900,000 Tablet PCs To Be Handed Out Now: Thai Education Minister Suchart

[Fookhaht]

900,000 computers.... from China... in five months...

What could possibly go wrong?

Possibly blow up when plugged in for their first battery charging? Like the Chinese-made battery charger I bought in Thailand?

[Fookhaht]

The new minister said he would continue the English Speaking Year policy

Thai students decreed to speak English

Thailand's Education Ministry has decreed 2012 as English Speaking Year in all schools. The project requires students to speak the language at least one day a week...

Wow, for once teacher's will get some dead-quiet preparation time at least one day a week!

[soundman]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

No way... tablets r better and cheaper than notebooks... have u ever used one before? or u still live in the old PC time when computers run on DOS... (no offence intended to you or other old-school people who think old is gold)

Try running a CAD program on a tablet....

Comparable size and weight, a Nettbook does just fine.

Oh, and an Acer Netbook is approximately half the price and five times the performance of an iPad.

[whybother]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

No way... tablets r better and cheaper than notebooks... have u ever used one before? or u still live in the old PC time when computers run on DOS... (no offence intended to you or other old-school people who think old is gold)

It all depends what you are using them for. For 6 year olds playing games, a tablet will be just fine. For reading text books, a tablet would probably be better than a laptop or PC. For a 15 year old typing up an essay, a laptop would be better. For serious work, a tablet could never do what a good laptop or PC could.

[Balls]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

No way... tablets r better and cheaper than notebooks... have u ever used one before? or u still live in the old PC time when computers run on DOS... (no offence intended to you or other old-school people who think old is gold)

Balls Reply:

If you could learn to use a notebook, maybe you could learn proper English or at least how to type in proper English. Apparently, you can't do this on a tablet.

[Moruya]

For those that say - Ipads will replace laptops

i urge you to go back to the days when they said, laptops will replace computer systems.

Each has its own strengths and qualities and uses. Sure sales may fluctuate and more ipads are sold than tower systems, but its only a fad while everyone gets a new toy.

Fact:

1.computer tower systems can be a lot more powerful and tweakable than any laptop,

2. There is no way in hell i would want to spend 12 hours of my day hitting an amoled screen while i do my daily work routine of type and design

3. Ipads and Iphones are fantastic for a few hours a day, a quick email, a new app, some surfing (but these are hardly real work)

4. The position of an ipad or tablet flat on the desk is not anything as good as a laptop or monitor, they slip and slide and are just toys

1. How many people other than "gamers" really tweak their PCs hardware?

2. Most tablet PCs will accept a USB keyboard.

3. Many tablet users that I know have their PCs running some form of remote desktop that can be accessed from a tablet.

4. Tablet PCs come with many forms of "stand" and many have HDMI output

5. Tablet PCs are generally more portable than laptops

6. With no hard drives, tablets are more rugged than laptops

Horses for courses

[whybother]

1. How many people other than "gamers" really tweak their PCs hardware?

2. Most tablet PCs will accept a USB keyboard.

3. Many tablet users that I know have their PCs running some form of remote desktop that can be accessed from a tablet.

4. Tablet PCs come with many forms of "stand" and many have HDMI output

5. Tablet PCs are generally more portable than laptops

6. With no hard drives, tablets are more rugged than laptops

Horses for courses

2. No they don't. The iPad has no USB ports, and android tablets don't have the required drivers for most usb keyboards.

Tablets, laptops and PCs all have pros and cons. There is no point having a tablet or laptop if the computer is just going to sit on a desk somewhere. If you are writing documents, presentations, or working on your computer all day, then a tablet is not for you.

If all you are doing is reading / writing a few emails, or reading some documents, then a tablet it fine. For serious work, the tablet is out of its depth.

[animatic]

1. How many people other than "gamers" really tweak their PCs hardware?

2. Most tablet PCs will accept a USB keyboard.

3. Many tablet users that I know have their PCs running some form of remote desktop that can be accessed from a tablet.

4. Tablet PCs come with many forms of "stand" and many have HDMI output

5. Tablet PCs are generally more portable than laptops

6. With no hard drives, tablets are more rugged than laptops

Horses for courses

2. No they don't. The iPad has no USB ports, and android tablets don't have the required drivers for most usb keyboards.

Tablets, laptops and PCs all have pros and cons. There is no point having a tablet or laptop if the computer is just going to sit on a desk somewhere. If you are writing documents, presentations, or working on your computer all day, then a tablet is not for you.

