DavidScott

Just to clarify that SMART subscription costs under Notebook Advantage do not vary according to hardware - if you have paid for a Notebook license for use on non-SMART panels it is yours to keep (this allows you to use Notebook on it) but after your included subscription period has ended then you will need to re-subscribe to keep Notebook up to date and for certain items to continue working. The price for a Notebook license key for use on a non-SMART panel is typically SRP £299 including 1 year of Advantage or SRP £349 if 3 years is included. SMART interactive panels include the Notebook license key and 3 years of Notebook Advantage subscription as part of the panel price. They also come with 5 years onsite warranty too these days. Notebook Advantage subscriptions are available typically around SRP £34 per display for 1 year or SRP £75 for 3 years. It doesn't matter if you have SMART or not now as you have acquired the Notebook license. This can be reduced if you are looking to provide the latest Notebook for your school by way of a Site license purchase - this can take the price down to SRP £16 for the 1 year product but certain rules are administered, the main one being that you need to have Notebook licensed for all classrooms, either by owning a SMART interactive display or buying Notebook licenses for rooms that do not have it. Your local channel partner can provide you with a personalised quote, and VeryPC who have been part of the conversation here are very good (every pun intended)

Oh and wait until one of the kids drops one of them....

Netbooks will continue to be around for the foreseeable, this is because they provide decent enough performance at a relatively low price and this ticks a lot of boxes for schools. Add in the fact that they play nicely on a domain and run most previously used educational software (if it isn't written in Android or iOS then tablets tend to disrupt things) and you'll see why netbooks will remain on the market for use in classrooms - albeit from a smaller range of suppliers and potentially a bit more specialist in use. Take the Classmate 2S Classmate 2S - a netbook and tablet in one, a product designed specifically for use in primary classrooms.

It depends on what you are looking for and what you want to do with them. Netbooks are continuing and are ideal for use in schools due to their relative price. You do get what you pay for generally but schools don't need 3D graphics or massive multi-tasking performance so a netbook provides a good balanced spec in a little box that takes up less space on desks. And whilst there's a need then someone will make something. A good example of this is Classmate 2S which is a convertible netbook unit that twists into a tablet too. It's built with a robust design and with additional software all units in the class can be connected up to the teacher's laptop for fast file sharing, URL sharing, observation, control and broadcast etc. Worth a look.

Staningrimsby - the product website says that a demo can be arranged in school and is probably worth a look Classmate 2S RabbieBurns - I'm not sure they'll come out to Australia for the demo but best of luck finding an alternative. The chassis is an Intel Classmate product so there should be an updated version available. All the latest products have Intel Atom N2600 processors inside so should be easy to spot.

Well you'll struggle for that kind of pricing especially with Windows 7 Pro, but have you seen this - Classmate 2S - a convertible, robust netbook which is both netbook and touch tablet. Great for primary. About £300 for Starter and £355 for Pro

Whilst I'm not doubting anything said re: Chromebooks in HE and FE - there are netbook products about that are continuing. The Intel Convertible netbook isn't going away and is a great product for primary education where needs are more aligned to introductory pc use: it's flexible, robustly designed and at a low price, giving younger pupils a bit of pc and a bit of tablet - see this Classmate 2S I think there will continue to be a range of specific products available which are relevant to the needs of the schools using them.

Just to make the point that Amazon is a consumer website and that list shows what people are buying for use in the main at home. Technology purchases should made be relative to the person using it - this is why netbooks in schools will still continue for the time being as they are cheaper than full priced laptop or ultrabook products, can be flexible and robust, whilst preparing the pupil for future pc and laptop use in Windows. A lot of what an ultrabook can do just isn't needed in class. I believe that Chromebooks will have a place in this conversation ultimately, but only if the school wants their pupils online all day. I actually think that netbooks are the right long term blend of usability, performance and price point for use in primary school classrooms. Chromebooks and standard laptops become more relevant for secondary with ultrabooks for HE/FE. As for Android, (and iOS for that matter) why move away from Windows? It's where corporate business is. Isn't that what we're preparing the kids for anyway?

