Re:Much ado about nothing? (Score 1)

Do you have any children in school? I have a 12-year-old and 16-year-old, and when I see what they have to carry in their backpacks on a daily basis, I can only shake my head. All this superfluous paper and books and folders and assorted paraphernalia, only distracts from the learning process, I would argue, instead. One laptop is all that is needed. These changes are inevitable, I think. But I'm curious: why do you think that a laptop need be any more destructible than hand-me-down text book? And if properly designed, it could easily replace all of this crap. Schedules, tests, quizzes ... everything in one simple package. How can you dispute the simplicity of a single device vs. a pile of paper? Heck, alone the paper saved wasted would offset the cost of the laptop, and the daily use breeds familiarization with a device that they will have to use their entire life, in all probability - not paper and pencil. Or do you not use the computer in you daily work? I'm just amazed how many in Slashdot commenters are so convinced that computers are bad for kids. My kids have been using them since they could move a mouse, and I am quite pleased with the abilities they've developed over the years. I still dream of the paperless classroom and office ... the resistance continues.