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from the of-course-it-is-impossible-to-get-online-using-a-desktop dept.
US Laptop Shortage Could Derail Remote Learning:
As students and teachers prepare for a return to in-person learning for at least some of the time this fall, many of the nation's schools are facing shortages and delays for laptops and tablets needed for online learning, an Associated Press investigation revealed.
Lenovo, HP and Dell, the nation's largest computer companies, have informed school districts that they are short nearly five million laptops.
[...] Last month, at the request of President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed sanctions on 11 Chinese companies, including Lenovo, AP reported. School administrators have asked the Trump administration to devise a solution because remote learning without laptops is impossible.
Lenovo has informed school districts of the supply chain delays and the trade controls set by the Commerce Department, which would cause another slowdown. Lenovo declined to respond to an inquiry from AP.
Have any Soylentils run into this?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by crafoo on Sunday August 30 2020, @03:39PM (17 children)
"Remote Learning" is impossible without laptops?! WTF people, is everyone actually this stupid and soft? Mail out reading assignments and workbook packets. Fail the children that do not complete and make them repeat the year.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 30 2020, @04:26PM (2 children)
Indeed. Computers help, absolutely true, but remote learning and even full-fledged home schooling were possible long before home computers.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Sunday August 30 2020, @04:35PM (1 child)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 30 2020, @06:30PM
There are people that really live far away from other people such that in-person education is impractical, and you have to come up with less optimal solutions for education.
In suburbia, those limitations don't exist, and the "better" areas pay for better teachers and compete for residents. Some in my extended family live in a place like that, are good woke, panicked, MSM obeying Democrats, and have children entering school. Except the teachers with their union are refusing to get back to work. It really makes me smile; they are now struggling to organize some sort of neighborhood friends group to do teaching, paying high school taxes while not getting service, yet complaining would cause cognitive dissonance as they are solidly in the upper middle "work from home" class themselves.
(Score: 3, Touché) by SomeGuy on Sunday August 30 2020, @04:34PM (2 children)
Could be worse. I'm honestly surprised the media have not been claiming that online learning is only possible with Apple iPhones(R)(TM) or such.
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Sunday August 30 2020, @04:38PM
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Sunday August 30 2020, @07:46PM
Need a +1 Sad-But-True
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Sunday August 30 2020, @04:52PM (1 child)
We had somewhat rational remote learning at the end of last year: flexible schedules, same work but work at your own pace, get help as you need it. Teachers were able to do a single prep video, reshoot it 3 times to get it right, then play it for all 5 classes, use the two extra periods to help kids 1:1. Teach from home, no commutes, etc.
This year the administration got their nose in deeper to the process. This year it's about verified attendance, ensuring the kids are "paying attention" during the entire period every period, etc. and the teachers are all on-site in the schools even when they're conducting online classes. I feel like it's less than 50% as effective at teaching, while simultaneously being more than 2x as much busywork for both teachers and students.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Sunday August 30 2020, @05:24PM
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 5, Informative) by captain normal on Sunday August 30 2020, @04:55PM (6 children)
All of a sudden these days it takes 3 days (or longer) to send a piece of first class mail across town. That is thanks to Trump's efforts to disable mail-in voting.
When life isn't going right, go left.
(Score: 2) by Acabatag on Sunday August 30 2020, @05:36PM (2 children)
Amazon Prime usually doesn't mean two days anymore, though they haven't reduced the price.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday August 30 2020, @08:59PM (1 child)
I did a Prime trial membership for 30 days just a bit after the COVID lockdown started, I hardly noticed a difference in delivery speeds vs free shipping for most things. Maybe the difference is there, I didn't take statistics, but did I notice? No, I did not.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Monday August 31 2020, @02:51AM
They used to actually try, and they promoted the idea, that they would delivery Prime marked products in two days.
When COVID showed up, they took advantage of the emergency to alter the terms. Near as I can tell, anyway.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 30 2020, @06:13PM (2 children)
So your thought leaders at the MSM have told you? I'll give you my anecdote of still receiving business mail within a day.
Of course, if you wait until 7pm to drop off your letter, it will get collected next morning, processed, and delivered the third day.
But Orange Man Bad and God Bless the USPS. The same USPS whom a lot of people were ridiculing and questioning their utility this time last year. "When was the last time you sent a letter?"
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Sunday August 30 2020, @08:04PM
It still happens, usually in a reply-envelope, but it is far from the norm.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 30 2020, @11:48PM
Once a month.
Packages on the other hand, a dozen a week because FedEx Ground is more expensive and is an incompetent shitshow.
I have NEVER had problems with USPS Priority until the guy holding tens of millions of dollars of stock in companies that
want USPS dead became its head.
(Score: 2) by boltronics on Monday August 31 2020, @03:34AM
I was going to say "back in the day we used desktops and usually preferred them", but I see you're looking back a bit further than that. :)
Anyway, I'm sure they're not short on both desktops and laptops, and most TVs in the last 10+ years have HDMI ports and function as a monitor in a pinch.
Heck, use a cheap Raspberry Pi. The latest models are easily fast enough for typical educational purposes.
It's GNU/Linux dammit!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 31 2020, @09:31AM
WTF? Are you expecting people to read ... books ??? Like with PAGES?