Review: Laptop Computer

About a year and a half ago my sturdy workhorse Lenovo laptop that I use for work suddenly stopped charging. I watched with horror as with the last few remaining moments of battery life I was quickly transferring all of the docs that I needed immediately for work. We were able to get a new charging cable and get it up and running again but it wasn't long after that I decided it was time for me to get a new work computer.

I ended up buying an Acer Apire 5 laptop and I fell quickly in love with it. There is a reason it's a best seller on Amazon.

But is it good for homeschool? We decided to pull the trigger and try it out for ourselves.

The start up costs of homeschooling can turn some people off. When we first started researching for homeschool computers we wanted something affordable (*cough* cheap *cough*), sturdy, and with a quick start up speed. But everything under $200 had a small screen, poor displays, and/or bad reviews.

We decided to go with the exact same laptop as I use for work. Here is why:

1. It has great reviews. 4+ stars on Amazon with almost 21 thousand reviews.

2. It was affordable. It seems like there is a certain threshold for laptops. Anything under $200 and you "get what you pay for". After that anything with real substance or quality is a minimum of $550. There was no in between option that really fit our needs.

Remembering my experience with my work computer I figured I'd see how it works for a different use. We have been testing out this laptop for two months now and this is what we like about it for homeschool use:

1. It starts up FAST. Have you ever turned on your computer, walked away, come back, and it's still booting up? This computer is not like that at all. I wanted to see how patient my kids would be. Turns out the longer they had to wait for a computer to load, the more frustrated they were when doing their Spanish, Typing, or Tynker class. Our kids are learning patience but having a computer that boots up in seconds versus minutes is a beautiful luxury in our busy day.

2. It's sturdy. I was nervous about leaving a laptop in the hands of small children. Earlier this year our three year old dropped and broke another work laptop so we were really nervous about this. But this beast of a computer has even outlasted full blown tantrums. ("Bud Bud" hadn't learned not to hit inanimate objects which we quickly nipped in the bud.)

3. The display is clear. There are some laptops where if you don't have the screen at jussst the right angle, you can't read or see anything on it. I was nervous because I knew the computer worked for my height but what about kids whose angle of view would be different? That turned out to be an unnecessary fear but I can confidently say that the angles worked for all three kids who all vary in heights and angles.

4. The speaker quality is fine. Not amazing, not bad. Just right. BUT it is really quiet. If the room is dead quiet you'll be able to hear it well. But if you have other sounds in the room it will be quickly drowned out. Easy fix with a pair of headphones.

5. This laptop has a good battery life for the price. It can go for several hours between recharge.

6. Not only does it start up fast but everything loads up quickly too. You can open files, apps, etc with minimal wait.

7. It can stream. I tested out streaming videos and even games on the computer and it works. If you are planning on using it for something streaming intensive then I'd recommend buying a 4 GB RAM storage upgrade ($33) and installing it. Or get a GForce Now subscription ($60/year). It's cheaper than buying a gaming laptop if your homeschooler begs you for an upgrade.

Security and Safety Rules we follow:

Having a separate computer means you can lock things down. Right now our kids can access only 6 websites because we locked our accounts using the Microsoft account software. I know that when my kids are using the computer they literally CANNOT get into anything outside of those 6 websites. I get email reports of their activity use and if they need to use a new website not previously approved (like Tynker when we first started), they can request access and I can give it to them with a click of a button.

Right now we have the laptop in a public area at all times.

We have reviewed online safety etiquette. They do not have access on their computers to chat rooms or games that allow interaction with others at this moment but we constantly reinforce the basics: never give out personal information, never tell specifics about you, never send or receive pictures, don't open anything anyone sends you without mom or dad present, always tells us if something makes your uncomfortable, etc. You can find lots of helpful resources online.

Overall I am very happy with this purchase and would recommend it for your homeschooling needs.

This research costs time and resources so if you are interested in helping the continuing research please consider sending $1, $5, or even $10 so we can continue: http://paypal.me/serenamcmurdie

Thanks!