A laptop shopping trip can be stressful, especially if you or your children will be learning online for the first time. Different ages of children have different laptop needs and different laptop use cases. Additionally, as students' needs evolve, so do the options for the best laptop and best Chromebook. For this reason, I talked to the students themselves.
I've listed a variety of options to suit a wide range of preferences and budgets. Rather than an exhaustive list, they're just a jumping-off point: every student is different. You should read reviews and try out devices yourself before making a decision. If there are any items in stock, I will keep this article updated.
Michelle Glogovac explains that touchscreens are easier to use for younger students than keyboards and touchpads. In Webex meetings with his kindergarten class, Gologovac's five-year-old son uses an iPad. Glogovac says that he's already mastered the skill of muting and unmuting himself, 'a skill many adults aren't familiar with.'
If you decide to go the tablet route, you may want to invest in a keyboard case. Using her iPad's flat screen, Glogovac has to type out her son's passwords and meeting codes, which can be cumbersome. Depending on their needs, kids' best laptop choices will change as they grow. You need to discuss how your child intends to use it and the size of the programs they want with them as a parent.
She didn't realize how quickly her daughter Bella, nine, would fill up 32GB of storage on the budget HP laptop. 'It is really slow, and it does not have any space for games.'. Bella said she needs a laptop with more storage. She uses it for Zooming with friends and virtual guitar lessons, as well as math enrichment classes. In the next few weeks, Wallace plans to purchase a better device for Bella.
Kids' laptops need to have good audio quality. As part of their online classes, elementary library media specialist Lisa Mitchell says her students watch YouTube videos on their devices. Distance learners, even those who are close to an outlet, may find that battery life is a big plus, as well. Bella uses her laptop all over the house without bringing a cord.
Mitchell also believes that durability is a worthwhile investment. Get a protective case for your tablet. It's usually worth the extra expense if you can get reasonably priced insurance or a replacement policy.'
Most of the middle school students I spoke to only used their laptops for browsing the web and doing their schoolwork. Make sure the machine is comfortable and easy for your child to use, rather than focusing on power. Gabrielle Hartley, an attorney, and mother of three children said that her family recently purchased a Chromebook and it is perfect. For a basic middle schooler, the Chromebook serves all their needs.
The eighth-grader Max Hartley, who is Hartley's son, concurs. It would be great if I could plug in a monitor and play video games with 120 frames per second, but that's not what I need,' Max says. Almost all eighth graders won't run video games or any software that requires a large amount of power on their laptops.'
Besides using Gmail, Slides, Docs, and Sheets, Max mostly uses Google Classroom applications. He describes his device as 'an everyday Samsung Chromebook.' That said, if your child is starting middle school this year, you might want to check with their teachers to find out what operating system best suits their needs. He has trouble downloading apps from the Google Play Store because his school blocks him from using his Chromebook.
The laptop needs of high schoolers can vary depending on their interests, but most don't require powerful machines with many bells and whistles - especially if they come with bugs or serious flaws that inhibit schoolwork. High school student Miles Riehle has a high-end Surface Pro 7 but finds it too much to handle. He described the large number of other items he does not use very often. 'Need something that's a little more straightforward.'
Depending on your child's experience, the best operating system may vary. The student of Barrington High School in Illinois, Aryan Nambiar, uses an iPad to complete his schoolwork. He has an iMac at home. Because Riehle has an Android phone and uses Google services frequently, he would prefer a Chromebook.
The most important attribute of a high school laptop according to almost every student I spoke to was portability. Students attending classes in person may carry their devices around all day with other books. Choose a model with a screen between 13 and 14 inches, or a lighter model between 15 and 17 inches.
Students in college have a right to spend a bit more money. Students (especially in STEM courses) should be prepared to do some challenging work. In order to complete his assignments, Assad Abid from Pakistan needs to use simulation software. Chandra's extensive coding work is in addition to his work in Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and gaming.
He attends New Horizon College of Engineering in India. Additionally, some students noted that investing in a laptop that will last for several years after graduation is worthwhile. Until you're (hopefully) working, you won't have to worry about finding and financing your next gadget.
Still, there's a lot of choice among high-end, capable devices. College students like their laptops to be light. It's going with you to classes, meals, meetings, the library, and everywhere else on campus. 'I like that I can carry my laptop and a few notebooks without feeling like I'm carrying too much for six hours a day,' says Villanova University student Haseeb Waseem.
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