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Free Lap Tops


Hatch
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Totally agree Hatch. Not a chance.

 

If low income families want state-provided free internet so they can check up on their children's education, can't they just visit a library like anyone else?

 

Or get off their chavvy ars*s and walk to school & speak to little Courtney or Tylers teacher to find out if the little brats had turned up recently.

 

Mind you thats assuming the teachers managed to 'struggle' through the snow.

 

Sweeping generalisations, but so what.

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Excellent proposal, although it shouldn't be intended just to monitor kids at school.

 

So many government services are available on-line these days, as well as adult education and other education resources.

 

The gap between the "haves" who can afford the internet and the "have-nots" is widening, and schemes like this are very much needed.

 

The government can't force people to use them 'properly', but there will be plenty of people who would be delighted by this move and make the most out of it.

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The Chavs say that they can't afford Lap Tops, OK then get rid of the Sky dish then you could have one...O i forgot Sky is a necessity these days and is inc in the Gov's means of deciding poverty. What a joke. Work hard and you get taxed to death.....Do nothing at all and you win

As has been said earlier this is what librarys are for.

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Surely internet access could be forced through a government portal which allows access to education & training information and/or job centre online?

 

Facebook, myspace, twitter, youtube and even Saintsweb could all be blocked along with anything classed as entertainment. If this was possible, then I would be all for it.

 

Having said this, the scheme for 270,000 laptops would be £300m. I make that £1100 per laptop. That is ridiculous when you can get a decent Dell laptop for £400. If this isn't an election bribe, then I don't know what is. Hey Gordon, why don't you throw in a few 42" flatscreens, playstations and a few Wii's?

Edited by Johnny Bognor
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Having said this, the scheme for 270,000 laptops would be £300m. I make that £1100 per laptop. That is ridiculous when you can get a decent Dell laptop for £400. If this isn't an election bribe, then I don't know what is. Hey Gordon, why don't you throw in a few 42" flatscreens, playstations and a few Wii's?

 

You have to take into account that this is the Brown government we are dealing with here, So I'm assuming that only £100m at most of that will be to cover the purchase price of the laptops, and the rest will be swallowed up in administration, delivery costs, tech support etc...

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You have to take into account that this is the Brown government we are dealing with here, So I'm assuming that only £100m at most of that will be to cover the purchase price of the laptops, and the rest will be swallowed up in administration, delivery costs, tech support etc...

 

I don't imagine any company would deliver them for free out of the goodness of their corporate hearts now would they. There will also be installation costs, as you well know. It is highly unlikely that any of the recipients will have servers. And of course there would have to be support and insurance cover in place otherwise it wouldn't be worth handing them out.

 

The administration costs will be mainly eaten up by identifying who qualifies. Unless you want them to go to any Tom, **** or Harry.

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The Chavs say that they can't afford Lap Tops, OK then get rid of the Sky dish then you could have one...O i forgot Sky is a necessity these days and is inc in the Gov's means of deciding poverty. What a joke. Work hard and you get taxed to death.....Do nothing at all and you win

As has been said earlier this is what librarys are for.

 

All poor people must be chavs and must be scrounging off the state.

 

What a total load of old b*ll*cks.

 

Also:

 

1) Who is the government to say what people are allowed to spend their money on? If someone wants Sky tv and only eats potatoes and baked beans surely it is their personal choice. Also, some people will have dishes with no subscription, because it was the best was to get digital tv (in case you haven't noticed, analogue is on the way out).

 

2) We are one of the least taxed countries in Europe, so I'd stop whinging about being overtaxed if I were you.

Edited by bungle
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Surely internet access could be forced through a government portal which allows access to education & training information and/or job centre online?

 

Facebook, myspace, twitter, youtube and even Saintsweb could all be blocked along with anything classed as entertainment. If this was possible, then I would be all for it.

