One Laptop Homes

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Photo Credit: online pic

 COVID-19 and school, virtual school.

Virtual classroom, college, tuition, online learning or whatever you call it, needs a computer. What happens to parents that cannot afford it because they don’t have silver, gold, platinum, black, blue, orange or red credit cards?

This post was prompted by laptop sales, the cheapest being R800 for top of the range machines. Refurbished ones cost less but few people want yesterday’s problems, today.

Christmas is scaled down this year because one parent or both aren’t working, or are working reduced hours. Reasonable kids (depending on  age) understand that 2020 is a no-gift Christmas. A computer however, is the ideal gift because it will be used 24/7 and for a good purpose: online classes.

The problem however, is ownership, making the family understand that the only laptop in the house should be shared like the kitchen table and the bathroom.

Kids already have their own phones they do not share with brothers and sisters, let alone parents. Their friends have both iPads and laptops. How do they explain that there’s only one laptop for mum, dad and three brothers at home? Peer pressure is responsible for most parents’ overdrafts.

CHALLENGES OF ONE HOME LAPTOP

1. Daddy might hog it because he bought it.

2. Mummy might hog it because she bought it.

3. First born son might spend more air miles on it because he is the oldest.

4. Second born son is the most creative and might demand more airtime.

5. Third born son is a video game freak, young as he is.

6. Time allocation might solve the problem but how? Kids will claim to be doing school work online at the same time.

7. Business hours. Will the home laptop be open 24 hours? If yes, some family members will watch bare videos and other non-academic content.

There are some advantages to one home laptop though. The main one is accelerated bonding as parents help kids with school work. Kids themselves will learn from each other by being at the computer at the same time. Some kids are very close and don’t always fight like Prince William’s kids, George and Charlotte.

This is another ‘written podcast’ from Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

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