Ideas from Mark Stout

Attend major colleges for free?  Well, sort of.   This week's Family Tech .

As kids head back to school, some are at a major disadvantage before they even enter the classroom.  Kids on the far side of the digital divide live in homes unable to afford $45 a month for broadband. Now, Comcast is offering $10 a month internet to children eligible for the National Free Lunch program. That, and other free tools to help bridge the Digital Divide is the topic of this week's Family Tech column .

College is project management. It is full of tasks, deadlines, etc. just like project management. I found a few smart phone apps that help students track all their tasks, deadlines, exams, professions and schedules. This is the topic of this week's Family Tech column .

In the last back to school column for this year, I discuss free or inexpensive software and services students should have.

This week's Family Tech column talked about what hardware a college student needs.  We got into the laptop/netbook debate and talked about some other hardware useful to a college student.

Could you send a college student off to school with just an iPad?  That burning question is the topic of this week's Family Tech .

This year we have not one, but two young scholars heading back to classrooms. And by young, I mean older--18 and 19. One is finishing high school and the other is in college. This has made me think about the technology available to students and how they might make use of it in their education. I've put this post together by researching what others have thought of, some brainstorming on my own part, and talking with a few students and teachers. If I get any of this wrong, or you have additional ideas, please share them in the comments. Here are the tools I've equipped our scholars with : Hardware : Wi-Fi Enabled Laptop : Preferable to a desktop. Takes up less room in a tiny dorm room, and easily carried to classes and library. Scanner : We have a small portable one from the Neat Company . Evernote is partnered with Fujitsu and promotes their ScanSnap . They both are powered from the USB drive so taking one with you is easy. Smart Phone – doesn...