How to: choose the right school device for your child

When it comes to choosing the right device for your child to use at school, it all comes down to the basics:

It is easy to set up and use?

Can my child carry it comfortably?

Will the battery last long enough to cover the school day?

Is it durable?

Will it connect easily to wireless network?

Does it have an excellent warranty and insurance options?

Can they use it for fun stuff as well?

Does it have enough storage and memory?

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is an advertorial sponsored by Intel Australia. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

Australian schools are moving on from providing devices for their students to encouraging children to bring their own devices to school. It’s great because it means your child will always have everything they need at their fingertips.  It also provides opportunities for learning through technology, both inside and outside of the classroom.

As today’s teachers are looking to prepare the workforce of the future, they’re increasingly finding ways to use laptops and tablets to enhance your child’s education.  That makes it especially important for parents to choose the right device for their child.

So we joined up with Intel and their awesome website (which is incredibly easy to use) to find out what to look for in a school device. Here is the low down:

1. Performance

Each school has different app requirements and some can be pretty demanding, particularly as your children get older. When it comes to devices, generally the better the performance the higher the cost. So you should seek out great-value devices that meet the right level of performance that you need for your child. If your child needs to be able to perform simpler functions such as email, web browsing, word processing, or basic gaming, look for Intel™ Atom®, Celeron® and Pentium® processors. However if your older child needs to use apps that are a bit more demanding such as video editing, 3D design, immersive gaming consider devices running the Intel® Core™ family of processors.

2. Battery Life

You need a device that will run for at least six hours. It’s too hard for students to have to recharge at school so the less they have to do this the better. Find out which device is the most energy efficient. 4^th Generation Core processors can help stretch battery life even further.

3. Weight

Have you seen how many books kids have to cram into their backpacks these days? They are heavy enough without adding a device that weighs as much as two bricks. So for school you’ll definitely need a lightweight device. Ultrabooks™ are a good place to start as they are lightweight and have an ultra slim design that takes up less room.

4. Durability

Children don’t mean to be careless but sometimes, they just are. Will the device you buy them be able to endure the occasional tossing of the backpack on the floor? Durability is a key consideration when choosing a device. Your best choice would be a device with a solid state drive rather than a conventional hard drive and don’t forget to invest in a good quality carry case.

5. Wireless Networking

Wi-Fi, otherwise known as wireless networking, is a must these days. The device you choose needs to be able to connect to multiple Wi-Fi sources easily with a solid connection and little interference.  5 GHz wireless can help with this but check your school’s wireless requirements before you buy a device.

6. Storage

Your children need to have a device that can store a lot of different files from documents, photos, video clips and apps. You’ll need at least 128GB of storage in a laptop or Ultrabook and 32GB in a tablet.

7. Warranty and Insurance

Most devices come with a minimum 12-month warranty but a good option is to extend the warranty as long as you can, up to three years if possible. Also find out where your laptop or tablet needs to go for repairs and servicing. Some schools may also suggest taking out an insurance policy so that the device is covered against accidental damage, loss and theft.

8. Work vs. play

We all need some down time, particularly after a gruelling day at school. Computers are designed for work and play. Tablets offer a range of apps for your child’s enjoyment and so do laptops and Ultrabooks. If your child does enjoy playing sophisticated games on their device make sure you buy one that is powerful enough to support these activities.

Here are some everyday words that have had their meaning changed since some of us went to school:

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What is important to you when buying a device for your children?

A growing number of schools are adopting a ‘bring your own’ policy, which lets students use their own laptop or tablet in the classroom. This makes it more important than ever to choose the right device for your children. 

The team at Intel Australia have put together a simple guide to help you pick a great tablet or laptop or even a versatile ‘2 in 1’ device that’s both a tablet and a laptop. 

Visit intel.com.au/forschool to find out what really matters when choosing a device for school.