitals, the heat which is generated by the laptops can lead to infertility of both, men and women, but sperm is mostly affected by the heat than the female ovaries, according to Avendano et al. (2011).
Fertility
Some studies have reported that an increase in intensity of the scrotal temperatures may eventually harm the sperm. They also showed that using laptops in the lap raises the temperature of the scrotum by around 2.8°C. Other studies have also shown that increase in testicular heat is around 1.1°C and 3°C and has been related to a constant and substantial negative effect on the human sperm and fertility (Suhail, 2010).
Laptop computers bring permanent hazards to the fertility of men who are operating the laptops since they can decrease sperm production through increasing temperatures in the genital regions (Beck, 2011). The research carried out by Mollica, Camargo, Zamboni, Pereira, Teixeira, and Junior (2008) where they examined 30 men who were between 20 and 30 years old and reported that using the laptops in the lap for a period of 60 minutes will increase genital temperatures by above 2.6°C which is sufficient to affect fertility negatively. Scrotal temperature normally increases by about 2°C when users put their thighs together while operating the laptop computers. The increase in temperature by above 2.6°C is recorder when they position the laptops on one leg.
A study was done where sperms were put close to the laptop with Wi-Fi: there was more harm than the one placed at the same temperature, but put far from the laptop with Wi-Fi connected. Most studies concluded that Wi-Fi generates electromagnetic radiation which harms the sperm (Avendano et al., 2011).
Back Pain and Eyestrain
Most students and office staffs, who often use the laptops for their assignments, have higher possibility of continuous pain in the spine, neck, arms, and wrist. They may not have knowledge on the effects caused by laptops or ergonomic hazards up to the time it is irreversible. Avendano et al. (2011) reported that 58% of the subjects had felt aches and pains due to the use of the laptops, with 8% of subjects experiencing pain frequently. There were six out of ten reported pains in the spine or neck, eyes problem or headaches.
Above half of the laptop users experience these effects at any time due to continuous use of the laptops. This kind of disorder may as well bring about body exhaustion and decreased productivity at workplace. Moreover, currently there are reports that excessive use of the laptops or any computers can lead to high risk for glaucoma.
Most people who are using laptops face visual stress because of raise in amount and difficulty of essential eye movements, as well as focusing abilities (Meikle, 2004). Other factors which may trigger these effects are improper lighting, glare, disturbing reflections and excessive use of the laptops (Solar, 2010).
Neck pain is any pain which is felt anywhere from the bottom of the skull, near the ear to the upper section of the shoulders or back. There is increased risk for neck pain for the people who are operating laptops on a daily basis. The length of the laptop use, number of breaks, mode of keyboard operation, and the distance of the monitor to the user is as well related to the neck pain in students and office staffs.
The excessive increase in temperature in the genital regions and exceeding body temperature greatly affect the quality and quantity of the sperms produced by men. Even when the laptops are put off, the scrotal temperature increases by around 2.0°C when men sit while their thighs are put together in order to place the laptops. After turning on the laptop, there will be increase in temperature by 2.7°C on the right side and 2.5°C on the left side (Solar, 2010). This shows that the scrotal hyperthermia is generated by both, the laptops heat and the body position. All laptops produce much heat because of the raising power requirements of the laptop chips and new laptops which possess greater power requirements often generate excessive heat.
Solution
Thermal Radiation
Overheating of laptops may not only harm the functioning of the laptops, but it may cause health problems to the users. Some measures should be taken to solve and prevent the issue of laptops overheating and effective way is to purchase a cooling system to minimize heat which is produced by laptops and other computers. Laptop cooling pad can greatly reduce the amount of heat which users are exposed to while using the laptops.
The simplest way to avoid potential reproductive harm from thermal radiation from the laptop is to using the laptops while placed on the table. The would-be mothers should put their laptops anywhere apart from their abdomen. When purchasing a laptop, ensure that it has been check for and satisfy the health standards. This means that the laptop should be confirmed to have low and secure level of radiation. Using laptops while placed on the knees raise scrotal temperatures in several means.
Transmission through the genitals, tissues, and thighs, in addition to passage through the air layer between the thighs bring about considerable temperature raise. Energy is as well transmitted by radiation and moreover, loss of heat happens because of convection in the blood system which paralyzes the testes. People should use the laptops while they are placed on their desks but not on their thighs.
Several studies have showed that rise of simply by 1°C may greatly affect the production of sperm (Solar, 2010). The immediate effects caused by laptops can be reversible but if people would not allow some times to get well, if they are operating the laptops every day for a longer period, it may take around four months for them to recover fully from these immediate effects. If these effects are not attended immediately, it may eventually be irreversible that is very hard to cure.
Solution for Pain
Studies propose that although there are no evidence of exposure to wireless transmission or Wi-Fi transmission in laptops and mobile phones, there are still possible health hazards to kids. Kids who are highly vulnerable to these dangers from radiation discharge from laptops. Some have suggested that the Wi-Fi should be disconnected or not set up on kids’ laptops while they are using them.
If a person experience some of these effects or symptoms, they should immediately solve this problem by combination sitting position, use of approved stress-relieve lenses intended purposely for the use of computers, designed anti-glare monitors, and dietary consideration (Barone, 2012).
Improper neck posture, in which neck position is overstated, is seen when people are using laptop or mini-computers. Effective and progressive training of the neck regions, back, and shoulders, which has been showed to reduce pain and disorder in chronic neck pain, can be useful for laptop operators or users who are experiencing neck pain. Doing training on the neck muscles can be important as a preventive and rehabilitative strategy.
Conclusion
With some of the seen effects of the overuse of the laptops, people should be cautious when using the laptops. Users should not put Wi-Fi enabled every time they are using the laptops or disable or put away laptops which are connected with Wi-Fi from children. Use the laptops when it is necessary or observe the sitting position, brightness, and monitor position so that they can reduce the risk of back and neck pain. It is good to be in a safer side if you doubt the risks which are brought about by anything. Use of the laptops in the public places should be considered to be offensive since it affects other people.
It is also essential to point out that some other every day activities may have similar effects of raising genital temperature. Heavy exercise and hot showers, for instance, also bring about these increases and are somewhat inescapable. It is reasonable therefore to consider temperature increase due to the use of laptops an acceptable risk sometimes. Just extended and continuous use of laptop produces more heating which turns into a substantial risk. Teens and young men must avoid or minimize the use of the laptops in the laps since they might harm fertility.
References
Avendano, C., Mata, A., Sarmiento, S., & Donce, G. (2011). Use of laptop computers connected to internet through Wi-Fi decreases human sperm motility and increases sperm DNA fragmentation.