 

Having said this, the scheme for 270,000 laptops would be £300m. I make that £1100 per laptop. That is ridiculous when you can get a decent Dell laptop for £400. If this isn't an election bribe, then I don't know what is. Hey Gordon, why don't you throw in a few 42" flatscreens, playstations and a few Wii's?

 

I'm sure that is possible. I read somewhere that Swindon council were planning on giving free broaband access to all of it's residents. Ok, they are not giving them a laptop but the infrastructure should be in place to block the sites that are of no educational use.

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There will also be installation costs, as you well know. It is highly unlikely that any of the recipients will have servers. And of course there would have to be support and insurance cover in place otherwise it wouldn't be worth handing them out.

 

The administration costs will be mainly eaten up by identifying who qualifies. Unless you want them to go to any Tom, **** or Harry.

 

 

Which surely makes more sense to place them in Libraries and or Job Centres who will already have internet access and IT resources?

 

This would either save money (we are in a recession you know) or enable more workstations to be available.

 

I think it will also be much more convenient, especially if they are located in job centres - people will be going to the Job Centre regularly anyway to look for work, so they can pop onto the internet while they are there.

 

There you go, Internet Access for all, saving money and providing convenience to the less well off. Vote JB for PM

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Which surely makes more sense to place them in Libraries and or Job Centres who will already have internet access and IT resources?

 

 

But one of the aims is to allow children from poorer families internet access at home to help them with their homework.

 

The places you mention are not open in the evenings. And, pipe-dreaming I know, suppose these places were open in the evening, there would not be enough workstations / supervision to staff them if every child decided to go along to do their homework.

 

I think it's a great idea - liberating thousands of people and helping children and families who DO want to get on, to get on.

 

Not everyone on a low income is a wastrel you know.

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Which surely makes more sense to place them in Libraries and or Job Centres who will already have internet access and IT resources?

 

This would either save money (we are in a recession you know) or enable more workstations to be available.

 

I think it will also be much more convenient, especially if they are located in job centres - people will be going to the Job Centre regularly anyway to look for work, so they can pop onto the internet while they are there.

 

There you go, Internet Access for all, saving money and providing convenience to the less well off. Vote JB for PM

 

Not everyone who is poor is unemployed. Why should they be forced to the Job Centre to look for work?

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hopefully they will have management software on so they cannot be used online for anything other than jobsites.

 

But i doubt it

 

You clearly haven't even read the original article.

 

In my book that makes you workshy and lazy. Off to the job centre with you, scum.

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But one of the aims is to allow children from poorer families internet access at home to help them with their homework.

 

The places you mention are not open in the evenings. And, pipe-dreaming I know, suppose these places were open in the evening, there would not be enough workstations / supervision to staff them if every child decided to go along to do their homework.

 

I think it's a great idea - liberating thousands of people and helping children and families who DO want to get on, to get on.

 

Not everyone on a low income is a wastrel you know.

 

Indeed. But just imagine the reaction from the large majority of people who will qualify for this...

 

"The government are giving me a free laptop and internet connection. Wow, I'll be able to keep track of little Johnny's education!"

 

Or perhaps...

 

"The government are giving me a free laptop and internet connection. Wow, I'll be able to watch porn, play online poker, and spend hours on facebook while I'm not at work!"

 

Which do you think is more likely?

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But one of the aims is to allow children from poorer families internet access at home to help them with their homework.

 

That is a fair point, so I'll revert back to my original point about access being restricted to educational websites for children and adult education / job seeking sites for the parents.

 

I am all for helping people to get on, but I don't see why I should pay for their entertainment.

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Or perhaps...

 

"The government are giving me a free laptop and internet connection. Wow, I'll be able to watch porn, play online poker, and spend hours on facebook while I'm not at work or even at work like some of those wastrels on SWF!"

 

Which do you think is more likely?

 

Happy to edit in the name of accuracy :D

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The article doesn't actually say whether they'll be locked down or not, tbf.

 

But the article DOES say that the proposal is to help education, and is nothing to do with work. So why should they only be allowed to look at job sites, when that is nothing to do with the proposal?