If all you are doing is reading / writing a few emails, or reading some documents, then a tablet it fine. For serious work, the tablet is out of its depth.

There are several USB adaptors for the iPad.

There are several Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad.

The iPad can seamlessly be a DAW controller via Bluetooth

There is very good presentation software on the iPad,

and I can output it to my video projector.

There are CAD file viewers with limited modifications possible for the iPad.

Edited January 30, 2012 by animatic

[animatic]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

No way... tablets r better and cheaper than notebooks... have u ever used one before? or u still live in the old PC time when computers run on DOS... (no offence intended to you or other old-school people who think old is gold)

It all depends what you are using them for. For 6 year olds playing games, a tablet will be just fine. For reading text books, a tablet would probably be better than a laptop or PC. For a 15 year old typing up an essay, a laptop would be better. For serious work, a tablet could never do what a good laptop or PC could.

WB check these out

http://itunes.apple....d424280183?mt=8

http://www.apple.com...ooks-textbooks/

I got the Geometry one for $14 same cost/ would be around $50 and 3 lbs.

This is absolutely the wave of the future, a child can carry

one table with light weight blutooth keyboard,

a pad of paper and some pencils n pens,

not a back breaking backpack filled with 3-5 massive tomes.

Plus they are easily updatable as software and interactive as all get out.

I absolutely loved it.

My daughter was very happy with it,

she wants to move faster than her class in maths

and it can be a teaching tool without a teacher it is that intuitive.

With a teacher it goes to another level.

Sadly I doubt the Tablets coming from China will have iBooks at this level for some time.

But it is a great time to update the curriculum from the hide bound past.

Here is the content creation app for Mac.

http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/

Edited January 30, 2012 by animatic

[AleG]

If you have to carry around an external keyboard to get any meaningful usability out of a tablet it clearly defeats the purpose of a tablet.

Since schoolchildren are expected to write a lot, a tablet is not the best option. I don't know you (general you), but I can continue typing on a keyboard without looking down to it and carrying a conversation with someone else at the same time.

Without the tactile feedback a keyboard gives the only reliable way of writing is looking down to the screen all the time. Besides on screen keyboards need to switch between upper case, lower case, numbers or letters, special symbols and alphabets.

It's an altogether more awkward and slower way of inputting information on a computer, from what I've seen typing on a tablet takes from a half to two thirds longer than with a keyboard, again as children are supposed to write and take notes frequently this means their homework (or classwork as the case may be) automatically takes at least twice as long to do.

[hehehoho]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

Yes, but how are you supposed to pop balloons and bake cakes with your finger on a notepad?

Great for hand eye coordination (balloon popping games), and learning processes/order and memory (food prep games).

[hehehoho]

btw, will all the Grade Once teachers in Thailand also be given these tablets, and a training course on how to use them, as well how best to use them as teaching aids?

[whybother]

There are several USB adaptors for the iPad.

There are several Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad.

The iPad can seamlessly be a DAW controller via Bluetooth

There is very good presentation software on the iPad,

and I can output it to my video projector.

There are CAD file viewers with limited modifications possible for the iPad.

There is good viewing software for iPads and other tablets. If you are doing detailed presentations, CAD drawings, and many other types of documents, then you need something bigger than a tablet.

You can attach tablets to laptops and PCs with bluetooth and wi-fi. But that rather defeats the idea of just having a tablet.

[whybother]

It all depends what you are using them for. For 6 year olds playing games, a tablet will be just fine. For reading text books, a tablet would probably be better than a laptop or PC. For a 15 year old typing up an essay, a laptop would be better. For serious work, a tablet could never do what a good laptop or PC could.

WB check these out

http://itunes.apple....d424280183?mt=8

http://www.apple.com...ooks-textbooks/

I got the Geometry one for $14 same cost/ would be around $50 and 3 lbs.

This is absolutely the wave of the future, a child can carry

one table with light weight blutooth keyboard,

a pad of paper and some pencils n pens,

not a back breaking backpack filled with 3-5 massive tomes.

Plus they are easily updatable as software and interactive as all get out.

I absolutely loved it.

My daughter was very happy with it,

she wants to move faster than her class in maths

and it can be a teaching tool without a teacher it is that intuitive.

With a teacher it goes to another level.

Sadly I doubt the Tablets coming from China will have iBooks at this level for some time.

But it is a great time to update the curriculum from the hide bound past.