Contemporary educational institutions have incorporated the use of technology in their pedagogy. This has attracted immense research from education scholars, who seek to establish the effectiveness of the use of technology tools like laptops and the internet in the classroom. It has thus been established that the use of laptops in classroom by both students and their instructor has counterproductive effects with the down-side being weightier than the benefits.
Despite this fact, a number of educational institutions still allow students to use their laptops in taking class notes. This has led to the decline in the average performance of students since the use of laptops in class is more likely to make students get fewer benefits from class work. This paper is an exploration of both the benefits and the shortfalls of using laptops in a classroom environment.
Advantages of using of laptops in class
The use of laptops in class has a number of advantages. Research has shown that with the use of laptops in class, students are normally highly motivated. This is because students like technology like laptops and the internet.
This is an advantage because students will have the zeal to attend classes and participate in classroom activities. Studies, therefore, showed that, in classrooms where laptops and the internet are used in instructing the students, student attendance of classes was better than the attendance of classes in which there were no laptops.
Research has also shown that the use of laptops helps students to maintain their levels of performance since it is unlikely for the students to lose motivation in class work (Carrie, 2008). This is as contrasted with a classroom with no laptops, in which student performances tend to fluctuate.
Another importance of using laptops in class is that in some situations, laptops offer the best means for instructions. For instance, in a classroom where an inquiry process is needed by the instructor, laptops would be most appropriate.
The use of laptops has also been credited with improving the extent to which students are equipped with project-based skills (Yvonne, 2004). It is also important to note that in some courses/majors, the use of laptops and computers in general cannot be avoided. For instance, it is virtually impossible for a Computer Science class to be conducted without using laptops in classroom.
Therefore, even if some theory classes may be conducted without the use of laptops in this case, practical classes must embrace the use of laptops in order for them to have the desired effect on the students. Thus as much as laptops may affect student performance in some cases, in other cases heir use is mandatory. However, a number of other studies have shown proved that the use of laptops in class in disadvantageous.
Disadvantages of using of laptops in class
Both instructors and students encounter a number of problems in the classroom when they decide to attend classes with their laptops. One of the problems that come with attending classes with a laptop is lack of concentration in class. This is obviously expected since the student will be, at times, too engaged with the laptop that it will be impossible for him/her to concentrate.
One of the activities that will possibly make students lose concentration is browsing of information on the internet. However, it is easy for the instructor to spot students who engage in surfing the internet since the students will most likely concentrate on the laptop screen, without using the keyboard.
A good way to ensure that students do not lose concentration as they surf the internet is to walk around the class while teaching. Students may also lose concentration in class if they get engaged in instant messaging on the internet. This is normally a big problem since the instructor will be unable to detect it as the students will appear as if they are taking notes.
Moving from one point in the class to another, behind the students, and checking the applications that the students are using will make the instructor help most of his/her students to concentrate (Timmer, 2009). It is also of essence that the instructor makes a tactful request to the students when he/she notices that they are chatting on the internet. This will make the students fear disobeying the instructor.
Another issue that comes with using laptops in classroom is the issue of legitimacy or credibility of web sites that the instructor uses with students in class. Some of the websites that an instructor may decide to use in class for discussion purposes may not be scholarly sources. Despite this fact, the students may become so enthusiastic about the web sites that they treat them as scholarly sources, and thus they spend too much time in them (Carrie, 2008). This may ultimately affect their overall performance.
If an instructor is not careful with the way he/she uses laptops in his/her pedagogy, the instructor may overly depend on the laptops. This is disastrous since a class in which every exercise is done using laptops will not have a holistic approach to learning. This lack of a holistic result in such teaching will be as a result of insufficient time for other classroom activities like group discussions, and possibly role playing in skits (Hampton, 2004).
The use of laptops connected to the internet also poses a great challenge to instructors who are not technology-savvy. In order for such instructors to be effective, it is of essence that the instructors also take classes on how to effectively use technology. This may take too much of their time that it may affect the time that the instructor spends with his/her students. The performance of the students may, in turn, be affected negatively.
Discussion
More and more educational institutions are using laptops and the internet in their classroom. This has led to popularity of educational research skewed towards the use of technology in class. Virtually all the studies conducted on this subject show that the use of laptops in class has counterproductive effects on the students using the laptops.
As much as it motivates them to attend classes, maintaining a high level of student presence during classes, which may in turn translate to better and more steady grades, it also poses a number of threats to the academic welfare of the students using the laptops in the classroom (McLain, 2009).
From the discussion above, it is evident that the benefits of using laptops and the internet in the classroom are less than the treats that the use of laptops in class poses to the academic welfare of students. Despite this, many instructors are still allowing their students to enter classes with their laptops that are connected to the internet. It is of great essence that instructors analyze the benefits and shortfalls of allowing students to use laptops in their classrooms and take the necessary actions to preserve the academic welfare of the students.
For instance, in a situation where some of the tasks that the instructor wants to illustrate to students require the use of computers, the instructor may decide to allow the students to enter the classroom with their laptops. However, the instructor should be very alert to monitor how the students are using their laptops.
On the other hand, if the students want to just use the laptops in taking notes, it is advisable for the instructor to deny them the chance to enter the classroom with their laptops. This is due to the aforementioned shortfalls of attending classrooms with laptops.
In the same way, instructors should avoid coming to class with laptops unless it is extremely important to do so. This is because, like the students, the instructor may also lose concentration as he/she teaches. For instance, the instructor may forget to close some interactive programs/applications which may require his/her attention while in the classroom. For instance, if the instructor was using an instant messaging application before coming to class, and he/she forgets to close the application, a message may be sent while he/she is in class.
This may make him/her stop what he/she was doing to read the message, and thus class activities will be substantially interrupted. Additionally, the instructor may also be tempted to use the internet while in classroom (Cole, 2007). For instance, while teaching, he/she may miss a point and be tempted to look for it on the internet while in class. The instructor may also be tempted to surf the internet when students are busy working on assignments. This will limit his/her ability to help them when they get stuck.
Laptops should thus be used by students and instructors outside the classroom even if they use them for academic purposes. The only exception to this is if the materials being covered in class require the use of computers for the students to better understand what is being taught.
Conclusion
As evidenced in the discussion above, there is a great need for educational institutions to establish the extent to which they can allow students to productively use their laptops in classrooms. This is because an alarming number of these institutions operate in total or partial disregard of the dangers that are posed by allowing students to take class notes using their laptops.
In spite of the advantages that may accrue due to this practice, academic institutions should consider the fact that the advantages are fewer and less serious than the disadvantages of the same. Students may also go to an extent of extending their addictions to the classroom. Some may be addicted to online chatting, others may be addicted to music, and there may even be others addicted to pornography.
