Share your thoughts

Discussion 1 : 05/09/2012 at 03:17 AM

banmebkk 49 - "I'm sure it doesn't cost 1 billion baht to revised a complete grade 1 textbook." It's not just one book for one grade. It's all books for all grades. estimate 1 million students * estimated 1500 baht/year for text books = 1.5 billion baht per year The tablets are planned to last 4 years. With those estimated numbers, buying the tablets saved billions of baht per year.

Discussion 2 : 04/09/2012 at 02:45 PM

@Disc 47 johninbkk - Exactly outdated textbooks is bad, that is why the 1 billion plus baht should have been used to update the text books, not buy useless tablets that will be given away for free after 3 years. It won't even last 1 year to say the least! Renewing textbooks will help children of all ages, not just grade 1. I"m sure it doesn't cost 1 billion baht to revised a complete grade 1 textbook.

Discussion 3 : 04/09/2012 at 04:46 AM

Disc 44 The idea for these Tablets probably came from Singapore where some Schools use them in class." That makes sense. Lee Kwan Yew is Thaksin's hero and role model. How do you know that? What is wrong with Lee Kwan Yew, a true statesman who built a great country for the people from next to nothing in a very short time?

Discussion 4 : 03/09/2012 at 10:55 PM

englishbob 42 - "Books - what was wrong with them anyway?" I take it you haven't actually seen the books these kids use. A single outdated text book filled with errors could cost $30 or more, plus kickbacks, and are taught by 'quality' Thai teachers. The $80 tablets are continually updated and bypasses the teacher.

Discussion 5 : 03/09/2012 at 10:45 PM

alexa 24 - The zener diode approach is a very poor design (although very cheap). Lithium battery charging current should always be monitored and limited, and then completely shut off after a full recharge. Diodes cannot do this. The appropriate way would use an ADC pin on the microcontroller to monitor it.

Discussion 6 : 03/09/2012 at 10:39 PM

mitrapaap 33 - "Social studies with the eyes fixed on a little screen and the ears jammed with ear plugs.... Let's see how social these kids are in 10 years." I understand your fear of technology, but repeated studies have shown that computer users are more social offline than non-computer users. Besides, class time isn't socializing time, anyway.

Discussion 7 : 03/09/2012 at 06:11 PM

"The idea for these Tablets probably came from Singapore where some Schools use them in class." That makes sense. Lee Kwan Yew is Thaksin's hero and role model.

Discussion 8 : 03/09/2012 at 05:45 PM

Yes these batteries will last as long as the manufacturers state, but the continous use is another word for being switched on. 3 hours of actuall data usage is about right. Everyone knows this. Or i would think they do. Being switched on is being used. Inputting data, and reading the data, programs used will drain the battery quickly. What should been done before the purchase is to have all the programs loaded and let sample ones be used. Reports written on the usage.Then this would have been known.

Discussion 9 : 03/09/2012 at 05:04 PM

There is a product that is much cheaper and has been proven to be effective over many years. It can be taken home and used 24 hours a day with no recharging needed. Most of the people writing on this forum were educated using this product. Growing up these products were even available free of charge. Books - what was wrong with them anyway?

Discussion 10 : 03/09/2012 at 04:23 PM

I still find it very rewarding to sit with my daughter and read/discuss segments from an Atlas,Dictionary or text book, magazine one-on-one. Batteries don't drain but patience wears thin. Easily fixed in a couple of minutes though with a simple statement to self, "she's learning".

Discussion 11 : 03/09/2012 at 03:13 PM

If the devices are not matching the written specification than they need to be repaired/replaced. While (of course) this idea was always about PR rather than education, is 3 hours not enough for classroom use? It seems a strange complaint. I strongly suspect that some poorly trained teachers (and adequate preparation is 100% a PT responsibility) are looking for excuses to not use these devices. Proper training of the teachers is essential to making use of any new teaching aid and PT are very foolish if they are not pushing this matter very strongly within the Ministry of Education.

Discussion 12 : 03/09/2012 at 03:11 PM

Kena, read the story the time spent staring at the gizmos is limited due to the batteries performance. They get 1hr leaving lots of time for other activities. Popular electoral policy or not it’s a well intentioned scheme that brings a modern learning aid into schools. Teething problems aside it’s good that the kids are getting the opportunity. You wouldn’t want to see one social class have all the sports facilities and another with none would you?

