Look Who it Was Random video

Netbooks Make All the Difference at UC Berkley Language Lab

1,164 views · Published 13 May 2011 · 2:47 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: BASIC thinking · 2011 · Science & Technology

Watch on YouTube

Toshiba Netbook in Education at UC Berkley http://www.netbooknews.com/25411/a-single-netbook-makes-all-the-difference-at-uc-berkley-language-lab/ If you think that one netbook can't make a difference read on to learn why you're dead wrong. Three netbooks, one for each section of the USC Berkley Spanish and Portuguese language lab, dug their way into the must have category of language lab instructor Juan Caballero.

The University of Berkley like many school's in US has, over the past few years, experienced budget cuts. Netbook's with their incredibly low cost have swooped into save the day in a department that has already shelled out the big bucks (pre-recession) for projectors & AV equipment in each classroom.  Where the budget seemed to run out was providing a computer to run all of this fancy equipment.

Before the budget cuts, a major facilities upgrade initiative put very nice projectors and speakers into every classroom of the building that our language classes are in, but none of the language departments have dedicated teaching laptops.

Before these netbook's were generously provided by Toshiba to streamline the learning process Calballero would have to print out class material and xerox it on to transparency paper and wheel a 40 year old over head projector into the classroom. A shocking action considering there is a projector worth several thousand dollars uselessly hanging on the ceiling.

Toshiba's netbooks filled in a gap to take advantage of what's already paid for in these next-generation textbooks and the equipment that has already been purchased.  What is interesting about these three netbooks, is that Caballero wasn't able to raise the funds within the department and the netbook's they are currently using are on loan from Toshiba hoping to prove that a single $300 machine can make HUGE difference in the quality of learning in the classroom.  The hope is that if the netbooks prove their worth in the Spanish and Portuguese department that it won't take long for other departments to follow suit.

So how are single netbook's making a difference in the classroom?

The students make power point presentation for ...

More from this channel