Do you own and use a lap top?

 
TeAch-nology.com's Teacher Poll of the Week
Do you own and use a lap top?
Yes
No


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TeAch-nology.com
 

A majority of teachers report that they do own and use a lap top computer but the number certainly isn't overwhelming, hovering around the 60% mark. The convenience of lap tops seems a perfect fit for busy teachers, so it's surprising this number isn't higher. Teachers can use computers for so many things such as communicating with parents, preparing class handouts or newsletters to go home, keeping track of student records, or researching upcoming assignments.

Lap tops used to be all high priced gadgets used solely by high-powered executives but the prices have dropped in recent years making them affordable for many more people. Where high end products with all the bells and whistles can still set you back more than a thousand dollars, there are many models available for less than five hundred. Many of our schools and homes are equipped with Wifi internet access making lap tops more than simple word processors. They have the ability to do anything that a regular desktop computer can.

Many teachers spend most of their in class time directly interacting with their students, leaving little left over time for record keeping or preparation work. This is where lap tops would be invaluable because the work can go where the teacher does. Computers in the class room are fine but teachers need to compete with students for the time to use them which means that many teachers stay after school to complete work.

Perhaps the solution is to provide teachers with lap tops to use throughout each school year. Maybe the schools of the future will have a closet full of lap top computers that the secretary hands out to teachers on the first day of class along with all the extra pens, pencils and paper. It's something to consider when contract talks come up again. All joking aside, it's likely that the future will see more people utilizing lap tops than ever before. This applies to people across the board, not just teachers, but those in the education profession seem ideally suited to their use.