Discussion 13 : 03/09/2012 at 03:08 PM

Cadcolin I have a Samsung tablet wgich will run for about 8 hours per day but then in did cost about 18,000 baht not just 800 you get what you pay for.

Discussion 14 : 03/09/2012 at 02:38 PM

3 hours rather than a minimum of 6. Don't worry. Those smart folk in the government procurement dept included a clause in the contract to enable a partial refund when the items don't meet specification. Just like the futile airship and the useless GT200 detectors. Dream on people!

Discussion 15 : 03/09/2012 at 01:50 PM

cadcolin, "even the ipad wont run contiously running apps and video for a full day so why do you expect any other tablet to do the same !!!!! " You ignored this bit, from the article above: "The batteries tend to last no more than three hours, although the manual said they should last for at least six hours of continous use, Ms Thipparat said." See the problem?

Discussion 16 : 03/09/2012 at 01:41 PM

bkk-farang, Correct, but you must understand that to johninbkk there is never ever any problem with anything as long as it's PTP (Pheu Thaksin Party) in charge. He would have been all over this if, oh let's say, the Dems had ordered these tablets.

Discussion 17 : 03/09/2012 at 01:26 PM

intresting comment in the main article here that the tablet can be only used 1 hour a day i see three issues here 1)The classroom should now be a mix of traditional teaching and use of the new technology limiting the childs exposure to fixed periods of tablet use 2)As always the quality and ability of thai teachers is variable it sounds to me we have some thai teachers expecting the tablet to run all day and all they have to do it check on the child occasionaly even the ipad wont run contiously running apps and video for a full day so why do you expect any other tablet to do the same !!!!! 3) battery life are they being charged as directed by the tablet manufactures or are we doing as most people do leaving them plugged in all day if there is a fault then it can be adressed but to me it sounds a little less black and white as the articale is trying to claim!

Discussion 18 : 03/09/2012 at 01:16 PM

"the tablet curriculum is designated as an additional tool to help students learn five core subjects _ social studies, mathematics, Thai, English and science." Social studies with the eyes fixed on a little screen and the ears jammed with ear plugs.... Let's see how social these kids are in 10 years.

Discussion 19 : 03/09/2012 at 12:39 PM

@johninbkk #28: It’s not exactly “Not a problem”. There should have been a quality control at the manufacturer in China and another one in Thailand before the devices were shipped to the children but it seems that these QCs never happened!

Discussion 20 : 03/09/2012 at 12:18 PM

I think we can safely say that in the future this entire idea was a vast monumental waste of resources. In a few more years the technology will be slow and antiquated and there won't be cash to reinvest. The tablets will lie around the classroom gathering dust and the teacher will turn back to their school books and pencils. I shudder to think how much class time is wasted attending to each child's bust computer.

Discussion 21 : 03/09/2012 at 12:04 PM

I build outdoor sports and fun equipment for kids. they build physical strength, social interaction, oxygenate their little bodies and brains - all things you don't get with kids staring at little electronic gizmos all day. Einsteins? Ha. More like hoardes of unhealthy kids, quick to anger and inept at socializing or problem solving.

Discussion 22 : 03/09/2012 at 11:40 AM

Discussion 24 ledme, On and off, I have worked, taught and been part of the Thai society for more than 30 years. In 20 years time the children will have grown up. What will your status be ? I can foresee from your comments that they will probably be smarter than you.

Discussion 23 : 03/09/2012 at 11:27 AM

Not a problem, the batteries are covered under a two year warranty: http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/289685/ (the manufacturer tried to weasel out of it) That said, a poor charging circuit can cause lithium batteries to catch on fire. And don't put water on a lithium fire!

Discussion 24 : 03/09/2012 at 11:18 AM

I think the expression is: You Get What You Pay For.

Discussion 25 : 03/09/2012 at 10:38 AM

The argument that “Made in China” must be bad quality is simplistic and wrong. Many high quality electronic parts and products are produced in China and work according to their specification. So maybe the big problem here is the specification and probably the quality control. If this government would have taken this seriously then maybe they would have ordered tables which can be used constantly for 8h on full display brightness and CPU usage. It is no problem to produce devices with this or even longer usage hours, it’s just a question of the battery size and quality. And in this case the tablets are only used inside the schools so it would not matter if the tablet batteries are bigger and maybe 200g heavier. It would also be easy to order devices with easy user replaceable batteries and order double the amount of batteries. It’s just a question of proper planning and quality control. Both are obviously lacking in this and as far as I see in most of the PT government projects.

