Netbooks and smartphones to replace school laptops

Laptops not so essential says educational tech suppliers survey

Netbooks are being tipped to become more popular than laptops in schools within five years

Future education contracts may require the inclusion of more netbooks and smartphones than laptops, if a survey by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) is any guide.

BESA surveyed 406 primary schools on pupils’ use of IT at school and at home, to discover which technologies are considered best for pupils and which pupils themselves most enjoy.

“According to schools, laptops are the most popular computer type among children, followed by desktop PCs. However, by 2015, educators feel that this will be replaced by a move towards netbooks and smartphones,” said Ray Barker, director at BESA.

“In 2015, educators expect pupil preference for desktop PCs and laptops to drop dramatically, with 69 per cent of pupils desiring their own netbooks, and another 13 per cent favouring smartphones.”

Only four per cent of the schools surveyed currently used netbooks in IT suites.

Three-quarters of pupils who responded to the survey said that home access to games consoles – such as PlayStation or Xbox – were helpful to their education. Teachers rated access to a games console for pupils as more important than having access to a mobile phone.

“Teachers had very different opinions when it comes to the use of mobile phones by primary school-aged children. On the one hand, 39 per cent stated that children should not have access out of school to mobile phones,” said Barker.

“Another 29 per cent of teachers said the ideal situation would be if all pupils had access to a mobile.”