great article. so true. “Teaching is a human experience,” he said. “Technology is a distraction when we need literacy, numeracy and critical thinking.” And Waldorf parents argue that real engagement comes from great teachers with interesting lesson plans. “Engagement is about human contact, the contact with the teacher, the contact with their peers,” said Pierre Laurent, 50, who works at a high-tech start-up and formerly worked at Intel and Microsoft. |
I am with you on the overuse of Chromebooks in some schools for math practice and the like. Data gathering is super important but we take it to a crazy level. I also feel that we need to be careful with giving free time on Chromebooks as a reward. It's a slippery slope. Hopefully these are some of the kinks/issues of the early phases of Chromebook use and teachers, admins, and parents can pull back, reflect, and improve upon our current use. It is a learning curve and I truly believe most teachers and media specialists have good intentions for the use of these devices. As for students having books read to them via computer vs. a teacher I am not a fan of this at all. I became a media specialist partly because of my interest in instructional technology but mainly because of my passion for reading books to children and matching books to readers. There is no greater joy than sharing good books with children and discussing these texts with them. I even like to go old school and use songs, felt boards, and puppets to supplement these stories. |
PP here. My kids love it when someone uses puppets! I am so glad to hear that you do this. What do you think would work best if a parent at your school wanted to broach the subject of Chromebooks overuse? Who in your school would be most likely to take that seriously or have impact on the way staff uses it? I really respect my kids’ teachers and want to support them, but it is really hard to discuss this without sounding super-critical instead of constructive. |
Thanks for posting. I think it’s very hard to make changes in MCPS. It’s a huge school system! |
If this is true how 5 yo-10yo are using chromebooks - frequency and duration each day - this will be a dealbreaker for my husband and I. Way too distracting for young kids.
Just look how bad dcum is during the day with adults! then multiple it times 10000s of ES kids who actually need to learn the basics! |
MCPS has enough data to know exactly what is and is not working. Thing is, it hides half of it and keeps searching for unicorns. |
Haha! |
PP, I agree with EVERYthing you are saying and also agree that it's like talking to a brick wall to try to address this at school with the principals. Luckily we have had some good teachers who haven't drank the 'tech' Kool Aid completely and can understand where we're coming from. However, our principal is definitely not in agreement. Hopefully people will become more aware of this, and ask more questions of their kids. I think part of it is that parents really have no idea how ubiquitous the Chromebooks and other tech is, and how it's being used. |
Great article and comments, but disappointing how little easy research WaPo does when discussing health and privacy dangers of technology in K-12 education. Yes, smartphones in class are distracting, but big carrots like playing "games" on the PC are as well.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/04/06/new-research-teachers-deeply-concerned-about-digital-devices-but-parents-take-rosier-view/?utm_term=.63da89c1608d |
How apropo. Headline: New research: Teachers deeply concerned about digital devices When asked, “Do you believe that students’ use of digital devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers has helpful or harmful effects” in the area of mental health, 69 percent of teachers said digital devices have been “mostly harmful.” Fifty-five percent of teachers think the devices have a “mostly harmful” effect on students’ physical health as well. But perhaps the biggest change she sees in her students is how much trouble they have thinking through problems. “Everything is so instantaneous to kids, and they expect answers to questions right away,” she said. “There’s a downside in that it doesn’t help our kids wrestle with the gray area or complexity.” Instead, she says she sees many students pulled into the devices as an escape, not getting outside, getting exercise, learning to think deeply. “I think it’s affected their ability to think, to reason, to have a higher order of thinking,” she said. When she considers when she started teaching 28 years ago vs. now, students’ “ability to sit down and take the time they need to think out a problem has drastically changed. And I think a lot of that has to do with digital technology.” |
I work at the same school as the teacher who said that, and I respect her. She speaks her mind and pushes back when she thinks something isn’t good for students. She has a “reputation” for it, and I’ve been told our principal doesnt really like her. We younger teachers (not new, but not as experienced) are grateful to her for speaking up in general, and many of us think he should listen very closely to what she says instead of listening to someone else in the building who is competitive with her—though I think he’s figured that out in the last year. I’ve felt a change, anyway, and I’m crossing my fingers on that—because the other person kisses up and craps down in the worst most disgusting ways, but she has more “politics” sense than the teacher in this article. Anyway, I doubt a younger or less confident teacher would have spoken on the record about tech in schools, even in this general way. And as teachers like her get fed up and move on, we’re going to lose important voices. I don’t have her guts (which is why I’m here on DCUM and not in the Washington Post speaking up), but I hope I get her guts as I get older. She’s a role model for me, though she doesn’t know it and would probably be surprised to hear me of all people say that. So if you’re reading this, JG, please know that you’re appreciated! Stay fearless! Some of us are watching and learning and quietly encouraging you. |
Wow! That’s such a fantastic thing to say about her. I don’t know her or the school, but as an MCPS parent, I am rooting for teachers who seem to be advocating for the kids. |
All teachers advocate for their students. People assume that teachers have more decision making opportunities than they do. Many of us feel like cogs in the machine. |
This is true. The ones who speak up pay a price. It’s why the one above is so unusual. She may have always been this outspoken, but she’s also close to the end of her career. |
PP here Sorry, I did NOT mean to imply that teachers do not advocate for their students. I completely empathize. I work in healthcare and nurses/doctors feel the same way - we want to advocate for our patients but we feel like cigs in a poorly-running machine. I think parents and teachers in MCPS are probably both equally frustrated by the ridiculous beauracracy of MCPS. |