Discussion 26 : 03/09/2012 at 10:18 AM

i don"t understand,why the most people are against these tablets. please wait about 20years when these children are 26 years old than you can see how many Einstein they have in Thailand. maybe it"s the next big export: Einsteins from Thailand!!

Discussion 27 : 03/09/2012 at 10:00 AM

I am an Electrical Engineer, (an old one). Nevertheless the charging circuit for these devices should be controlled by a zener diode circuit, which is a simple voltage regulator, it prevents further current flow after a certain voltage level is reached, it is this principle your computer at home works, where it can be left plugged in for days without harm. You can get hundreds of zener diodes for a few dollars nowadays. The government needs to get their tablet chargers modified free by the supplier and a little effort by the government. Just sacrifice the cost of a few gallons of petrol for your Mercedes Benz to help the kids.

Discussion 28 : 03/09/2012 at 09:57 AM

First question is why are the tablets turned on so long? Why aren't teachers still teaching with their blackboards. The tablets are tools, not a replacement for the teacher and teaching. What about the kids eyes in the future? What effect will staring at 7 inch screens all day long have? Between tablet/smart phone addiction and music/ear bud addiction, I have to wonder what sort of geriatric nightmare are we producing for the future. Why weren't the PTP "experts" able to determine the overall needs and plan for them (ie: power points, charging stations, internet access in schools, etc)? As they have only gotten tablets to one grade level so far and have made no announcements about delivery dates for the other grade levels, how do they plan to implement this program during their remaining three years in office?

Discussion 29 : 03/09/2012 at 09:52 AM

The 3 hours between charges is very reasonable for tablets costing so little. No Manufacturer would quote 6 hours without some qualification like use of energy saving features. If you are using an Ipad then sure you may get 6 hours active use between charges but then that's not surprising at 4 times the price. The devices purchased by the Education Ministry are likely intended for mains power operation with only occasional battery use. With intensive use, the battery will cease to function after one year. Some Tablets come with batteries which can only be replaced by the Manufacturer or Approved Service Center. The idea for these Tablets probably came from Singapore where some Schools use them in class. I doubt that product used down there is the same.

Discussion 30 : 03/09/2012 at 09:52 AM

Have Government officials ever talked to school kids in Government and cheaper private Thai schools? They should as I did and then they would find out what kids really need and want! Teachers who do teaching and not hitting them for any little mistake; this would boost willingness to go to school and learn; first step to a proper education.

Discussion 31 : 03/09/2012 at 09:20 AM

I had some dealings with battery manufacturers in China. Several actually said to me, "We'll put whatever strength label you want on the batteries." Wonder if those that went into these tablet computers were sold the same way.

Discussion 32 : 03/09/2012 at 09:17 AM

Anyone surprised? Made in China!

Discussion 33 : 03/09/2012 at 09:16 AM

Good to hear teachers and students going through learning curve together. Battery life is generally shoddy on tablet computers as it is on smart phones. Least with smart phones it’s possible to have a second fully charged battery on standby. Problem with tablets is the batteries are fixed meaning the simple task of swapping the batteries is a workshop repair. One way to overcome the problem is not continually use the devices for more than 1hr and use a computers usb hub to boost the charge in several of them at a time.

Discussion 34 : 03/09/2012 at 09:08 AM

@ Discussion 12. Glad your children do well with your tablet, but if the real goal behind these was education and not vote buying it would make far more sense to put a PC or quality tablet atevery child's desk which would be available for his/her use but remain school property and be cared for and maintained by the school.

Discussion 35 : 03/09/2012 at 07:38 AM

- I dislike saying this...But, "I told you so..."

Discussion 36 : 03/09/2012 at 07:38 AM

Cheap as chips!! You get what you pay for unfortunately.

Discussion 37 : 03/09/2012 at 07:29 AM

I have an Ipad and it will not stay charged for more than 3 hours of continuous hard use use either. I have an Iphone and same story, and I have an ipod and it is the same story, and i have a macbook air laptop and it claims to have a battery life that is long too, but does not stay charged nearly as long as advertised. So it is no surprise that this device does the same, as that seems to be the industry standard.... to claim twice what battery life you actually give.