Here is the content creation app for Mac.

http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/

As I said, for reading textbooks a tablet would probably be better.

But if you're doing a significant amount of typing or manipulation (ie creating documents), the tablet becomes less useful.

[Baxer]

900,000 Tablet PCs, will this mean that the already slow internet in Thailand will get even more overloaded?

[Buchholz]

Request for another 300,000 tablet PCs

The Cabinet will consider today a budget request for Bt800 million-Bt900 million so that 300,000 more tablet PCs can be handed out to schoolchildren.

The tablet policy management committee last week agreed to increase the distribution of tablets for the upcoming academic year from more than 600,000 units to 900,000.

As a result, all Prathom 1 (Grade 1) students under various ministries and some Prathom 4 (Grade 4) students can get a tablet.

The committee set the original budget for 700,000 tablets at Bt1.9 billion. Education Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvech said yesterday the government had told the Foreign Ministry to negotiate with China to supply the tablets under a government-to-government deal.

Olarn Chaipravat, an adviser to the prime minister, would oversee the contents and software that would be loaded on the tablets.

"The tablets need Internet access so students can search for information from the wider world. The students should be allowed to take them home.

"I've also planned a project that will give tablets to some parents so they can use them to gain more knowledge," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-01-31

[Buchholz]

"I've also planned a project that will give tablets to some parents so they can use them to gain more knowledge," he said.

Where do people sign up?

.

[Buchholz]

"The tablets need Internet access so students can search for information from the wider world. The students should be allowed to take them home.

Good to hear that the nation-wide free WiFi is almost here.

.

[caughtintheact]

That is a lot of computers to test for viruses and other malware. Wonder who's going to test them all?

[Ijustwannateach]

Oh, goody. They're going to hand them out now. What a relief.

[Reasonableman]

1,9 Billion for 700.000 tablets and 1 more Billion for the additional 200.000? The Education minister wasn't really good at Math, was he?

This is exactly the reason why everyone should have a tablet (not just students). To do simple maths.

maybe a 100-Baht calculator would suffice, if that's what they are for. Or people could actually just do the math using their own brainpower. Is that too low-tech?

[Reasonableman]

Request for another 300,000 tablet PCs

The Cabinet will consider today a budget request for Bt800 million-Bt900 million so that 300,000 more tablet PCs can be handed out to schoolchildren.

The tablet policy management committee last week agreed to increase the distribution of tablets for the upcoming academic year from more than 600,000 units to 900,000.

As a result, all Prathom 1 (Grade 1) students under various ministries and some Prathom 4 (Grade 4) students can get a tablet.

The committee set the original budget for 700,000 tablets at Bt1.9 billion. Education Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvech said yesterday the government had told the Foreign Ministry to negotiate with China to supply the tablets under a government-to-government deal.

Olarn Chaipravat, an adviser to the prime minister, would oversee the contents and software that would be loaded on the tablets.

"The tablets need Internet access so students can search for information from the wider world. The students should be allowed to take them home.

"I've also planned a project that will give tablets to some parents so they can use them to gain more knowledge," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-01-31

Do we already know who the most information-needy "some parents" are?? These people have been identified? What are the eligibility criteria?

Edited February 9, 2012 by Reasonableman

[Reasonableman]

Schools without electricity recharging batteries... does that present some logistical issues? I guess they'll all be given free solar generators in advance.

[whybother]

Cash/barter for Chinese tablets

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand will buy up to 900,000 tablet computers from China via a government-to-government contract with payment made in cash and produce.

Information and Comm-unications Technology (ICT) Minister Gp Captain Anudith Nakornthap yesterday said the two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding on the planned procurement.

"We are negotiating the price and payment options with China," he said. He expected the negotiations to conclude this month.

Anudith said the negotiations would be based on mutual benefit. He denied reports that the government would trade rice at a low price for the tablets.

"The negotiations will be fair to both sides. China is a big manufacturer. It can offer tablets at a competitive price," he said.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra wants to see the handout of tablets under the One Tablet PC Per Child project - a brainchild of her Pheu Thai Party - take place next month, according to her deputy secretary-general, Thitima Chaisang.

Anudith said the government had already approved a Bt1.9-billion budget for the procurement of 560,000 tablets. However, he said more funds would be needed because the Education Ministry plans to distribute the devices to all 860,000 Prathom 1 students before the start of the upcoming semester. With some tablets to be given to children in other grades, the ministry will need up to 900,000 of them. "The Cabinet will be asked to approve the additional budget and purchase of tablets at its meeting next Tuesday," he said.

