free pc / laptop for children must be eligible

capriboy1978 said:
On a related note did you support OLPC? Maybe helping disadvantaged kids in other countries showed them that they can rely on others too?
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disadvantaged kids in the uk, have free health care, schools, a place to live and their parents get money for nothing, there is a good chance they have mobiles, tv, consoles and more food they can eat

disadvantaged kids in africa (for instance) have *** all, you cannot compare the two...
 
capriboy1978 said:
Likewise. I'm certainly happier that it's being put to some use in the uk for disadvantaged kids. Better than many of the places my tax £ goes.

I hope the scheme is well taken up and that kids benefit. Unfortunately hope is one thing - i'm sure it will be abused by some.
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it would be better to give the money to schools and colleges to buy computers and run after school clubs...

I can only assume its a vote buying thing...
 
edscdk said:
it would be better to give the money to schools and colleges to buy computers and run after school clubs...

I can only assume its a vote buying thing...
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This.

I wouldn't be surprised if some computer manufacturer has offered to supply them, w'hey someone makes a lot of cash.
 
edscdk said:
disadvantaged kids in the uk, have free health care, schools, a place to live and their parents get money for nothing, there is a good chance they have mobiles, tv, consoles and more food they can eat

disadvantaged kids in africa (for instance) have *** all, you cannot compare the two...
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I can and did. so your saying there's no kids in the uk homeless? have no schooling? have no parents or carers? are hungry? or that they all have mobiles / computers etc?


edscdk said:
it would be better to give the money to schools and colleges to buy computers and run after school clubs...

I can only assume its a vote buying thing...
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I don't disagree with you. Schools do get oney to run after school clubs and buy computers though - just saying like.
 
vonhelmet said:
If it's essential, it should be provided to all. If it's not essential, people should buy it themselves.
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I managed to get an outstanding education at school and all I had access too was the odd BBC Micro, a BBC Master and a Apple Mac Classic. The only computer I had at home was a ZX81 followed by a C16 then a C64. All these computers had to be saved up for by my parents at the time.

They taught me that if I want something I save up and purchase it. I taught my son the same thing.

Computers are not essential for getting a good education and schools provide plenty of in and out of class access to computers. If a child needs computer/Internet access outside of school and they don't have it they can go to the Library.

The lack of computer access for me at school was not in any shape detrimental to my career in IT.

As Rotty said it is swinging too far in the direction of handing freebies out to the poor to try and fix the problem and that is not how the problem is fixed.
 
LordSplodge said:
I managed to get an outstanding education at school and all I had access too was the odd BBC Micro, a BBC Master and a Apple Mac Classic. The only computer I had at home was a ZX81 followed by a C16 then a C64. All these computers had to be saved up for by my parents at the time.

They taught me that if I want something I save up and purchase it. I taught my son the same thing.

Computers are not essential for getting a good education and schools provide plenty of in and out of class access to computers. If a child needs computer/Internet access outside of school and they don't have it they can go to the Library.

The lack of computer access for me at school was not in any shape detrimental to my career in IT.

As Rotty said it is swinging too far in the direction of handing freebies out to the poor to try and fix the problem and that is not how the problem is fixed.
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Although I completely agree with you, you cannot in anyway compare your education and experiences to those of children growing up today.

Personally I didn't feel that a home computer was necessary for may education until about year 8-9, so when I was around 13-14.

I was however speaking to a teacher at my old primary (close family friend) and she was explaining how a lot of what is done in lessons for the older children (she teaches year 1-2 I think) is all computerised and they get a lot of homework to complete on a computer.

Now while I agree that these children may now all need a PC at home, I don't think it should be a brand new laptop paid for by the government.

As I have already mentioned there are so many mid range second hand computers capable of word processing and browsing out there that are just going to waste.
 
This scheme is a complete joke they are not handing out laptops to the poor they are handing them out to people on benefits like job seekers this is wrong and showing again you open your legs you get the benefits.

Most of the so called people that apply for this already have a family computer or access to one from another family member and as others have stated schools/library's offer services anyway which they never did in my day at school.

There is one thing about this which could have been good if they was only offering it for children with learning difficulties but £500 is a lot of money the government should have got the parents of kids with difficulties to apply to a head office between set dates then government sorts out a deal with say Asus to provide the set amount of laptops to those kids cost would have been massively decreased.
 
BluZiff said:
Although I completely agree with you, you cannot in anyway compare your education and experiences to those of children growing up today.
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Yes I can. The two differences are that computers are more widespread than in my day and thus basic computer skills will need to be taught in school and that rather than give children a firm education in reading, writing and arithmetic and the sciences* schools now teach too wide a range of subjects and rely far to much on the computer and technology to teach them.


* The standard of education in the basics nowadays is shocking. If a student wants to learn about Media Studies or Business Studies then that should be left for college once they have left school actually being able to understand the essentials.


I was however speaking to a teacher at my old primary (close family friend) and she was explaining how a lot of what is done in lessons for the older children (she teaches year 1-2 I think) is all computerised and they get a lot of homework to complete on a computer.
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Why does homework need to be on a computer? Written homework means kids need to learn to write and spell (because a pen isn't fitted with a spell checker).