The availability of the facilities to view these things in the classroom could have a devastating effect on the performance of the students, which could make an educational institution unpopular. In cases where laptops must be used, like in Computer Science practical classes, instructors should be very alert. This will ensure that students are effectively monitored during such classroom sessions.
Reference List
Carrie, B. (2008). In-Class laptop use and its effects on student learning. Computers and Education, 50 (3), pp. 906-914.
The computer, which is regarded as the most significant invention of the last century, has grown to become a central component in modern life. As the use of computing devices has become prevalent in most areas of human life, the education sector has also been infringed upon. To enable their citizens to benefit from computers, many nations have demonstrated an increased interest and investment in computer technology in the education sector.
Computer manufacturers have come up with products that are designed to fulfill the academic needs of the students. To ensure that students can use computers for their daily learning, programmers have made applications that enhance the learning activities of students in various subjects, including mathematics, science, and geography. In addition to this, there have been significant advances in computing technology and a marked drop in their prices.
Cost considerations, which have for many years been the major hindrance to the widespread adoption of notebook laptops by many schools, have become nonexistent as the unit price of notebook laptops has decreased significantly. Due to these events, more schools have embraced laptops as personal learning tools for their decades over the last decade. Education institutes, governments, and parents have made a significant investment in notebook laptops.
In the US, many States have adopted the one-to-one laptop program, which is meant to provide one laptop to each student in middle school and high school. This program has led to the proliferation of laptops in the school setting. Schools all over Canada have also adopted computer use, and the number of students using notebook laptops is on the rise.
As most schools adopt computer technology, more students are carrying notebook laptops instead of traditional paper notebooks. This has led to the question of whether notebook laptops should replace school notebooks as the primary tool for student use in the classroom.
This paper will argue that school notebooks should be completely replaced by notebook laptops since laptops can effectively fulfill the role of paper notebooks and confer additional advantages to the students.
Notebook Laptops Efficiency in Note Taking
A major advantage offered by notebook laptops is that they improve the note taking the process of students. In all classroom environments, note taking is a critical activity that the students are required to engage in. Through taking notes, the students can record the information being provided by the teacher for future reference. The ability to take good notes and use them for revision purposes is directly related to the academic performance of the student.
Notebook laptops provide the student with the most effective way to not only take notes but also organize these notes in the most efficient manner. Technological advances have meant that students can use notebook laptops for basic activities such as note taking with little training. Unlike in the past, where notebook laptops were too complicated and unstable to be used by students, modern notebook laptops are highly portable and intuitive to use.
This has promoted the widespread adoption of laptops in schools. Students no longer have to carry the bulky paper notebooks to their various classes when they make use of laptops. Jing and Zhao (2008) state that by using application programs such as Microsoft Word and Notepad, students can take and also exploit the capabilities of these programs to organize and grammar check their work.
A study by Jing & Zhao (2008) revealed that 80% of students reported higher levels of the organization due to the use of laptops to take their notes (p.107). Due to the intrinsic organization and spell checking capabilities of computer programs, students are forced to be better organized and maintain notes with fewer errors. Laptops also offer great help to students who have poor handwriting.
By typing in standardized fonts, the students can maintain neat notes that they can read easily in the future. Research by Zheng, Warschauer, and Farkas (2013) demonstrates that notebook laptops assist students to become more organized (285). Research by these authors indicates that when students used laptops, they wrote more and were able to revise and edit their written material more.
As a result, the quality of writing done by the students was markedly improved when using laptops as opposed to using traditional paper notebooks. In addition to this, Zheng et al. (2013) reveal that notebook laptop usage “helped students increase their enthusiasm for writing” (p.285). This is a very important point because most students consider writing to be a tedious activity and are unmotivated to engage in it.
A tool that increases the enthusiasm for students to take notes is very valuable in the classroom setting. Note taking using laptops has the added advantage of making it easy for students to share or compare notes with their peers.
The electronic copies of the notes made by individual students can easily be copied by their classmates, making sharing easy. This is especially useful when a student wishes to catch up with class work when he/she was absent from a particular class.
Positive Impact on Academic Outcomes
Another significant advantage of notebook laptops over traditional notebooks is that they foster greater academic productivity by the students. The increase in student productivity when using notebook laptops occurs in several ways. To begin with, studies indicate that laptop use results in greater student engagement in the learning process.
This engagement is promoted since students have a more positive perception of laptops compared to traditional notebooks. Maninger and Holden (2009) assert that students “understand the importance and potential effectiveness of using technology” (p.7). They, therefore, have a positive perception of notebook computers and are motivated to learn by using them.
This motivation is integral to positive academic outcomes since it leads to positive attributes such as curiosity and a desire to learn. Fried (2008) notes that the participation rate for students using laptops is higher than those using traditional notebooks (p.907). Some studies indicate that the motivation by students stems from a perception that competence in computer use is integral to attaining good employment opportunities in the future (p.7).
Student engagement is crucial for positive learning outcomes to be observed. It results in students paying greater attention to what is being taught, and this attentiveness increases the retention capability of the student. In addition to this, Lauricella and Kay (2010) report that students demonstrate higher satisfaction in the education process when they use laptops in school (p.152).
Student satisfaction when using laptops is also increased since most students perceive that this technology will be useful in their future careers. Students understand that the technical proficiency gained by using laptops will be needed in the real world environment. Many are therefore keen to learn the basic skills and become technologically proficient.
Research by Jing and Zhao (2008) reveals that use of notebook laptops increases the technology proficiency of students (112). In a study to access the technology proficiency of students, the researchers found out that while students demonstrated low technology competency at the beginning of their academic year, their competency had increased significantly by the end of the academic year.
This increase was attributed to the wide exposure to computing technology through their laptops. As students were provided with the opportunity to work on technology and solve technology related problems, they acquired knowledge on how to use the technology and therefore improved their competence level. Student performance is also enhanced since notebook laptops increase the ease with which students can engage in collaborative work.
Maninger and Holden (2009) reveal that laptops enable students to share files and engage in collaborative activities with students inside or outside the classroom (p.8). Collaboration is a desirable activity since it offers opportunities for students to participate in discussions and assist each other solve problems from their classes.
In addition to this, collaborative work prepares the students for the outside world where they will be expected to carry out collaborative work with their colleagues in the office environment.
The improved student efficacy encouraged by laptops is the most significant merits for educators and parents. For most countries, including the US and Canada, the primary objective of using laptops in class has been to improve academic achievements and increase the technological competence of students.
Notebook Laptops as a Source of Distraction
In spite of the significant merits of laptops, there is still opposition to the complete embrace of notebook laptops in place of school notebooks. Arguably, the most significant argument made against notebook laptops is that they would negatively affect the academic performance of students. A universal goal for all parents and educators is to encourage good academic performance from the students.
