I'm still despairing about the General Purpose lab attached to my library. The teachers are running up against the "browser version" wall and can't access some of the great sites that are out there. (This is my sad little refrain.) However, I was encouraged by a link my son Nathan sent to me. The Eee PC is a compact laptop, with a flash "hard drive" that sells for around $350. It runs Linux and comes loaded with Open Source software, a microphone, a camera, wifi and memory card slots. Very cool idea. They're not gaming machines by any stretch of the imagination, but perfect for word processing and on-line research.
I'm finding that more and more of my students are coming to school with a laptop. At any one time, there is at least one laptop in the library, connected to the wireless network. And of course, their computers can run circles around anything we have at school. Just wait until Christmas...I've been telling any student who will listen that s/he should strongly hint for a laptop under the tree.
So, maybe I'll turn the computer lab into an espresso lounge...