No homework not even ICT homework needs to be done on a computer.

Planning lessons is fine as using a computer helps. Using an Interactive Whiteboard to get the message across helps. Blindly adding computers to any subject is stupid.
 
UnworthyBean said:
Thats a shame, 3 years younger and I could qualify. Part of me is saying that I should really work for a laptop, Pay for it myself. But then the other half of me knows that I would just take it.

£500 For a laptop? That could get you a bloody good spec laptop!
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Haha, same, if I was 2 years younger I'd be eligible too. Not that I really need it though, I suppose.

Although I must say, a computer has improved my education greatly. A lot of what I know in my sciences, I'd learnt way before we did them at school, so I was able to confirm and back up what I thought I knew, and the tests have been a breeze so far. Although I suppose most kids would just want the laptops to poke people on facebook.
 
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capriboy1978 said:
chavs? So every child that benefits is a chav whatever thats supposed to mean.


now I remember why I ignored GD in the past.
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Because you can't help putting words into people's mouths? I didn't say anywhere that every child that benefits is a chav. I'm sure a fairly decent percentage are though.
 
no, i obviously mistakenly assumed that 'dishing out free laptops to chavs' was a derogatary comment and you were impkying that all of them were by omitting to say 'dishing out free laptops to eligible kids, some of whom are chavs'. My bad.
 
LordSplodge said:
Yes I can. The two differences are that computers are more widespread than in my day and thus basic computer skills will need to be taught in school and that rather than give children a firm education in reading, writing and arithmetic and the sciences* schools now teach too wide a range of subjects and rely far to much on the computer and technology to teach them.


* The standard of education in the basics nowadays is shocking. If a student wants to learn about Media Studies or Business Studies then that should be left for college once they have left school actually being able to understand the essentials.




Why does homework need to be on a computer? Written homework means kids need to learn to write and spell (because a pen isn't fitted with a spell checker).

No homework not even ICT homework needs to be done on a computer.

Planning lessons is fine as using a computer helps. Using an Interactive Whiteboard to get the message across helps. Blindly adding computers to any subject is stupid.
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Its funny, I completely agree with with you, but thats just not the way it is. Teachers seem to be having to use a computer to do everything I don't know if these are instructions from the government the head teachers or they are doing it of their own backs to try and make lessons more "fun".

I can't personally for the life of me think why a 4-9 year old is getting homework that requires a brand new laptop.
 
capriboy1978 said:
no, i obviously mistakenly assumed that 'dishing out free laptops to chavs' was a derogatary comment and you were impkying that all of them were by omitting to say 'dishing out free laptops to eligible kids, some of whom are chavs'. My bad.
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Apology accepted. :)
 
Wicksta said:
How about we start by helping them rather than dishing out free laptops to chavs?
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I'm sure nobody has a problem helping out those who truly need it. However that doesn't mean free laptops that a large percentage of them will go to families that will abuse them as they are the type that exploits the benefit system (the "chavs" in Wicksta's above comment).

I don't know who comes up with this stupid harebrained schemes but there must be some Quango who's sole job it is is to come up with this kind of crap.

With access to pen and paper and school + library textbook and with good teachers and access to a computer outside of school hours on the occasions they are needed such as the school computer lab after school or the library any child can be given a high level of education. No amount of free laptops is going to fix the education destroying problems such as absent or uncaring parents or parents with too big a family to look after.

The Government should be looking at sorting out the education system so the good teachers are rewarded and the crap ones forced out the system. Combine this with the government coming down on lazy parents and that should help.

However when push comes to shove it's little Billy's parents that are at fault. If little Billy needs a computer then they should damn well save up and get him one and if that means giving up fags and booze and Sky TV then THAT'S WHAT YOU DO. It is YOUR JOB as a parent to do all you can to raise YOUR child in the best way possible.

On the flip side that means if little Billy needs some DISCIPLINE to get him on the straight and narrow then that's what you do. Don't become a parent f you cannot take the pressure.

capriboy1978 said:
now I remember why I ignored GD in the past.
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You know where the door is.
 
In my country each student got given 400 euros off any laptop they got,they got a sheet with a spec on it the laptop had to match or beat to get the discount tho so no one could go out and get a cheap netbook or free.
 
BluZiff said:
Its funny, I completely agree with with you, but thats just not the way it is. Teachers seem to be having to use a computer to do everything I don't know if these are instructions from the government the head teachers or they are doing it of their own backs to try and make lessons more "fun".

I can't personally for the life of me think why a 4-9 year old is getting homework that requires a brand new laptop.
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Lessons aren't meant to be "fun" they are meant to be educational. As for the demand that computers be used I think that is coming down from Government.

Whilst I'm on the subject why are kids not allowed to fail anymore and why are the less gifted kids kept in with the bright kids in a lot of subjects. Why don't they syphon off the cream whilst giving those left gifted a chance without slowing the gifted down?
 
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