Notebook computers threaten to undermine these goals in various ways. Vascellaro (2006) documents that in many cases, students who had notebook laptops spent time sending instant messages to friends and engaged in social networking sites instead of engaging in academic activities. This inappropriate use of computers has detrimental outcomes to their academic success.
With the paper notebook, the student is unlikely to suffer from any distraction while in class. He/she is, therefore, more likely to pay attention to the material being presented in the immediate class. With notebook laptops, students are likely to engage in multitasking behavior. Lauricella and Kay (2010) acknowledge that students who use laptops in class are likely to engage in activities such as surfing the internet while the class is in progress.
In addition to this, the students using notebook laptops may be tempted to access material that is not directly related to their immediate class through their laptops. Another major concern by parents is that laptops might lead to time wastage by students as they use their notepads to visit inappropriate sites or play computer games.
This concern is not unfounded as Vascellaro (2006) documents that in Henrico County, over 200 students were suspended for using their notebook laptops to surf unacceptable websites. Such behavior poses a significant danger to students. There have been incidents of students being exposed to sex offenders in social networking sites. Exposure to pornographic sites through the laptops is also undesirable since it causes moral damage to the student.
Undoubtedly, the risk of distraction and inappropriate use of notebook computers by students is a significant concern. Fried (2008) reveals that the level of distractions posed by laptops might lead to significant frustration among educators (907). If proper care is not taken, the academic outcome of students is likely to suffer from uncontrolled computer use.
However, these issues can be addressed to ensure that students enjoy the benefits of laptops without being exposed to the negative aspects. Most schools place robust filters in their internal networks to ensure that students are only allowed to visit approved websites. These firewalls enable the network administrator to block access to websites that have inappropriate content.
In addition to this, students can also be stopped from accessing social networking websites or sites that provide games and other distracting content. In addition to this, parents and teachers can be more vigilant by closely monitoring the usage of laptops by the students.
They should frequently check the computer logs of the students to make sure that only appropriate content is accessed by the students. In some schools, teachers make use of monitoring software installed on the student’s notebook laptops to supervise activities by students. By using such measures, educators can ensure that students concentrate in class and avoid distracting themselves using their laptops.
Conclusion
This paper set out to argue that traditional school notebooks should be replaced by notebook laptops. It began by acknowledging that notebook laptop have become an integral tool for education in most schools all over the country. It then highlighted the major advantages of laptops over computers. To begin with, the paper demonstrated that laptops enhance the note taking the process of the students.
It also leads to a better organization as the students make use of the inbuilt organizational structure of the computer. This leads to a faster access to class notes from the students. The paper has also noted that having notes in electronic format makes it easy for students to share their notes, ensuring that each student has a copy of the relevant instructions given by the teacher.
The second major merit of notebooks is that they increase student academic performance. This is achieved by increasing the motivation level of students and increasing the desire to learn using computing technology. The paper has also noted some of the disadvantages that notebook laptops might have in schools. The danger of decreased productivity due to distractions is especially troublesome.
The paper acknowledges that students might use their laptops to engage in non-educational activities or even visit websites with objectionable material. This might result in harm for the students and lower academic performance. However, it has been shown that these problems can be controlled by imposing greater access restrictions on student laptops.
The teachers can also make use of monitoring software to keep track of the activities being carried out by the students while in class. Based on the arguments made in this paper, it can be authoritatively stated that schools should replace the traditional notebooks with notebook laptops for all students.
Such a move would ensure that students enjoy the many significant benefits that laptops bring to education. This would lead to the desired results of better educational outcomes for students, therefore increasing their chances of becoming successful individuals in their adult lives.
References
Fried, C.B. (2008). In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning. Computers & Education, 50(1), 906–914.
Jing, L., & Zhao, Y. (2008). One-to-one computing: what does it bring to schools? J. Educational computing research, 39(2), 97-122.
Lauricella, S. & Kay, R. (2010). Assessing laptop use in higher education classrooms: The Laptop Effectiveness Scale (LES). Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 151-163.
Maninger, R.M. & Holden, M.E. (2009). Put the Textbooks Away: Preparation and Support for a Middle School One-To-One Lap top Initiative. American Secondary Education, 38(1), 5-33.
Zheng, B., Warschauer, M., & Farkas, G. (2013). Digital writing and diversity: the effects of school laptop programs on literacy processes and outcomes. J. Educational Computing Research, 48(3) 267-299,
The education system has been dynamic ever since its inception in various countries across the world. The dynamism of the education system revolves around the curriculum, syllabus, and content; however, there is a new revolution of educational materials used by students.
In the contemporary world, the education system has turned digital through the introduction of e-learning over the Internet and softcopy reading materials, which demand the usage of computers in schools.
The system pioneered in the developed countries, but it is quickly getting into developing countries although the system has not replaced the old one entirely. School notebooks, which are now referred to as the old norm, have numerous benefits. Laptop notebooks have not yet been fully tested, as they are not fully adopted into the system yet. Therefore, notebook laptops should not replace school notebooks.
School Notebooks
Notebooks have been in use ever since the invention of writing papers in the Middle Ages. They were the basic writing materials in the development of academic systems even before civilization. Notebooks demand from the students to be fully attentive in the classroom since they are supposed to write notes as lessons continue.
It is paramount for students to learn how to write notes for reading and reference purposes for such practices enhance their understanding capabilities and attentiveness in the classroom. Therefore, eliminating school notebooks from the academic systems will make students less attentive to class work, as they will not be fully engaged in writing.
Notebooks are very essential for the development of writing skills. Writing skills help students to communicate effectively through writing coupled with enhancing handwriting neatness. Education begins at the early childhood education level. The student is taught the basic skills, which include writing skills. However, writing skills develop gradually as a student progresses to advanced stages of education.
Therefore, eliminating school notebooks at early stages of education would deny students the opportunity to improve their handwriting in terms of neatness and speed, which are necessary elements in writing skills (Weaver & Nilson, 2005). School notebooks are easily affordable and they need no maintenance costs, thus they are more practical for learning purposes of people with low income.
The education system should have cost-effective mechanisms that enable the majority of people to afford it with less or no strain. Hence, it is very important to ensure that every student can easily find the money for the basic learning requirements in order to eliminate chances of some individuals being left behind in the process (Barak et al., 2006).
School notebooks are reasonably priced for the majority of students and they do not require any power supply to access their contents, as in the case with laptops. Therefore, the world is yet to adopt notebook laptops in schools in order to eliminate school notebooks, as some students will be disadvantaged by the high costs of buying and maintaining notebook laptops.
Notebook Laptops
Notebook laptops are expensive devices for learning in terms of their affordability and maintenance. Notably, children are quick learners and they should grasp the basic skills for e-learning very easily. However, they love exploration and thus they damage some devices in an effort to learn more about them. Therefore, the adoption of laptop notebooks faces a challenge of the high cost of maintenance and especially the repairing costs.
