Teaching with Netbooks

The advent of Netbooks provides a significant opportunity to take computers out of the computer lab and integrate them into classrooms across the board. Flickinger, an educator for over twenty years, advocates a one-on-one approach for the use of Netbooks – that is, issue each child a netbook to use and care for throughout the school year. When implemented properly, netbooks allow students to interact, collaborate and work together on projects, self-direct and take ownership of their learning. Netbook teaching enhances traditional teaching. It does not replace it.” The needs of administrators and IT departments are addressed as well, with sections covering such topics as student responsibilities, identifying classroom wi-fi dead zones, USB flash drives, maintenance, operating systems and physical components. He also provides guidelines for choosing from among the many different netbooks available, as well as some of the physical challenges facing a school implementing netbooks.