Term-time technology

For students of all ages, computers now play an important part in education. Find out your options

Time was when sending the kids back to school meant picking up a new protractor, pencil case and a calculator. But oh, how times have changed.

Now, getting back into the educational swing come autumn hears cries of “but I need a computer to do my homework”.

And that’s not just the 11-year-olds. Students of all ages taking a step on the higher educational ladder are looking at the kind of technology they may need to get them through their degree or vocational course.

So where to start? Should one choose a desktop or a notebook computer? What other things should be taken into account? Let us give you some pointers to consider when making a computer purchase.

What are you studying?
It makes sense to take a little time thinking about the subject matter when it comes to students. After all, a student of English Literature will probably be writing essays most of the time and doing research on the net, so there’s little need for a PC with the most powerful processor, graphics card or heaps of memory.

A scientific or maths degree may require a good amount of number crunching, and even some specialised software, so the more power the PC has the better – and that means a more powerful processor.

Whether a computer is for school homework or college assignments, it makes sense to check whether the educational establishment has any requirements of its own. Most universities have information on their website about the specifications needed for students’ PCs.

Also get your student to do a more detailed check with the department they’ll be studying with – coursework may require specialised software. Most schools also have a list of their specifications to help parents buy the correct PC.

Think about the best place to buy the computer. Yes, you could pick up a complete package from a big PC store, but bear in mind you will be unable to tailor it to suit your own needs, and that much of what is included – including software – may be of little use. Though it says it’s free with the computer, you can be sure it’s included in the overall pricing. In many cases, it may be better to decide exactly what extras you want – including printers, scanners and a digital camera – and get a package put together.

Buying from a manufacturer or seller direct by phone or internet is a good way to get a better deal, once you know the sort of PC you’re after. Direct sellers such as these have smaller overheads, so prices tend to be cheaper. Buying this way also entitles the buyer to a seven-day cooling off period once the goods are delivered, so there’s a chance to cancel the order.

When it comes to software for secondary school-age children, requirements are likely to be pretty standard. A word processing package such as Microsoft Word is number one on the list, while a desktop publishing application, such as Microsoft Publisher, is bound to help them get their projects and coursework looking pretty smart.

Check with the school to see what desktop publishing software they use – it will be helpful if your child is using the same software at home and at school. A drawing program such as Corel Draw and photo manipulation software such as Photoshop Elements 2 will also be handy.

With a good idea of the sort of software the computer needs, it’s time to look at what it will all run on – the computer itself.

What to look out for
Buy the fastest processor you can afford. Look for Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor, and if you’re on a budget, the 1GHz model will be fine for most day-to-day tasks, such as running Microsoft Office, web browsing and so on.

If you can afford to take the next step up to a 2.0 GHz or beyond, and can afford the extra £50 or £100, consider it.

If money is tight, there are computers on sale with older processors, such as the Celeron, which will be adequate for most office-type work, but will let the user down when it comes to anything as adventurous as video-editing and the latest 3D games.

Memory is the other major consideration – don’t skimp on this. Anything less than 1GB could result in a slow-running PC.

Another feature we think is vital is Wifi, and the key standards to look out for are 802.11g and 802.11b. This will ensure the PC is compatible with wireless networks in schools, universities and public libraries.

As far as the hard disk goes – where files, photos and so on will be stored – a disk of about 50GB in size is a good place to start, but if the computer is going to be used for digital photos and video clips, 100GB or more would be better. However, bear in mind that external hard disks can be bought at a later date.

Graphics cards, meanwhile, handle all the graphics you see on screen. Windows Vista works the card quite hard, but if the computer is not going to be used for gaming there’s no need to go mad on the amount you spend for this. An i ntegrated graphics card is OK if you don’t plan on gaming.

Finally, what sort of screen is best? Most PCs now come with an LCD screen – this takes up far less room than the old-fashioned CRT monitors, and there’s little difference in the price any more, so opt for the flat screen and get more room on the desk for paper, research materials, lucky mascots or whatever else students of any age may need.

One of those things could be a printer. Inkjet printers can be picked up for as little as £30. Watch out for the costs involved in replacing cartridges – some of the cheapest printers actually cost less to buy than the replacement cartridges they will inevitably need. Another useful item could be a digital camera. Expect to pay around £60 for a six-megapixel camera.

Notebook or desktop?
So now we’ve established the spec of your computer, the next question is: notebook or desktop?
One of the obvious advantages of a notebook is portability. Anyone planning to take a computer into lectures would be better off with a notebook. It’s also very easy to set up – just take it out of the box, plug it in and that’s usually about it, bar setting up the internet connection and any extras.

And if you’re taking advantage of its portability, but also want to plug in printer, scanner, joystick and other gizmos back at home, consider investing in a universal USB docking station, such as those sold by Targus. These cost around £50 – £100 and you can connect your USB, parallel, network and serial connections to this permanently, and then just plug the dock into the notebook. They can also be used to attach a monitor, mouse and keyboard, which will make the laptop more comfortable to use for anyone expecting to be spending long hours hunched over a hot keyboard typing up a project.

A wireless mouse and keyboard are another option. The IOGear wireless keyboard and mouse combo is £45.80 from www.microwarehouse.co.uk.

At least a 14in screen is necessary if you plan to use the notebook on its own – however, for the ultimate in portability, you could choose one with a small screen, if, say, it’s going to be used for note taking in lectures, and plug it into a 17in flat screen on the desk at home.