On the other hand, school notebooks that have been in use ever since the adoption of the education system during civilization do not face such challenges. This observation implies that students can be subjected to new rules to protect notebook laptops from getting damaged, and that will interfere with their normal habits (Weaver & Nilson, 2005).
Also, notebook laptops have security challenges that may have adverse effects on the education system. The adoption of notebook laptops will lead to the elimination of school notebooks getting no longer useful as reading and writing will take place on notebook laptops.
Notebook laptops face two serious security problems, which include theft of devices and infection by viruses. In case of theft, students will lose personal information and notes saved on the laptops. Additionally, the chances of getting back a stolen laptop are minimal as the devices are on high demand in the digital market.
In case of infection by viruses, a notebook laptop may lose data and crucial information stored on the hard disk drives. Hence, school notebooks are safer for usage in the education system than notebook laptops, which can lose all information necessary for studying (Reed et al., 2009).
Moreover, notebook laptops may not allow students to engage in other activities outside the classroom since they offer multiple options, which keep a student glued to the screen. Additionally, it may be hard for teachers and tutors to have students operate the devices uniformly in the classroom.
The problem may lead to some students failing to be attentive to the class work as they keep themselves busy with other tasks and distracted by the devices even during lessons (Granberg & Witte, 2005). This assertion implies that the majority of students are likely to perform poorly when laptops are adopted, and, to protect them, it would be necessary to retain the old norm of the school notebooks usage.
Comparison between School Notebook and Laptops Notebook
School notebook is more convenient for a young learner than a notebook laptop. A young student needs to learn how to handwrite at early stages of learning for easy understanding of the content taught at class. It is harder for a young learner to understand learning with the help of laptop notebook than when using school notebook.
Young learners, who in most cases are children of at least three years of age, prefer learning through things that engage all common senses. School notebooks are more convenient for young learners as the writing process involves more senses, unlike working with laptops when a learner is required to operate the keyboard only.
However, laptops are convenient for learners beyond the fourth grade as they are above the exploration age, and they can easily be attentive in the classroom without being pushed by their tutors (Zucker, 2004).
On the other hand, notebook laptops are more convenient than school notebooks in terms of content and compatibility. A notebook laptop is capable of handling large contents of reading materials, whereas school notebooks handle only what the learner has written in the form of notes. Hence, notebook laptops are better than school notebooks for their ability to carry a lot of information, which is necessary for the learner.
Also, students carry their backpacks, which are often very heavy due to various school notebooks for each school subject, but with the adoption of notebook laptops in the education system, students will only be required to carry a notebook laptop and a few jotting materials, which is an advantage for the students.
In addition to carrying many education materials, notebook laptops also make learning at home easier compared to the usage of school notebooks. Notebook laptops are capable of being used for Internet applications, and thus if a student misses a certain class, the related notes and other class work can be sent to the student via email for home studies.
This observation implies that notebook laptops will bring more comfort to the education system as students will be able to access education from distant places with ease than it has been the case when school notebooks are being used.
On the other hand, the introduction of notebook laptops in the education system will lead to the shortening of class hours as laptops carry many materials that make it possible to cover many topics within a few minutes. The usage of school notebooks leads to long hours of class work during the day because writing notes for every class work are time-consuming.
This aspect implies that after notebook laptops are fully adopted in the education system, students may be required to attend classes for shorter hours. Also, much of the work will entail lecturing what students seem not to understand as opposed to going through entire books as it has been the case with school notebooks.
Therefore, lecturers will have simpler work than they have now when lecturing and writing notes for students at the same time. Hence, the adoption of notebook laptops will lead to students having more free time, which is good for their growth and development since they are required to learn progressively without pressure (Casas, 2010).
The adoption of notebook laptops into the education system will have adverse effects on the economy, as some people will earn less than they normally earn, especially those in the stationery business. All over the world, books and stationery are the bestselling items for academic purposes. Hence, the adoption of notebook laptops can cripple book and stationery businesses, which have been a source of income to millions of people across the world.
This aspect implies that some people can lose their jobs. Unfortunately, such people are stakeholders in the education system as they are parents to some children, and thus, the education system may be affected indirectly.
This observation also implies that the adoption of notebook laptops into the education system is likely to cause some economic problems, which may directly affect the students in terms of their backgrounds, hence their performance in class. Also, notebook laptops will lead to the loss of jobs for millions of teachers in the education system, as the new system will require a few teachers to teach many students at the same time.
In the current situation where school notebooks are used, many teachers are required due to the time needed to complete the curriculum where students are required to study from textbooks as they write notes on their notebooks. In the case of notebook laptops, there will be softcopy textbooks from which students will study as they make softcopy notes from the same end.
Hence, they will require fewer teachers to guide them through the learning system. This assertion implies that students will be left to study on their own for sufficient time, which is not an ideal move for young students who are not used to learning on their own.
Hence, the adoption of notebook laptops will bring in joblessness in the education system, coupled with less attention to young students who need guidance from teachers to get used to the education system. On the other hand, school notebooks are effective for young students and teachers as both are required to contribute equally to the benefit of each party.
Waste materials from notebook laptops have adverse effects on the environment, as they demand a complex process that is capable of recycling electronic wastes. On the other hand, school notebooks are more environment-friendly as compared to their counterparts for they are recyclable and they decompose easily when properly disposed of.
Currently, there is an outstanding lack of proper means of disposing of electronic materials, and thus the introduction of laptop notebooks implies an escalation of the problem of e-waste disposal, hence environmental pollution.
Notably, young children contribute the largest percentage of electronic waste in any given country due to their great carelessness and zeal to get into contact with some devices. Hence, the world will be at risk of increased electronic waste, given that only a few countries are in a position to manage such waste in an environment-friendly manner.
However, various advantages are associated with notebook laptops, which include the adoption of modern technology in the education system for easy learning by the students and the exposure of young students to digital technology. Contemporarily, the world is shifting to the digital age where most innovations will be in information technology, and thus, the world needs to prepare young minds to face future challenges.
On the other hand, school notebooks have various advantages, which include improvement of writing skills coupled with the view that a young student gets much attention from the teacher, which helps the student to be used to the education system more effectively.
Looking into the above major advantages, notebook laptops seem to be adopted into the education system only for economic benefits of a country but ignoring the welfare of a young student who needs to acquire necessary skills and attention from teachers.
The young minds of such students will be deterred by the adoption of laptop notebooks. Hence, notebook laptops can be adopted into the education system for the use by students, if only they will not replace school notebooks entirely.
Conclusion
Notebook laptops are good for the education system, and their adoption will be of benefit for both students and the economic development of a country. However, the adoption should be done at higher-level grades to allow students to learn basic skills trained through school notebooks.
