Also you are wrong when you claim that the problems faced in schools and offices are not the same. Ghost will only work if you assume the problem with the laptop is due to the user installing unauthorised software or messing with the settings. If the hard disk or other hardware crashes Ghost is useless (which is a regular occurrence on laptops sold by the cheapest vendor looking to offload their old stock). If you put 1000 laptops into an organisation (and many schools have that number of students) then it will be a full time job for at least 5 people just to maintain them and run the network.

I’m sure there are even lesser known (and more expensive) pieces of software that exist for tech drawing, woodwork, metalwork etc.

No, I’m not… I’m talking about curriculum software (e-textbooks if you will). What makes you think they won’t have to be bought for considerable prices every year? And as I said, free textbooks available online wouldn’t be suitable; most school books are written for a specific curriculum, the curriculum is not designed against what’s already available (the point being that what’s already available would have to be reworked for the Irish system and it wouldn’t be done for free IMO).
Also licences for certain software is quite expensive (not operating software, app. software) and while there are plenty of good Open Source equivalents (like Open Office) the more complex software like, as I cited earlier, photoshop doesn’t have a good equivalent.

You suggest there are other ways for children to learn about computers, what are they? And we’re talking about real computer literacy here not simply launching a word processor and knowing how to type. And I’m not ignoring the problems with prefabs or lack of science lab equipment, or resource teachers or any number of things. This does not have to be an either/or scenario.

If the money suggested for laptop purchases/maintenance is put into buying a smaller number of desktops (which are cheaper anyway) for schools an IT subject could be created… thought over 3-5 years it certainly wouldn’t just be teaching the kids how to type or use word… with 1-2 hours a week they’d have a superb understanding of advanced computer skills by the time they graduated.

This proposal has its own merits. Taking one example course work on a PC is much more easily configured for different learning abilties allowing the student to learn at a more appropriate level. A book is static, the PC version can be more fluid.

If you mean that a computer can be configured for people with visual/aural impairments, fair enough, but I’m not sure how it can help kids who need more time/attention to learn than others more than a textbook and a good teacher can.

You suggest there are other ways for children to learn about computers, what are they? And we’re talking about real computer literacy here not simply launching a word processor and knowing how to type. And I’m not ignoring the problems with prefabs or lack of science lab equipment, or resource teachers or any number of things. This does not have to be an either/or scenario. This proposal has its own merits. Taking one example course work on a PC is much more easily configured for different learning abilties allowing the student to learn at a more appropriate level. A book is static, the PC version can be more fluid.

There’s only so far a manufacturer would be willing to discount to; there’s every chance that my guestimate was off (because I don’t know the costs of a worthwhile machine, just how much they tend to sell for) but I don’t forsee it being off my too much.

Remember it isn’t high end graphics we’re taking about here. Also, my laptop is five years old and it still does it’s job and I only recently upgraded it to XP.

There’s more to a solid working computer than graphics; an average processor and amount of ram can quickly become outdated as newer, more demanding programmes surface. The likes of Photoshop being an example (and I’m sure there are other CAD equivalents for word/metal work etc.)
As for your own laptop, glad to hear it’s still working, my experience with them hasn’t been nearly as good

And how much do school books cost per year just out of the interest? I seem to remember them being a few hundred quid, and as been outlined elsewhere many books today are coursework meaing you aren’t allowed to get secondhand versions.

You don’t think the same issues would arise with software? There are plenty of digital textbooks available online but you can bet they often wouldn’t be used or useful (as they’re not made for the Irish curriculum).
And then there’s the issue of regular application-based software for design etc.

The way I’m seeing it there’s no real game-plan here and no real reason for bringing laptops in besides to throw money around. The education system needs to be worked on from the ground-up… it doesn’t need a sugar coating like this.
What advantages do you see to having laptops in the school? Children do need to learn how to use a computer, but they can reach that goal in other ways; what does this add to the education system that can’t be reached in more productive/simpler ways?

Remember it isn’t high end graphics we’re taking about here. Also, my laptop is five years old and it still does it’s job and I only recently upgraded it to XP.

And how much do school books cost per year just out of the interest? I seem to remember them being a few hundred quid, and as been outlined elsewhere many books today are coursework meaing you aren’t allowed to get secondhand versions.

cf, tell ya what you go ahead and tell your management that. After all, you don’t seem to be able to tell the difference between an office and a school. Ghost or something like it will do people, in this case secondary school kids, fine if they are supposed to have a standard setup that isn’t changing from one end of the year to the other. As for hardware maintenacen, it’s not like you need an IT qualifaction to assembly a laptop.

The issue of security about bringing the laptops home and into school is the only reasonable practical objection I’ve heard so far.

And I’m so relieved to hear Ghost is the answer to all IT problems and it allows a couple of IT literate people to deal with all IT problems for an organisation of up to 1000 people. I’ll just pop downstairs and tell the IT manager that he and his 10 person staff are a waste of money and they are being replaced by Ghost and a recently qualified teacher who can’t get a job so should be available cheap. If I give them their notice today I’ll have them fired before Christmas and the FY end. I’ll get a big bonus for cost savings and a feature spot in the next Dilbert newsletter.

No one is suggesting FG want children to stop working just that their constant stream of half baked ideas is doing them electoral damage. No one is defending the government just saying that this idea is even more stupid than some of the stuff the current government has done.