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That is a fair point, so I'll revert back to my original point about access being restricted to educational websites for children and adult education / job seeking sites for the parents.

 

I am all for helping people to get on, but I don't see why I should pay for their entertainment.

 

Blimey - you'll be banning books next :D

 

Johnny, you and I both know that a lot of reseach isn't necessarily restricted to educational sites.

 

In my own job I have to search all sorts of sites for information.

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Blimey - you'll be banning books next :D

 

Johnny, you and I both know that a lot of reseach isn't necessarily restricted to educational sites.

 

In my own job I have to search all sorts of sites for information.

 

If there is no restriction on sites that can be visited, then, IMO, the offer to 'improve education' can only be seen as a 'serving suggestion'. If this is the case, then the lap-top offer amounts to nothing more than a 'free-gift if you'll vote for us'.

 

If it was anything else, why is it only being introduced 5 minutes before a general election.

 

Cynical view I know, but there you go.

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If there is no restriction on sites that can be visited, then, IMO, the offer to 'improve education' can only be seen as a 'serving suggestion'. If this is the case, then the lap-top offer amounts to nothing more than a 'free-gift if you'll vote for us'.

 

If it was anything else, why is it only being introduced 5 minutes before a general election.

 

Cynical view I know, but there you go.

 

"The £300m Home Access scheme, first announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2008, has been piloted in two local areas."

 

Not in the past 5 minutes then after all :rolleyes:

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But the article DOES say that the proposal is to help education, and is nothing to do with work. So why should they only be allowed to look at job sites, when that is nothing to do with the proposal?

 

I just went on the OP, where it mentioned jobs. Didn't read the article. Too busy you see

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"The £300m Home Access scheme, first announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2008, has been piloted in two local areas."

 

Not in the past 5 minutes then after all :rolleyes:

 

Fair enough - I was unaware of that. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea per se, and agree with your's and Bungle's post. However, from reading the article with the OP, it makes no direct reference to any earlier schemes and to all intents and purposes makes it sound like a new initiative. Are we to believe that it is just a coincidence that it has been fanfaired so close to a GE?

 

The Tories are doing the same thing as discussed on the University Grant/ Military Fatalities thread.

 

It's just this overt vote-buying, intelligence insulting, cynicism from politicians in general that gets me mad. I can't bring myself to vote anymore because of it - but that's a whole other thread!

Edited by RonManager
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Fair enough - I was unaware of that. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea per se, and agree with your's and Bungle's post. However, from reading the article with the OP, it makes no direct reference to any earlier schemes and to all intents and purposes makes it sound like a new initiative. Are we to believe that it is just a coincidence that it has been fanfaired so close to a GE?

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

Catching, isn't it?

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Ed Balls was on 5Live Breakfast Show this morning to talk about it and the decision to launch it nationally after the success of the pilots so it's hardly new news.

 

Whilst, like most of us I guess, I applaud the idea of giving opportunities to some of the poorest children in society it does strike me as a colossal waste of money.

 

A couple of years ago we were awarded some cash to get some new laptops. The preferred supplier wanted £xx per machine. There was no way I was going to spend what they asked so I got better spec'd, at 1/2 the cost machines from ebuyer instead.

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New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

New Labour have a habit of announcing things they have already announced.

 

Catching, isn't it?

 

As opposed to David 'we have a policy, oh no we don't have a policy,- we have a policy, oh no we don't have a policy' Cameron ?

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jXFsFQDcoAlKjMvPTqCsPdSCZJMg

 

Glad to see my taxes are being spent on lap tops , so that the lazy can spend more time on facebook and myspace instead of trying to get a job.

 

Does anyone honestly think they will be used by families to check on their childs education...Not a chance in hell.

 

 

Well said......... I bet half of those will be for sale on ebay ....

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Excellent. Now they can get right up to date with just how shoddy and inept the equipment is that is being given out to our troops in current war zones. Great news.