School notebooks allow for the development of talents such as drawing skills among young students, which, when learned through laptop notebooks, may required specialized courses.
School notebooks allow for good relationships between a teacher and a student, as tutors can know when a student is having problems while using school notebooks, but laptop notebooks may deny the student such attention from the teacher. Hence, notebook laptops should not replace school notebooks.
References
Barak, M., Lipson, A., & Lerman, S. (2006). Wireless laptops as means for promoting Active learning in large lecture halls. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(2), 245–263.
Casas, M. (2010). Enhancing Student Learning in Middle School. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis
Granberg, E., & Witte, J. (2005). Teaching with laptops for the first time: lessons from a Social science classroom. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2005(101), 51–59.
Reed, R., Berque, D., & Prey, J. (2009). The Impact of Tablet PCs and Pen-based Technology on Education: Evidence and Outcomes, 2008. Chicago, IL: Purdue University Press.
Weaver, B., & Nilson, L. (2005). Laptops in class: What are they good for? What can you do with them? New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 2005(101), 3–13.
Zucker, A. (2004). Developing a research agenda for ubiquitous computing in Schools. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 30 (4), 371–386.
Modern lifestyle is increasingly becoming dependent on information technology, which necessitates use of laptops for various functions. Since a lot of time is spent on laptops, it becomes important to consider laptop ergonomics as a protective measure. Therefore, a laptop holder becomes an essential tool allowing safe and comfortable use of laptops. This is a demonstration of various considerations in design of an ergonomic laptop holder which can be used to hold a laptop while lying on a bed.
Design Structural Properties
It should have a well-positioned fan to blow heat generated by the laptop away from the user.
It should be structurally possible to fit it in a very small space.
It should be strong enough to hold the weight of any laptop when being used in different positions.
Made of low-density materials such as fiber composites in order to reduce weight as much as possible.
Design Compatibility
It should be flexible enough to allow multiuse in different postures and environments.
It should be adaptable to different types and sizes of laptops.
The design should allow for integration of other peripheral devices such as a mouse and external keyboard usually used with a laptop.
Design Usability
Joints should be strong yet flexible. It should be easy to make adjustments by use of hands alone.
It should be simple to use for different people such as children and the handicapped.
Different parts should be easy to dismantle and build to fit various needs.
Pictorial Design.
Conclusion
When the whole structure is complete, it holds the laptop in a comfortable and ergonomic position. This will allow continuous use of the laptop while lying on a bed without fatigue or burns from excessive heat from the laptop. Due to efficient heat dissipation, laptop lifetime is extended.
Multi-functionality is the main trend of the twenty first century. All things used in daily routine should have the maximum number of functions for a unit of area. Such a tendency is especially valuable when it comes to the backpack design. People who are keen on travelling realize the importance of having a backpack with a built-chair just to have a rest in any place and at any time.
They also understand that travelling by foot is always unpredictable due the changeability of the climatic conditions. So, if they want start a long-distanced trip, they will surely need a backpack with a built-in umbrella. Finally, because online communication has become an inherent part of modern life, a travel backpack should have a special place for the laptop.
Perhaps, such a wonderful bag will interest everyone who is passionate about long journeys by foot. Aside from increased functionality, the backpack stylish design will also satisfy the needs of the most exigent travelers.
No matter where you want to have a rest and what trip you are going to start, a built-in chair will definitely come in handy for both professional and amateur travelers. This function of a backpack combines of a comfortable chair and a roomy bag where all necessary things for setting out a trip can be packed.
Aside from comfortable rest, the chair is easily transported. The portability and lightness of the construction is important because heavy backpacks can negatively influence the posture of walkers (Gillet et al. 369). In this respect, aluminum has been chosen for the built-in device to minimize the weight of the backpack. Additionally, the built-in chair is quickly unfolded, which enhances the mobility and enjoyment from a weekend recreation.
Weather conditions cannot be 100 % predicted. This is why long-distance travelers should be ready for some surprises from nature. Using backpack with a built-in umbrella will make the trip less problematic and more comfortable because there is no need to stay at home if it is raining. Hence, a backpack includes a special support assembly for umbrella storage. The storage compartment is located along the side edge of the bag. The collapsible canopy is also sized to protect both the traveler and the content of the back from rain.
Finally, while travelling along the twisting paths of tropical woods or climbing the mountainous hills, where there is not connection with the civilization, laptop can serve as the only tie to the outside world. So, whenever you need to find out information about a particular plant or animal, you can easily do that with the help of your laptop that can be located in a special place of the backpack.
Importantly, the place for the laptop should be protected from punches and blows and, therefore, the backpack folds will be designed by the built-in layers that minimize the influence of the outside environment. Waterproof surface of the backpack is also significant for enhancing the safety of the device.
In conclusion, the presented design of the backpack creates a number of benefits for travelers because all of the functions are indispensible to starting a good trip for a long distance. Light, built-in chair for having rest, built-in umbrella protecting from climatic contingencies, and place for laptop for connecting to the outside world – all these attributes ensure successful completion of the identified root.
Works Cited
Gillet, Christophe, Matthieu Foissac, Sebastien Leteneur, Philippe Freychat, and Franck Barbier. “Influence of a New Backpack Design on Kinematics and Dynamics of Walking”. Engineering of Sport Six. Eds. Eckehard Fozzy Moritz and Steve Haake. New York: Springer, 2007. 369-374. Print.
Kiai marketing group intends to offer a product promotion service in London, targeting the students of Western. The product entails sticking skins onto laptop lids, bearing graphical advertisements. Kiai intends to make a profit by exploiting the difference between the price paid by advertisers and the pay offered to the student team.
Kiai will serve the small businesses of London by providing a means of reaching sections of the student population to promote specialized products. Preliminary research has indicated that the student population is a much sought after demographic. Student governments have limited access to this demographic by preventing marketing companies from advertising on university campuses. This proposal by Kiai marketing Group will offer a new way to reach these 30,000 strong demographic.
The main competitors in this industry are The London Free Press, Western News, The Gazette, Orientation Week Packages and Immobile Poster Campaigns. To be able to provide clients with guaranteed exposure, Kiai will world with a core group of highly active and involved western students who are certain to use their laptops every day of the week and in every class.
Kiai will source for investors who will take up a laptop skin for the entire eight month duration of the academic year. From an exhaustive analysis of the deals offered by the competition, an investor will pay $1062 per skin for the full academic year.
This price will enable Kiai to pay the team members at the determined rate of $10 for a 10 hour work week. It will also enable the realization of a profit of $5,000 in the first year as envisioned by the founder, Roger Mills and to defray for printing costs for the skins, brochures, posters and business cards and other operational and incidental expenses.
