Window/Mac

I am a Window's user forced into the Mac world. I truly feel I can operate both systems now equally as well.

I can see many benefits to Macs. I think the iLife suite is my main love, but when we bought our computer a few weeks ago...sorry my Mac friends...but it was a Dell.

We waited far too long to purchase a new machine, but I needed some of the kinks out of Vista before I purchased a machine. My mom has the original Vista and I wasn't so excited about some of it. Finally we couldn't wait any longer and I really think they have done a fairly good job working out all of those issues.

As for educating our children. I'm not sure what I believe is the best for our children. I used to think we were doing a disservice to our children by educating them on a Mac because in the "business world" more Windows machines are being used. Now my Mac friends would tell me that that is changing, but I have yet to see that unless you are in graphics or video production.

But I've come to change my mind. I think that Macs are good machines for our children to work/learn from. Why? Well pretty much because of the office suite. With Word, Excel and PowerPoint now on the mac it equals the playing field. Since I'm a "dual user" I know that there are some differences, but most of them are insignificant. If you teach a child to use a computer, they'll be able to easily switch from one to another system. And the iLife suite is sweet!!

As for teachers who already use Macs. Yikes. Being in the position I'm in, I'd say Mac all the way because they know Mac (or at least they know it the most). And let's face it. Adults don't like change. They'll make the small differences into big deals. I'm not sure I want to deal with those "big deals".

As an educator we know that technology we teach today is going to be outdated by the time these kids have to use it in their adult life. Who knows, programs like Word, Excel and PowerPoint might not exist. That's why we teach process, vocabulary. That's why we teach how to think and find and guess

I think I'll always be a Window's user in my personal life, but you know....Mac's really good too. I think as long as the computer is 0-4 years old, it doesn't matter what type of machine it is. Kids will learn what they need to know to be productive and fluent users of technology.