Huawei Thailand’s chief technology officer, Michael MacDonald, said yesterday that the firm is interested in taking part in the tablet project. However, meeting some project requirements, such as the number of tablets and delivery times, might be difficult, he said.

MacDonald said the company’s tablet PC production capacity is between 5,000 and 10,000 units per 50 days.

-- The Nation 2012-02-15

[ThaiOats]

I wonder if the Tablets are going to be handed down year after year or will the government keep forking out 2+ billion dollars per year to give to the next set of Prathom 1 students. You know it'd make more sense for children who are autistic to receive the tablets as they may learn better than the traditional way. I doubt that notion has ever crossed their mind, but whatever...

[Ricardo]

"I've also planned a project that will give tablets to some parents so they can use them to gain more knowledge," he said.

Where do people sign up?

.

Perhaps Education-Minister Suchart would propose a suitable 'donation', in order to stand a better chance, of being one of the 'lucky' parents ?

Edited February 15, 2012 by Ricardo

[Ricardo]

Huawei Thailand’s chief technology officer, Michael MacDonald, said yesterday that the firm is interested in taking part in the tablet project. However, meeting some project requirements, such as the number of tablets and delivery times, might be difficult, he said.

MacDonald said the company’s tablet PC production capacity is between 5,000 and 10,000 units per 50 days.

-- The Nation 2012-02-15

So any failure-to-deliver on-time will be the farang's fault, not the Education-Ministry's, for failing to place the order in-time !

[Thaddeus]

That is a lot of computers to test for viruses and other malware. Wonder who's going to test them all?

Buddha.

[rubl]

Anudith said the government had already approved a Bt1.9-billion budget for the procurement of 560,000 tablets. However, he said more funds would be needed because the Education Ministry plans to distribute the devices to all 860,000 Prathom 1 students before the start of the upcoming semester. With some tablets to be given to children in other grades, the ministry will need up to 900,000 of them. "The Cabinet will be asked to approve the additional budget and purchase of tablets at its meeting next Tuesday," he said.

The Ministry of Education got a fiscal 2012 budget of THB 420.4 billion, up from the Ministry's proposal of 418.6. Approved begin of January 2012. As the "free tablet for kids" was an election promise one may be execused to assume that the budget request would have included the financial means to fulfill that promise. We shouldn't blame the Minister of Education though, he's only at it since the recent cabinet reshuffle. Minister Suchart is actually to be praised. He's doing his best to stretch his budget and even augment it welcoming (free) donations

[animatic]

It all depends what you are using them for. For 6 year olds playing games, a tablet will be just fine. For reading text books, a tablet would probably be better than a laptop or PC. For a 15 year old typing up an essay, a laptop would be better. For serious work, a tablet could never do what a good laptop or PC could.

WB check these out

http://itunes.apple....d424280183?mt=8

http://www.apple.com...ooks-textbooks/

I got the Geometry one for $14 same cost/ would be around $50 and 3 lbs.

This is absolutely the wave of the future, a child can carry

one table with light weight blutooth keyboard,

a pad of paper and some pencils n pens,

not a back breaking backpack filled with 3-5 massive tomes.

Plus they are easily updatable as software and interactive as all get out.

I absolutely loved it.

My daughter was very happy with it,

she wants to move faster than her class in maths

and it can be a teaching tool without a teacher it is that intuitive.

With a teacher it goes to another level.

Sadly I doubt the Tablets coming from China will have iBooks at this level for some time.

But it is a great time to update the curriculum from the hide bound past.

Here is the content creation app for Mac.

http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/

As I said, for reading textbooks a tablet would probably be better.

But if you're doing a significant amount of typing or manipulation (ie creating documents), the tablet becomes less useful.

Yes and no. If you are talking school reports not a problem.

If you are talking professional page layout, yes, not as easy.

But there are the equivalent of Powerpoint software for presentations, including text, images, video, and sound.

and I use my iPad through the video projector nightly to view full length videos from iTunes.

So as a highly portable presentation device it works well.

You can take a series of digital pics and load them in on location and view them large

for proofing and whether you need more shots..

I can type a little slower on the screen touch of the iPad,

but I can also do it lying sideways at several angles.

Bluetooth or wifi to a PC in a classroom can allow

file transfer to teachers station or printout,

but for ALL students not just one PC one Pad.

Edited February 15, 2012 by animatic