How do you replace a dead iBook in late-2009?

My trusty old iBook is finally dead.

Really dead.

Alas. I do have to admit, it was a good six years; but this puts me in the position now of having to contend with the reality of going on the computer hunt.

And for all the Geek in me, that's really the last thing I want to do.

So, I asked around on Twitter for some advice. After all, it's been six year since I last bought a laptop. Things have changed.

First bit of advice suggested a Tablet-PC. Now, I have nothing against a Tablet, per se; but I've got a work-issued one that -- while practical as a work computer -- languishes with regards to its Tablet-functionality. This is primarily due to my resistance towards using MS Office products.

As this Tablet is set up, OneNote is the go-to program for all pen uses. I just find OneNote clunky, and so it goes unused.

Options?

Well, one Twitterer (@tjmeister) suggested PenOffice as an open source solution. Would love to hear reader comments from folks familiar with the app.

Second up was Netbooks. Now, a way's back I bought two Netbooks for my twin sons. And while I love the simple functionality of the little computers, I nearly wracked my mind dealing with the correct (and not constantly overloading) security solutions. The obvious solution is a Linux -- or perhaps in the near future, a Mac -- Netbook alternative. And, though it may be hard to conceptualize in words, I do think some convergence of Netbook and SmartPhone is on the horizon; perhaps with a bio/light-operated, non-physical keyboard and a self-projection screen.

Engineers, feel free to get in touch.

Next up were the SmartPhones (as they exist currently). And while I'm pretty crazy about the new Android (seems like they just went through all of the criticism of the iPhone and came up with a solution for each), as a working-class teacher I'll admit to having to think twice before paying monthly for a data plan and cell minutes that add up to twice the cost of a PC laptop in twelve months time.

Lastly come the laptop replacements to my dead laptop. (Yes, I realize the irony in that six years ago this category would have come first).

I'm partial towards replacing my iBook with the smallest, most stripped-down MacBook Pro. But I wonder about the future of laptop computing and I question whether I really need all the crap that comes with a new one. I mean, why would I want any of the apps that come in free versions online? And do I really want to pay the big money for SnowLeopard when I see free alts on the horizon?

And so, here I stand at a quandry. I literally have no idea where to turn. And so, dear readers, I turn to you. Please give me your ideas. Where are we going with this mobile tech thing? Should I be thinking Netbook or Laptop? SmartPhone or SmartWallet?

Help me out here. Leave a comment and let's see where the TeachPaperless readership stands on this issue.

New Tools Catching Up to Old Ways of Thinking?

In response to the poll on smartphones vs. laptops, a reader writes:

Why not just let them use all of the tools at their disposal and re-design the assessment so that it fits into the real world (or virtual world) of practice. Why use new technology for old methods?

"Tools at their disposal" is the operative phrase.

The possible future advantage of smartphones is cost. For a fifth the cost of a laptop, a student could potentially go Wi-Fi directly into all the tools Web 2.0 has to offer. This could be a practical way to close the digital divide.

With regards to "why use new technology for old methods", I have to admit not following that one entirely. We're not talking about "re-designing" the assessment so that it "fits in" to anything. We're talking about working within and beyond the new and evolving dimensions.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that we don't even know what the "real world" is going to be. Certainly, computing in 2009 has little in common with the computing of 1999; and surely the effect that has had on culture has been dramatic. There's likely more folks renting video games than movies on any given Friday night.

Furthermore, when I am teaching my Latin II class about Julius Caesar, I have little interest in whether or not they know the date on which he was assassinated; I care that they understand and can reflect upon why he was assassinated and what his death represents. Wikipedia has made what we used to call "book knowledge" (or "cocktail party knowledge" depending on your inclination) virtually negligible. In short, knowledge just ain't what it used to be. So, if I just "update" my assessments to "new technology", but fail to see what the new paradigm of technology has done to the value of what it is that my old assessments represent, then -- at best -- I am taking part in a futile task.

Of course, good teachers have always known this. And I'm sure that many of you are saying to yourselves: "But I've always been more interested in the 'why and how' than the 'what and when'". Well, then this moment was made for you. Because the future of education within the dynamic digital paradigm is a future of questions, not mere facts. And it's not that the technological world has instigated this, rather it's that the technological world has finally caught up to this.