Should something go wrong with a notebook, or part of it need to be upgraded later on, it’s a complicated job. They are not built with user maintenance in mind, and replacing a broken component could be pricey – so if you do go down this route, check out the possibility of insurance cover once the warranty expires.

Where children or careless adults are concerned, bear in mind that should they drop a drink over a laptop, it’s more serious than just having to replace a keyboard for a desktop PC. That said, it’s now easier to replace or upgrade memory and hard disks in most notebook computers – remember to check this with the vendor when shopping. Desktops, while probably the ideal choice for school-age children, take longer to set up. They are generally cheaper than notebooks, although the price of notebooks has dropped recently.

Just about any new PC you buy will include a copy of Windows Vista, which has a useful facility for parents. The parental controls allow the PC to be automatically scheduled for use, which should stop any arguments over when and how the PC is used. Read our reviews of Vista.

Student software
So that’s the hardware PC sorted, now what shall we run on it? The good news for students is they can get software at a discount. Many software titles are available in education or student versions.

Take a look at www.education-store.com and www.student-software.c o.uk. Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk) also stocks education editions of software. The discounts can be substantial – the Home and Student edition of Microsoft Office, for instance, is £91 from Amazon, compared with around £280 for the standard version. Some editions come with limitations, such as a two-year licence, so check before you buy. Most require evidence of student status before an authentication code is emailed.

Many universities also have discounts of their own. Check your college website to see if this applies. As an example, Exeter University has negotiated a deal with Norton to supply all its students with a free copy of its anti-virus software, and it’s a requirement that anyone with a notebook must have this software installed and up to date.

Be on the safe side
Any new computer purchase should be covered by insurance. Call the company that provides your home contents insurance to let them know about the new purchase. Depending on its cost, it may already be covered, but pricier machines could incur an addition to your premium.

Notebook cover will be an extra cost. The good news is that students living away from home will have many items covered by their parents’ home contents insurance. However, it’s worth checking exactly what will be covered, as notebooks and pricier items can be excluded. Take a look at specialist student insurers such as Ends leigh and www.cover4students.com. These insurers have a facility that covers walk-in thefts from unlocked rooms – handy in halls where a student may nip out to someone else’s room down the corridor.

Another safety tip is to secure your notebook with a Kensington lock (£24.99 to £44.99). These are made to secure IT equipment, which should deter walk-in thieves. A trick of students in halls is to secure a computer, using the Kensington lock to a radiator.

The Sale of Goods Act covers what you’ve bought against manufacturing defects. Under the Act, if a problem with a product is reported within the first six months, the vendor – the shop you bought it from – has to fix or replace the product, unless they can prove the problem is not a defect. Also bear in mind that the product you buy has to be fit for purpose.

If you’ve asked specifically for a notebook PC capable of doing lots of number crunching, it has to be up to the job.

Also bear in mind the specification. When buying a computer, printer and the like, ask for a printout of the exact specification from the shop, or print out what you’ve specified when ordering online. Check this against what you unpack once the computer is at home.

For more advice on buying, try the Office of Fair Trading’s website for consumers, Consumer Direct. For more information on buying computers, Consumer Direct offers specific advice.

It’s also worth considering the value of any extended warranty you are offered before taking the plunge. The cost of extended warranties may, over several years, equal the cost of buying a new PC, monitor or printer. Consumer Direct can help, so spend time looking through the site.

Remember that any work should be backed up – no-one wants to see those homework hours go to waste if something should go wrong with the computer. Recordable CDs or DVDs are fine, but the most useful gizmo is a USB Flash drive (Compucessory 1GB Flash Drive £13.99 from www.euroffice.co.uk). Plug it into the USB port on a computer and drag and drop files onto it. A Flash drive also allows work to be taken into school from home and printed out there.

Get shopping
The good news is that it’s not necessary to have a degree in computing to set your child or yourself up with a computer suited to education. Nor is it necessary to spend a fortune. For most children (and students), a computer put together with a budget will be more than sufficient. The latest, pricier components, such as ultra-fast processors are not necessary for many students. Cheap or free software is readily available, and good-value extras such as printers and digital cameras can be added on to produce a really useful tool for students of any age.

Grab a bargain
If finances can’t stretch to a shiny new PC – or perhaps there’s already a decent PC in the house and you don’t want to splash out on another one for the kids – there are alternatives.

Refurbished PCs are one such possibility. They may come from businesses that are updating their IT systems, or be ex-demonstration units or orders that were cancelled.

They may even have been sent back to a manufacturer because they had some minor fault such as a loose lead.

One thing to check is that your pre-loved PC comes with a free warranty – and consider an extended warranty. Take a look at the Dell Outlet at www.dell.co.uk for refurbished Dell computers, or Trading UK www.ittrading.co.uk for some refurb bargains. For more on this option, see our article on refurbished PCs.

Alternatively, to avoid a large initial outlay on IT equipment, it may be worth considering the leasing option. Advantages include not having to pay a large amount at once, the chance to upgrade (check that this applies to you) and low monthly payments. However, bear in mind that at the end of, say three years, the total cost will probably be more than that of the computer, and you still won’t own the equipment.

A lesson in cost cutting
To really cut costs, look around for free software. If the idea of splashing out for Microsoft Office doesn’t appeal, take a look at the free program Open Office, which can be downloaded from www.openoffice.org.

Open Office offers many of the same facilities as MS Office, including spreadsheets, writing and calculator options.

Alternatively, sign up at Google and take a look at Google Docs & Spreadsheets, web-based office software that provides an online word processor and spreadsheet in competition with Word and Excel.