I'd be looking at the infrastructure to give the site a solid base - once the network and wireless has been brought up to standard then I'd be looking at what the pupils and teachers will be using. For the age group I'd be looking at something robust (ipads will shatter if dropped) so maybe a convertible netbook? Slots straight onto the Windows domain and stands a chance of making it if it gets knocked or dropped. They're good value these days and you could perhaps buy a class set and move them around in a charge trolley? Have a look at this one Classmate 2S and a trolley from Laptop Security | Compucharge Limited | UK Laptop Storage solutions Good luck

How about going wireless? eg AVer W30 unit AVer W30 Wireless Interactive Visualiser Then the users will be able to pass them around desk to desk? Great for the kids and on saves the wiring and splitters? :-)

The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) placed a Legal responsibility on employers, suppliers and hirers etc to take reasonable steps to ensure that no danger results from the use of electrical equipment. This means all Portable Appliances have to be regularly tested to ensure they are safe. Essentially this is anything movable with a plug and would include PCs. I'm not sure why people would exempt them from this requirement?

Quite true. Not to mention file management and cost control issues. And I wouldn't touch Windows 8 until SP1 comes out either unless you want bugs too!

Exactly the point I made earlier - they're consuming media and not actually learning. Hence it's a consumer device and best left at home!

It's easy for the iPad to be seen as the product for educational needs but the plain and simple response to this is that it is a consumer product being positioned as something educational by a global brand with lots of marketing budget. Don't fall for it - if the app isn't written for your need then the product becomes locked down, it isn't robust enough for class use and it's very deployment makes all previous digital resources used in the school completely redundant (Notebook, ActivInspire, 2Simple, Espresso, Sherston etc). It's a great example of a product being shoehorned into education and everyone has fallen for it as they are cool and work nicely at home. For me, that's where they should stay. They're great for consumption but I think the kids will need more than that. I'd stick with Windows morning, noon and night. Far easier to connect to the network, save files, print, IT administration etc. I'd also hold off Windows 8 until SP1 rolls along unless you want bugs too. For products, robust convertible netbooks work well for Primary - see this one: Classmate 2S which is a good all round spec for £299 on 7 Starter or £359 on 7 Pro. It'll teach them keyboard skills as well as allowing them to be used as tablets for moving outside or into the library or hall. Consider a software product that connects them together to share files and URLs etc (something else you can't do with an iPad either) as then you can start to use them quickly and efficiently. They may actually learn something with them! In Secondary I can't see why a full sized laptop isn't sufficient as it'll give the pupils everything they need. Just my 2p's worth, hope it helps. Good luck

Products offering the best of both worlds - netbook and tablet hybrids - appear to offer flexibility whilst retaining core pc functionality, for example keyboard use. Other features including robustness allow a sturdily built product to become mobile and used outside of the standard classroom. Specifications have improved whilst pricing has come down - Classmate 2S - this convertible netbook is being offered around £299 for Windows 7 Starter with Atom dual core processor, 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD and a 10hr battery.

Whilst a list of pros and cons works well to gather experiences - I think it's very much a question of what you intend to do with them. If you dissect the Apple hype then without an app written for exactly what you want to do then the iPad becomes a locked down product that cannot be efficiently managed by teachers in a classroom either. For Primary environments I would prefer using a Windows netbook product (preferably rugged in design) connected to a classroom management software product. In this way you can run everything that the school previously used software-wise, connect them to your domain for saving/backing up work, and open URLs/share files/actually teach something with them. My personal experience of the iPad is that once the initial 'shiny' factor has worn off they just become rather expensive toys. A teacher cannot really keep control of what the kids are doing on them in class and therefore I would not be confident that they're doing what they've been asked to do. I'm recommending a trial of the new Classmate - Classmate 2S - a rugged netbook and convertable touch tablet, Windows 7, with management software that works with the SMART Board. Hopefully the best of both worlds.