Kiai will pursue an intensive course of marketing and will pursue all promotional channels. Kiai will participate in the Business Opportunities Trade Show for two days in August. This show, attracting between 500 and 1500 people, many of them from the small business community, will be a brilliant and effective opportunity to expose the product.
Roger Mills will also enroll in the Small Business Center, in London. This association will provide valuable business plan reviews and networking opportunities. The membership fee of $95 will include a business card display in SBC’s display case and discounted room rentals to hold meetings, providing credibility.
Kiai will also procure posters, brochures and business cards at a combined cost of $275 to distribute to potential clients. However, Kiai will not set up a website in the first two years of operation. A website will not add considerable value to this brand as it requires a personal approach to sell the idea. Before Kiai has established a reputation, the site is likely to have few hits, proving to be a poor investment.
The price offered of $1,062 is very competitive as it covers an entire eight-month academic period. It is significantly more cost effective than the other options available to small businesses. This medium offers a maximum CPM of $19.65 which is much lower than the average.
Introduction
Roger Mills of The University of Western Ontario (Western) established Kiai Marketing Group (Kiai) as a marketing firm that aims at providing new and innovative marketing solutions for businesses in London, Ontario. It aims to provide small businesses with a marketing product that reaches groups of Western’s student population.
Roger Mills of Kiai has developed laminate laptop skins to use as a form of advertisement space. These skins will bear varied promotional messages and graphics affixed to laptop lids. These laptops skins, used in classrooms and around the campus will create exposure for their clients’ products.
This advertising specifically targets the students of Western, and the community of London, Ontario, a total population of over 430,000. The marketing will target interested local businesses. The chosen student team bearing the promotions on their laptops will be adequately compensated.
A small one-man printing operation in downtown London will manufacture the laminate skins. A prototype skin has already been developed using laminate materials. It has a white adhesive backing that can be easily applied to and removed from laptop lids. This prototype cost $25 to develop.
This report will analyze the industry, the competition, the corporate capabilities and consumers to determine the viability of Kiai’s product. It will also offer recommendations to help improve the product’s performance.
A financial analysis has also been carried out to determine the right pricing for compensating the students and pricing the product. There is a separate analysis to determine the cost per impression for the product.
Analysis
Corporate capabilities
Kiai marketing Group was established by Roger Mills as a student marketing firm, to engage in product promotion. It operates in London, Ontario. It intends to do this by affixing skins with promotional messages and graphics onto students’ laptop lids. The charges levied on advertisers will partly go to compensating the students.
Kiai looks to make a profit by exploiting the difference between the price paid by advertisers and the pay offered to the student team. Kiai will serve the small businesses of London by providing a means of reaching sections of the student population to promote specialized products.
This product requires a significant amount of printing and design. However, Kiai will limit operations to its core activity; product promotion. Kiai will outsource all none core activities. Roger Mills will carry out the design of the adverts in conjunction with the clients. A printer has already been identified in downtown London who will handle the printing of the actual skins. A local printing shop has also been identified to undertake the printing of promotional brochures, posters and business cards.
This implies that Kiai does not need to outlay capital for printing equipment and expertise. Selection of the team to bear the advertisements will guarantee the highest business exposure. Therefore, the team members have to be highly active individuals who will use their laptop in public places in a consistent manner. They will also be outgoing individuals who are capable of making a small sales pitch in favor of the product upon inquiry.
The passive nature of this advertising means that it does not prevent the team members from engaging in other income generating activities. Therefore, it is possible to offer the team the average wage rate earned by students of $10. Kiai will not rent out offices. Roger Mills will utilize the discounted offices offered by SBD as part of the membership deal.
Industry analysis
The target area of London, Ontario has a target population of over 430,000 people and is the 10th largest city in Canada. Preliminary research has indicated that the student population is a much sought after demographic. Student governments have limited access to this demographic by preventing marketing companies from advertising on university campuses.
This proposal by Kiai marketing Group will offer a new way to reach these 30,000 strong demographic. The municipal and the provincial governments in London were hugely supportive of local small businesses. They factored the future growth of the small business community in the downtown planning criteria. This has led to a large number of small businesses operating in London, which has created a demand for a service such as Kiai proposes to offer.
The work week, in London, is 5 days. Kiai’s marketing, however, does not need to stop over the weekends as it is a passive process. The Kiai Marketing Group will only be active during the eight months when Western is in session. This weakness means that it will not be ideal for cases where advertisers wish to reach the student population while away from Western, or to reach the rest of London’s population during these months.
The City of London has a population of over 430,000 while the student population at Western is over 30,000 and growing. The large population of the city means that there is a potential to grow the market in the future to target sections of the public outside of Western. With this large student population, it will be easy to source team members who will bear the laptop skins, and the medium will have a large impression. London small businesses owners have a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
Therefore, they are likely to embrace a marketing medium that will offer them the advantage of well-placed niche advertising to reach their clients. The manufacture of the laptop skins is from recycled paper and are themselves recyclable. This environmental consciousness in the product will make an impression on the clients and targets that are environment conscious. The design and printing of the skins provides for three laptop sizes. Laptops that have a lid diagonal dimension of less than 13 inches will not be eligible.
Competitive analysis
A number of media operating in London will offer stiff competition. Some of this media is commercial while some of university affiliation.
The London Free Press (LFP) is London’s foremost daily newspaper and averages 226,000 readers every weekday, 250,000 readers on Saturdays and 140,000 readers on Sundays (“Advertising”). The LFP also has an online readership of 65,000 aged between 18 years and 34 years, with over 4 million page views per month. The distribution of pre-printed advertisements in the daily newspaper is based on designated market zones, corresponding with the advertisers’ target market.
Research and analysis of similar media indicates that The LFP may charge in the neighborhood of $3,200 for a one-time front page advert during a weekday (“Media kit”). A section front page advertisement in black and white would cost $1,400 for each weekday. For smaller advertisements, the cost would be about $380 for each weekday.
The LFP also offers online advertising campaigns on its website. A banner promotion with a guaranteed 100,000 impressions in a month costs the advertiser $450 a week for at least one month. There are also a number of alternatives in their website ranging from $175 to $450 a week with a minimum six month contract.
Western News is Western’s free weekly newspaper and electronics news about Western, catering primarily to staff and faculty, and available to all interested students. They publish a tabloid type paper with thirty four editions every academic year. They dispense 10,000 copies every week to forty news boxes. Advertisements in the Western News could be up to half a page, and prices range from $31.64 for a 2 inch wide advertisement to $497 for a full page.
