When it comes to making decisions about classroom technology, the debate is no longer confined to desktops versus laptops. Throw tablets, smartphones and netbooks into the mix, and educators have a plethora to choose from. Our goal is to equip students with the 21st Century skills they need to thrive in a global digital workforce. Part of our mission is to challenge and prepare teachers around the world to implement innovative learning approaches, and that means helping them decide which technology tools and devices provide the best fit.

We recently asked two influential education bloggers to give us their take on how Dell devices perform in a classroom environment. Ken Royal of Scholastic received a Latitude 2120 and Chris Dawson of ZDNet received a Latitude 2120, an Inspiron Duo convertible tablet, and a Streak 7 tablet with instructions to tinker, test and report back.

Royal shares his thoughts on the Latitude 2120, a laptop designed with durability in mind, in his blog post, calling it “perfectly packed for classroom adventures, and rugged enough to take even the toughest bus ride home in stride.” Dawson echoes Royal’s praise for the 2120 and adds accolades for the Streak 7, the “tablet of choice” in his household, and the Inspiron Duo, a “convertible netbook in a snazzy consumer skin,” in his post.

Faced with difficult decisions about which classroom devices are best, teachers and administrators can rest assured that the options can be narrowed to meet their classroom needs and priorities. “What we do have,” Dawson writes, “are mature choices in tablet, netbook, and laptop forms.... And choice is good.” Dell is here to help – for more information about classroom devices, visit the Dell Education website.