I'd take a look at the new Classmate 2S product - an updated version of the Fizzbook. New improved spec (Atom N2600 dual core, 2GB RAM and an all day battery) for what looks to be a lower price (quoted £359 for a Win 7 Pro unit) It's got HDD inside but it's sw-protected, SSD only provides limited space for the money and if they protect it there seems to be no need to compromise space?

The Fizzbook Spin was updated over the summer to the Classmate 2S - with all of the same features as before but with an improved spec and at a lower price. Info is here - Classmate 2S The new product has Atom N2600 1.6GHz dual core, 2GB RAM, 320GB protected HDD and a 10 hour battery. Prices start from around £299 (Win7 Starter) or £359 (Pro) with different warranty options available. SMART Classroom Suite software is provided for the netbooks, allowing them to use Notebook, teachers then need a £49 licence to connect them all up. Other software includes Labcam, Evernote, ArtRage and McAfee. It looks a good unit for the price

Relating to the hardware switch and the cost of the licence upgrade - my understanding is that if you are completely new to ActivInspire then Promethean will upgrade you to ActivInspire Professional for *free* with your ActivBoard serial number. English : ActivInspire : Software : Promethean Planet So to me in this case, it means it is possible to take the upgrade to Professional software (which lets you use your Activ software on other Boards) and then switch over to SMART - which will add touch and (in my opinion) the better software product, Notebook. By taking Professional, you will meet the terms of the Promethean EULA and will be free to switch.

Hello ninjadingle I would recommend a call into Steljes Technical Services at this point as it sounds as if you have done your homework. They can begin to troubleshoot the situation with you and you will know at least that if you require a technical visit then you are speaking to the right people. They can be reached on 08450 724999. Best of luck

Just to clarify that the first generation 600i whiteboard system had speakers as part of the projector unit, so indeed the unit would need to be switched on for those speakers to work. Subsequent generations of the 600i system (600i2 and now new 600i3) have not included integrated speakers, as the feeling was that why include them in an all in one, when some users were not interested in using them. SMART sell a USB Speaker system where the independent speakers hang from each side of the Board and are not connected to the projector, meaning that you don't need this on any longer. This will bring audio into your classroom. For those interested in a specialist voice amplification system, SMART has recently released SMART Audio, with teacher and pupil microphones, and 4 wall- or ceiling-mounted speakers to bring audio into all 4 corners of the classroom. Information on these items are available from the SMARTtech.com website: USB Speakers: SMART - SMART Board accessories,*SMART Board 600 series interactive whiteboard SMART Audio: SMART - SMART Audio I hope this provides clarity and is of information. Best regards,

This is sound advice and I'm 99.9% sure that this will resolve your problem. If you are still having problems I would recommend a call into Steljes Technical Services department, they can be reached on 08450 724999.

So how did the presentation go?

Whilst Alex has made some valid points around software, training and community I would like to correct a point made in his post. SMART Notebook collaborative learning software is very much aimed at education users, with new version 10 adding in over 30 new features which have been requested by teachers. SMART has produced a separate corporate software product called Meeting Pro. For UK users, Steljes has produced further online community resources in the shape of mysmartspaces MySMARTSpaces, bringing together the best of the web for SMART product information and resources etc. This is designed to support SMART's own SMART Exchange where users can share resources and/or ideas to make classrooms extraordinary learning areas. In response to an earlier post by dhicks, a good example of the developing technology can be seen in the new SMART Table, a collaborative learning platform designed specifically for primary school users. This can be seen on the SMART Stand at BETT next week, on stand B50 in the main hall should you be there. Alternatively information can be obtained from mysmartspaces. Also on the stand and worthy of a view is the new 600i, the next generation of SMART's integrated whiteboard solution, as well as a number of other new products that will be released in the early part of this year.