The Gazette is Western’s student funded, student run newspaper published by the USC. Each regular academic week has four separate issues. The Gazette distributes 44,000 papers free of charge each week during the academic year to over 50 drop points on campus. Advertising in the Gazette for one week ranged from $124 for a sixteenth of a page to $1430 for a full page(“Media kit”).
Orientation Week at Western offers interested businesses direct exposure to over 5,000 first-year students over a five-day period. A “Welcome to western” Package costs $3,000. The company’s logo appears on the Orientation week website main page for this price.
The business’s logo appears on 5,000 laundry bags issued to first-year students. There is a banner display with the business’s name at the large orientation week event. A golf cart mounted with a mobile banner advertising the business travels around campus during the week among other promotional activities.
Another option available to target Western students is an immobile, framed poster campaign. Poster campaigns were typically owned by media companies, and spaces leased out to businesses targeting Western students. These campaigns are commonly used in university washrooms and the bar or restaurant areas. Depending on the number of frames, locations could be acquired at a cost of $110 per month.
Kiai’s product targets small businesses. Advertising investment decisions for small businesses are usually based on perceived value (CPM), results and the originality of the media choice. Although it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of a new advertising campaign, there is an attempted application of reasonable estimates of exposure. Kiai’s form of advertising will make more meaningful impressions compared to the standard, more traditional advertisements offered by the competition.
Most of these competitors, especially The LFP and its online edition, and Western News do not have the ability reach segments of the student population. Because many companies experience this difficulty reaching relevant university demographics, Kiai has only a few key competitors. Kiai also has the advantage of being a product initiated within Western and is, therefore, very likely to have preferential treatment from all advertisers originating from the Western community, like The USC.
The operational strategy of competing media is to reach as large an audience as possible. Kiai’s strategy should be to reach as many relevant targets as possible. This is done by strategically placing advertisements near interested parties. The greater resources that are available to the other media will not affect Kiai’s strategy significantly. Kiai does not require a massive capital outlay for its operations.
Consumer analysis
Kiai laptop skin marketing promotion targets the small business community which is truly vibrant in London. These small businesses deal in niche products, which require relevant advertisement placement, for effective marketing. The City also has a vibrant academic side to it with The University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College which attract thousands of students from outside the city.
The presence of larger companies and a favorable environment for small business outlook has encouraged a number of entrepreneurs to start small businesses.
These businesses benefited from the direct targeting of students at Western. As a result of the small scale of these businesses, most of them operate on a tight budget and are cautious with new investments. These small businesses cater mostly to students, and they would make significant clients. Their reservation with big investment decisions would not be a factor since Kiai offers a cost friendly solution.
Western University Students Council (USC) is a nonprofit recreational and educational corporation for student life on campus. It has the objective of getting students involved and to provide the best student experience among research universities. It has the responsibility to organize clubs, university functions and retail spaces in the University Community Center.
The USC makes use of the HYPE Street Team to create awareness on various on-campus events, formals, fundraisers and concerts by designing and executing creative promotional strategies. HYPE Street Team will make a significant client since Kiai’s media method is an excellent complement to HYPE’s existing promotional campaigns, It is unlikely that Westerns’ administration would have reservations.
Recommendations
To be able to provide clients with a guaranteed exposure, Kiai will world with a core group of highly active and involved western students who are certain to use their laptops every day of the week and in every class. These students should also attend homework sessions, meetings, presentations and conferences at which their laptops will be on display. This manner of placement will guarantee clients broad exposure on campus and with everyone that interacts with the core group.
Kiai should also conduct surveys around the campus to determine the actual exposure rates. Clients approached with factual data on the proficiency of the medium will be more willing to invest than those required to invest in good faith. Kiai should as part of its sells pitch, emphasize the ability of the team to vocally advocate for the brand upon inquiry. This lends an aspect of human interaction to the media which is an advantage over the competition and a significant differentiating factor for Kiai.
There is a change in the size of the laptop skin. It will now be printed in three sizes, 13, 15 and 17 inches, to fit the different laptop sizes common on the campus. It will also allow a larger number of students to be eligible to joining the team.
From the nature of the competition, it is advisable not to offer the same product they do but to create a niche product which will be attractive to a select clientele with a relevant target within the student population. For instance, a small business dealing in products that are relevant only to members of one faculty will require that their products are advertised only in that faculty.
Kiai will source for investors who will take up a laptop skin for the entire eight month duration of the academic year. From an exhaustive analysis of the deals offered by the competition, an investor will pay $1062 per skin for the full academic year.
This price will enable Kiai to pay the team members at the determined rate of $10 for a 10 hour work week. It will also enable the realization of a profit of $5,000 in the first year as envisioned by the founder, Roger Mills and to defray for printing costs for the skins, brochures, posters and business cards and other operational and incidental expenses.
Kiai will pursue an intensive course of marketing and will pursue all promotional channels. Kiai will participate in the Business Opportunities Trade Show for two days in August. This show, attracting between 500 and 1500 people, many of them from the small business community, will be a brilliant and effective opportunity to expose the product. Roger Mills will also enroll in the Small Business Center, in London. This association will provide valuable business plan reviews and networking opportunities.
The membership fee of $95 will include a business card display in SBC’s display case and discounted room rentals to hold meetings, providing credibility. Kiai will also procure posters, brochures and business cards at a combined cost of $275 to distribute to potential clients. However, Kiai will not set up a website in the first two years of operation. A website will not add considerable value to this brand as it requires a personal approach to sell the idea. Before Kiai has established a reputation, the site is likely to have few hits, proving to be a poor investment.
Conclusion
The price offered of $1,062 is very competitive as it covers an entire eight-month academic period. It is significantly more cost effective than the other options available to small businesses. This medium offers a maximum CPM of $19.65 which is much lower than the average.
Exhibits
Table 1: Statistical distribution of CPM across competing media
Low
$1.84
Median
$18.79
High
$180
Average
$51.06
Table 2: Cost outlay
Item
Cost
10 laptop skin printing at $25 each
$250
Trade show participation
$750
Team compensation at 15 dollars/hour
$4200
SBC membership
$95
Printing of 250 business cards
$50
100 information brochures b/w
$25
100 color posters
$50
SBC networking
$200
Gross total annual cost
$5620
PREFERRED PROFIT = RECEIVED PAYMENTS – EXPENSES
Therefore,
RECEIVED PAYMENTS = PREFERRED PROFIT + EXPENSES
= $5,000 + $5,620
= $10,620
Therefore cost per skin = $1,062
Table 3: Impressions per week
Location
Attendance
Impressions
Minimum
Average
Maximum
Class
15
100
100
100
Cafeteria
2
50
75
100
Library
2
50
75
100
Meeting
1
10
10
10
Homework session
1
10
10
10
Home & Work
1
10
10
10
Total impressions per week
1730
1830
1930
Calculating the cost per impression based on the maximum exposure