[refault]

Quote:

Originally Posted by viator122 I don't think anyone's arguing that high school students should not have access to the internet. The question is whether a high school student needs his own computer. I say a high school student does not need his own computer because there isn't that much work for which a high school student needs a computer that he can't share it with his sister. I believe access to a family computer should suffice. What is most convenient, however, is a different story....

Uh...

the internet has A LOT of information that one can learn about. The more a person spends time on the internet/a computer doing (hopefully) useful things the more the person will learn about our world. Today high schoolers know little to nothing outside what they learn in high school, and that's really sad.

There isn't much "work" to do? Haha. The "work" one does for our educational system is dumb. It's vocational preparation, that's all. Nothing really persuades the average high school student to actually think, to actually know. That's where the internet comes in, it can be a replacement to the lack of intellectual pursuits of high school.

I guess older generations have a hard time understanding the internet itself because it is so new to them.

 

[viator122]

Dude, I am 25.

You missed the point of my post, which was that although the internet is a necessary and desirable tool these days, it is not necessary for every high school student to have his/her own computer.

 

[smeggy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by refault I guess older generations have a hard time understanding the internet itself because it is so new to them.

Your comments would be funny if you weren't so naive. Which generation do you think it is that spoon feeds your generation with all this technology?

The internet new to us? Let's think about this.... It's been around longer than you have. So, new to who exactly because I've been doing this since you were a baby.

Computers... again, they've been around a lot longer than you, and I have been using them professionally and recreationally for over 25 years.

The tech Industry... I actually work in it providing people like you with the things you use on these gadgets.

This isn't about boasting or one-upping, it to get people to think before spouting bs.

And, as has been pointed out numerous times, it's not about not using them, it's about whether everyone actually needs to have one of their own... they don't. The fact that you think everyone *should* have one doesn't invalidate that point.

 

[skyline889]

Quote:

Originally Posted by viator122 Dude, I am 25. You missed the point of my post, which was that although the internet is a necessary and desirable tool these days, it is not necessary for every high school student to have his/her own computer.

No, actually if you bothered to read the the OP's first post and his posts after that, his question wasn't if a computer was necessary or not. It was if high school students had their own computer and whether or not they felt that it was worth it. Being that neither you nor Smeggy are high school students I don't think either of you have the right to be patronizing anyone in this thread. Especially since the OP's question wasn't directed at you in the first place.

 

[viator122]

No one is patronizing anyone. However, it is clear that this thread has (predictably) evolved into a discussion on the merits of high school students owning computers.

 

[steel102]

i agree that a high school student should at least have easy access to a computer, doesn't necessarily have to be "theirs" though. in my school teachers often assigned powerpoint projects, require papers to be typed, etc. my calculus teacher also posted homework assignments/review materials on his website. occasionally we have had film-making projects as well, and although the teachers did give time in class to work on it, the people who got good grades were the ones who worked on it longer at home, on their own (or family's) computers. the problem is that the computer lab/library at my school close 30 mins after the end of school, and the town library only gives you one hour on the computers (they have an electronic sign in system to keep track).

 

[iGig]

I would let my kid have his own computer because I don’t want to share mine.

 

[lini]

Need? Probably not. Should have? Definitely yes. One's own computer is one's personal tool - with one's own choice of software, settings, bookmarks, directory structure, backup scheme et cetera.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[trains are bad]

When I was high school age (I didn't go to highschool), I could have anything I could afford to buy myself.

 

[akwok]

I got my own laptop when I was 12. I used it until I was 15.

I'm currently in CS; I'm pretty sure that laptop is the reason why I'm in CS,

. I remember learning about and writing BASIC a year after I got it. Good days!

 

[Ampersand]

No.

It would most likely be used for downloading ****.....

or, on the upside, music.





Apparently, I can't type the word p@rn.

 

[HiWire]

It's nice, but not a necessity.

I didn't have my own computer until a year after I was working full time, after university. As posted above - as long as the student has access to something for the time they need, and the ability to move files back and forth (e.g. disks, a flash drive, etc.).

It's nice to have a digital lifestyle - e.g. instant messaging, downloading stuff, etc., but still not a necessity 24 hours a day.

 

[Orpheus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c0mfortably_numb Ha this thread makes me feel old Windows 95 came out as I was graduating LOL my first computer, a hand me down Vic 20 with a tape drive! Needless to say it didn't get much use from me, then I got a used XT and built my first "real" computer (PII400 in 1997) Now I have 5, of which I only use 1 really anymore, others were unix/linux, server etc.... I think computers could be helpful to a high school student or any student for that matter, if used correctly. There is allot of research that can be done on the internet, word processing with spell checking, etc..If not your own computer, at least get a second computer that can be shared, when the other one is being used. Computers are dirt cheap now I remember when I built my first computer just a 17" monitor cost me $700 there what $80 now? Then the computer cost close to $1900 for the parts alone, can build a very usable one now for a few hundred dollars.

yup... vic 20 was my first too. i had it since 2nd grade (which would be like 22 years ago, i think.) i started programming that very year. in fact, i've written computer programs back in my jr. high days more advanced than what cs majors would ever do in university. i ended up graduating with a degree in biology, but i now work as a software engineer at a big company... and the only thing i had to show during the interview was my stuff from my childhood--never took any serious computer classes.

i would without hesitation buy my kids computers before they are even born. it's the only way you will survive in this new age, and is the key to the future.

 

[ruffryder7447]

How hard is it to build a computer? Any good guides out there?

 

[K2Grey]

It is likely possible to find reasonable guides with the search function and some work (although it's enough work that you're justified in asking for help).

I haven't built one myself, but the impression I've gotten is that it's just plugging things into each other: no soldering, drilling, etc.