 

I assume that they will have to give them back during the summer holidays and half terms, when they are not needed?

 

And i'm sure the Government have petitioned every school in the land to ensure that they are bang up to date with their IT facilities, because it would be silly to hand out free laptops to low income families when any schools are struggling to secure funding to upgrade years old kit, wouldn't it?

 

And of course, all low income families are decent, honest, hardworking families that are downtrodden and just need some "aspiration" in their lives. Not that it is patronising in any way to say that GB.

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Nothing wrong with supplying help to those that need it, but I hope that there are safeguards to prevent abuse by the minority (at least, hope they are just a minority) who could abuse the concept ruining it for everyone.

 

Investment in public library facilities would probably have been a better use of resources though in my opinion.

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Well, I consider myself to be a have rather than a have not, and I pay for my own innernetz and computers.

 

We have a son at school - final year GCSEs - and a daughter just started primary school.

 

We were given a website address two years ago by our son's school for checking attendance figures, grades, homework set, etc etc, but were told we needed an access code to get into it - fair enough, as you wouldn't want everyone looking at potentially sensitive information - BUT two years on, we still have not received said access code, and the website hasn't been updated in all that time. So another initiative from the Bliar / Brown gov't that has gone completely to pot. I wonder how much money was invested in the first place to provide every teacher with a laptop and get the school up and running with it's connection???

 

As for the junior school, well they seem to be taking a far more traditional approach to teaching by teaching the kids to read and supplying them with books, it may be old school methods, but it certainly appears to be far more effective so far.....

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because them there teachers don't use their laptops for anything else and the high speed broadband is just sat dormant as it's never used. :rolleyes:

 

Whilst it's true that my son-in-law does have a laptop provided by the school he teaches at, he only uses it for school work. (It may be that it's configured only to access the school website but I don't know that as a fact).

 

The family has its own laptop it uses for 'private' stuff.

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We have a son at school - final year GCSEs - and a daughter just started primary school.

 

We were given a website address two years ago by our son's school for checking attendance figures, grades, homework set, etc etc, but were told we needed an access code to get into it - fair enough, as you wouldn't want everyone looking at potentially sensitive information ......

 

BUT two years on, we still have not received said access code, and the website hasn't been updated in all that time. So another initiative from the Bliar / Brown gov't that has gone completely to pot. .

 

Lawks a' mercy! You'd be complaining if the government DID get involved and set up centralised school websites and now you're complaining (sort of) because they haven't :rolleyes:

 

Why don't you have a word with the school? Or can't you be bothered.

 

I wish we'd had the internet when I was at school.

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We were given a website address two years ago by our son's school for checking attendance figures, grades, homework set, etc etc, but were told we needed an access code to get into it - fair enough, as you wouldn't want everyone looking at potentially sensitive information - BUT two years on, we still have not received said access code, and the website hasn't been updated in all that time. So another initiative from the Bliar / Brown gov't that has gone completely to pot. I wonder how much money was invested in the first place to provide every teacher with a laptop and get the school up and running with it's connection???

 

I would suggest the problem is more with the school or the LEA than the initiative itself; "you can lead a horse to water,..." etc. As somebody nearer to the sharp edge of this than some on here, I am amazed at how badly some schools manage their ICT estate, and the National Education Network, ( or the National Grid for Learning as it used to be called ), actually does provide tangible benefits for those that can be bothered to invest some time in discovering what is possible. It's just that for every evangelist there's a CBA merchant.

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Whilst it's true that my son-in-law does have a laptop provided by the school he teaches at, he only uses it for school work. (It may be that it's configured only to access the school website but I don't know that as a fact).

 

The family has its own laptop it uses for 'private' stuff.

 

I have a college laptop that I do all of my college work on and my own laptop, with it's own dongle thingy, that I use for my own use and my community teaching.

 

None of my colleagues take their work laptops home and none use them in situ for non work related stuff apart from web based mail etc.