Discussion 38 : 03/09/2012 at 07:10 AM

I am sure the Shinawatras had only good intentions in mind when they though up this project. Obviously they wanted that Thai children learn us much as possible so that they all become educated citizens who will fully understand Thailand and especially Thai politicians. With this knowledge the future voters would know exactly which politicians work for Thailand and which once only want to enrich themselves. But now the devices don’t really work which is obviously a big surprise for everyone. How could that have happened? So I guess many school children will not get any better education than their parents and because of that they will probably continue to vote for the Shinawatras. P.S.: But I am sure at least the commission is paid already which was of course the most important part in this business. TiT

Discussion 39 : 03/09/2012 at 06:48 AM

D9, I doubt you have given a child the use of a tablet, my kids (6 and 4)spend hours of fruitful time learning with my ipad, not just playing games, they are so much more engaged. But ipads cost 20k, and even they are notorious at eating battery when fully used. Having a classroom full of cheap tablets that last 3 hours (and probably even less when they start to age a bit), but need 5 hours and 50 plug points to recharge is practically useless. No one thought of that simple issue did they. Puea Thai planning at its finest.

Discussion 40 : 03/09/2012 at 06:43 AM

Invest more , their not serious ? Cut your losses , it was only meant to benefit "one" Thai anyway ! Amazing ?

Discussion 41 : 03/09/2012 at 06:21 AM

Five hours to charge and 3 hours of use, excellent. Well, so long as the right pockets were lined it doesn't matter really does it.

Discussion 42 : 03/09/2012 at 05:58 AM

Why does the Post even buy into the nonsensical claim that these tablets are some miracle learning device that will advance the education of Thai children? They're nothing more than cheap useless toys that were used to buy votes and are now being distributed to a few show schools so carefully staged photographs can be taken. I've read no articles about tablets being frequently used in Western schools, and certainly none about them being a magical learning device anywhere but in Thailand.

Discussion 43 : 03/09/2012 at 05:54 AM

I bought one of these tablets at Zeer. I charged it up and it lasted about 20 mins of use. I had to recharge it then. Looks like no one really tested them before accepting them. Way to go Education Dept.

Discussion 44 : 03/09/2012 at 05:23 AM

Teachers are probably going to have some headaches keeping these working. They have better things to do with their time. Why not hire some I T Techs for each province? Pantip sells universal external batteries for tablets. Even though the cost might be close to what was paid for the tablets, a couple of these in each classroom would prevent down time.

Discussion 45 : 03/09/2012 at 05:20 AM

What did they expect ? A goverment that used this as one of their main promisses during the election goes on the marked to find the cheapest product when they understand that they had to keep some of their promisses.They then turned their eyes towards China who are known around the world for stealing/copying other products and then selling the product knowing that it does not really work.Any foreigner will know what to expect when the label says " Made in China " but not the Thai goverment.I wonder why ? I have been told the thaksin family is half chinese so is the company that delivered this tablet a part of companies owned by thaksin ? All I know is that when I read this today it did NOT coma as a surprise to me.

Discussion 46 : 03/09/2012 at 05:11 AM

This reminds me of when my children were attending a private school in the Krabi area. The classrooms didn’t even have fans to keep the children cool while in class. I went out to Tesco to buy a couple fans for the rooms my children were learning in. The teachers and students were grateful for the fans. Unfortunately there were no power points in the classroom to plug the fans in. Unbelievable! Needless to say, my children no longer go to school in Krabi. Surely the MOE can budget for proper charging stations for the tablets!

Discussion 47 : 03/09/2012 at 04:42 AM

Another well thought out plan by the Thaksin Gov't.For Thaksin it's always about grandstanding at public expense but never about how things will actually function.Grand policy announcements with no research or proper planning are a hallmark of Thai Gov't but Thaksin and his parties, past and present,are the masters.

Discussion 48 : 03/09/2012 at 04:24 AM

Yet another PT 'policy' unraveling. Almost all of them now if I'm not mistaken.

Discussion 49 : 03/09/2012 at 03:14 AM

1. The first two or three charging cycles is the most important. The battery should be over charged and then completely drained before the next cycle.. failing to do so may create a memory in the battery that's fools the charging function- 2. Cheap Chinese stuff what do you expect.??

Discussion 50 : 03/09/2012 at 02:08 AM

It is a well known fact in the industry that Chinese batteries (and adapters) are of low quality and will not last long in time and life time. If this was in the specs and the first batch was tested it should have become apparent. Perhaps a little white lie from the supplier?