The learning experience is fundamentally different for kids now than it was even for today’s 20-somethings — especially for elementary and middle schools. A lot of that change can be attributed to laptops.
The Covid-induced school closures that spanned 2020 cemented the cruciality of a kid having easy access to a laptop at home. Both teachers and parents were forced to make online learning work — and now that the groove has been found, a hybrid model may just be the future for some classrooms even after pandemic protections are a thing of the past.
Sheer convenience isn’t the only reason for kids to have a laptop. The importance of access to email and virtual learning platforms like Blackboard while a kid’s not at school can’t be understated (and for a lot of kids, it’s far less intimidating than talking to a teacher IRL.) Digital accessibility to school materials and other resources can cultivate a sense of autonomy and responsibility in students: The Speak Up Research Project for Digital Learning found that high schoolers who were assigned a laptop were more likely to take notes in class, do internet research, create documents to share, collaborate with their peers on projects, check their grades, and get reminders about due dates or tests. Read more…
More about Parenting, Laptops, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Kids
IMAGE: Best Buy
BEST 2-IN-1 WITH INCLUDED STYLUS
Microsoft Surface Go 2
Microsoft's 2-in-1 laptop is a slick studying sidekick that comes with a stylus and an app for scanning whiteboards.
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Weight: 1.2 pounds
- Display: 1920 x 1280
- RAM: 4GB, 8GB
- Storage: 64GB, 128GB
IMAGE: Best Buy
BEST FOR HOMEWORK
Lenovo Chromebook Duet
Lenovo's true detachable Chromebook has impressive specs for its price, and you don't need to buy a separate keyboard.
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Weight: 2.03 pounds altogether (0.99 pounds without keyboard)
- Display: 1920 x 1200
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 128GB
IMAGE: Best Buy
BEST 2-IN-1
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
Visual learners and streaming fans will be psyched on the glorious hi-res screen of this souped-up Chromebook.
- Battery life: 12 hours
- Weight: 3.02 pounds
- Display: 2256 x 1504
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB
IMAGE: Amazon
BEST CHROMEBOOK FOR OLDER KIDS
Google Pixelbook Go
The newest Pixelbook is a cool lightweight powerhouse that averts the "clunky Chromebook" rep.
- Battery life: 12 hours
- Weight: 2.33 pounds
- Display: 1920 x 1280
- RAM: 8GB, 16GB
- Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
IMAGE: Amazon
BEST FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADS
Apple MacBook Air
The 2020 Air is a real Pro competitor with a Retina display and beefy M1 processing chip.
- Battery life: 18 hours
- Weight: 2.8 pounds
- Display: 2560 x 1600
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, configurable up to 2TB
IMAGE: Amazon
BEST CHROMEBOOK WITH INCLUDED STYLUS
Samsung Chromebook Plus V2
The garaged battery-free pen will be a game changer for both learning and creativity.
- Battery life: 9.5 hours
- Weight: 2.98 pounds
- Display: 1920 x 1200
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 32GB eMMC
IMAGE: Dell
BEST FOR DURABILITY
Dell Chromebook 11 3100
Clumsy kids are in good hands with this spill resistant 2-in-1 that stores everything in the cloud.
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Weight: 2.85 pounds
- Display: 1366 x 768
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 32GB