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I also have a work laptop...would never take it away from work..as I have my own to annoy you lot with....

 

also, rubbish idea...up there with the free uni for the kids of the war dead...they are trying to buy votes

 

seeing as a perfectly sensible bloke/woman needs a CRB check to be near kids in case they feel the urge...do we really trust some of these scummy families to be let loose in the innernets

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Lawks a' mercy! You'd be complaining if the government DID get involved and set up centralised school websites and now you're complaining (sort of) because they haven't :rolleyes:

 

Why don't you have a word with the school? Or can't you be bothered.

 

I wish we'd had the internet when I was at school.

 

It's not so much as can't be bothered, rather knowing when you're fighting a losing battle!

 

Sadly he was allocated this school when we moved to the area and our appeals to have him relocated to another school were rejected by the council as the other, better, school was full!

 

I would love to take this up with the school, but fear it will go the same way as everything else with the school and be completely ignored.

 

And I agree completely that it is most likely the school's fault that they haven't grasped the technology available to them, they haven't even mastered the relatively simple text messaging system yet, as we received a text from them at 14.30 today informing us that the school would be open as normal from 08:30 this morning :rolleyes:

 

Also, I wasn't bemoaning the fact that the Gov't had set this initiative up - I was all for it, and could see the benefits in the system when we lived in Wales and the school he was attending there had managed to make it work!!! - I do however have an issue with the fact that people who introduced the initiative don't appear to have gone back to check that the schools are capable / able to use it properly!

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I would love to take this up with the school, but fear it will go the same way as everything else with the school and be completely ignored.

 

Find out who the school governors are and get them on the case.

 

...

 

Also, I wasn't bemoaning the fact that the Gov't had set this initiative up - I was all for it, and could see the benefits in the system when we lived in Wales and the school he was attending there had managed to make it work!!! - I do however have an issue with the fact that people who introduced the initiative don't appear to have gone back to check that the schools are capable / able to use it properly!

 

The initiative would have been handed over to the Local Education Authority (Southampton City Council assuming you live in the city). It's called devolved government. Write to your local councillor also.

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Lots of businesses dispose of perfectly good IT equipment that could be utilised for people on low incomes. For example, today I have personally thrown 24 flat screen monitors in the skip on behalf of my employers (local government) which I feel is a tragedy. Why not re-cycle this equipment? It all works perfectly well.

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Since when did you need a laptop to go to school? I got my first laptop for my 18th birthday, barely 2 months before I left school. We didn't even have broadband in my house at all until I was 16. This is just a bullsh*t scheme to try and buy votes. There is no way the laptops are going to be used for their intended purposes. When I was in school/college, and this was only 4 or 5 years ago, my grades were sent home to my parents in an envelope on a piece of A4 paper, along with my attendance record.

 

As for using them for school work... well, my school had text books and an I.T. room or two. I wouldn't have called it a particularly posh school, but perhaps I have been misinformed. As people have also said, what is particularly wrong with libraries?

 

Overall it's a terrible waste of money IMO. Especially when there are people fighting in the Middle East with badly outdated and insufficient equipment.

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Since when did you need a laptop to go to school? I got my first laptop for my 18th birthday, barely 2 months before I left school. We didn't even have broadband in my house at all until I was 16. This is just a bullsh*t scheme to try and buy votes. There is no way the laptops are going to be used for their intended purposes. When I was in school/college, and this was only 4 or 5 years ago, my grades were sent home to my parents in an envelope on a piece of A4 paper, along with my attendance record.

 

As for using them for school work... well, my school had text books and an I.T. room or two. I wouldn't have called it a particularly posh school, but perhaps I have been misinformed. As people have also said, what is particularly wrong with libraries?

 

Overall it's a terrible waste of money IMO. Especially when there are people fighting in the Middle East with badly outdated and insufficient equipment.

You won't get very far hitting an Iraqi with a laptop.

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