Are you creating content or consuming it?

As devices change and prices continue to inch downward, I'm becoming slightly more convinced each day that more and more school districts will attempt to put some type of technological devices in the hands of every student. I've been involved with several school districts as they discuss the pros and cons of such thoughts and novels could be written on the factors that should be considered as this topic is bandied about.

Make no mistake - I think the most important question that could be asked when considering a device for a 1:1 initiative is something along the lines of "what does the end result look like in your vision" or, put a bit more bluntly, "what do you want users to do with it?"

As different devices are being evaluated, that needs to be a focal question. While I may be oversimplifying the topic a bit with this post, one theme to be considered when evaluating devices is whether the device is built to create content or to consume it.

Consider, for a moment, smaller devices. Here are netbooks from Dell, HP and Lenovo. While not having a 'netbook', Apple has an iPod touch and the coming iPad that you may have heard a little about. Are these good or bad for education? Are they good or bad for 1:1 consideration? These aren't the right questions. Depending on what you want to do, these may be great or terrible devices. Apple execs might quibble with me on the iPad and who really knows since the device hasn't been released yet, but I would generally state that these devices mentioned are fine for most consumption of content. Teachers and learners need to consume vast amounts of content. We read books and articles, watch videos, review (and maybe take?) notes. All of this is well and good and, if this is what you envision your students doing with these devices, then items in this category might be worth consideration. **SIDE NOTE** Though this is another topic for another time, districts need to consider warranty and how long they expect users to carry these devices. Most devices in this category do not carry a lengthy warranty as a standard and this is well worth considering.

Your more powerful desktops and notebooks carry a higher price tag, but they are generally considered better for creation of content. I won't bother with all of the links, but devices in this category can contain many of the following features: fast processors, large displays, webcams, high-speed wired and wireless ports, multiple USB, Firewire and SD connectivity options, high-end graphics cards, long battery life, built-in DVD burners, large hard drives and/or solid-state drives and on and on and on. You may need some of this, all of this or none of this. At times, teachers and learners may be asked to create and edit videos. Manipulating large video files and keeping them in memory can be very resource-intensive. Some engineering software like AutoCAD requires powerful specifications for the computers to run the software.

This isn't to argue for or against one category of device. The point here is to ask the right questions when making a large decision like this. Districts need to have that instructional vision and determine ahead of time whether that device being carried around will be used primarily for consumption of content or creation of it.