What does Chromebook use look like in your kid's elementary class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

I have to disagree. My kid is in K this year. The kids use Chromebooks almost daily. One of the centers is on Chromebooks, so the kids rotate through it while the teacher is doing small group reading. There are 4 Chromebooks set up at that center. So the small groups rotate through.

Then they have separate Chromebook time where they play games for Math. Instead of actually working with manipulatives, or playing Math games, they seem to rely on the Math games online. Personally, I really dislike this because I’m fairly certain that i’ve read studies that kids get more out of actually physically handling the manipulative versus learning math from a screen. They get this Chromebook time about 4 times a week. I get that it’s easier to set each K kid in front of a screen but it’s somewhat disheartening. My kid is great as pressing arrows to move from screen to screen so I guess that’s good?

Plus the poor K teacher gets so frustrated because the kids always accidentally shut down the Chromebooks on a regular basis. They are supposed to leave them on because it takes forever to turn them back on after they have been turned off. This is particularly a pain when the kids are in small groups. The teacher has to leave the small group that she’s giving direct instruction to (meaning those kids miss out on their direct instruction) to go and reboot the damn Chromebook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

Also, what do you consider primary classrooms? K-2?

Because my 3rd graders reads on Epic daily for free reading. FWIW, I come from a nearsighted family and have talked about this with my ophthalmologist. I really feel like all the screen time isn’t great for the kids vision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

Also, what do you consider primary classrooms? K-2?

Because my 3rd graders reads on Epic daily for free reading. FWIW, I come from a nearsighted family and have talked about this with my ophthalmologist. I really feel like all the screen time isn’t great for the kids vision.

It's funny you mentioned that because all of the 3rd grade teachers removed their mini libraries in their classrooms to house the big tower of chrome books and plug ins. We were told the kids need to supply their own books from home, and they will be doing reading on Epic. How sad is that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

Also, what do you consider primary classrooms? K-2?

Because my 3rd graders reads on Epic daily for free reading. FWIW, I come from a nearsighted family and have talked about this with my ophthalmologist. I really feel like all the screen time isn’t great for the kids vision.

It's funny you mentioned that because all of the 3rd grade teachers removed their mini libraries in their classrooms to house the big tower of chrome books and plug ins. We were told the kids need to supply their own books from home, and they will be doing reading on Epic. How sad is that?

Good God that is AWFUL!

Our (new) teacher has an awesome library. I would lose it if she removed it for computer reading.

That said, my child and a few other children were competing to see who would read more books on Epic. They were flipping through little kid books as fast as possible in order get more points. I told him he'd better cut it out NOW. I love this age where they do bonehead things but usually confess to them immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

Also, what do you consider primary classrooms? K-2?

Because my 3rd graders reads on Epic daily for free reading. FWIW, I come from a nearsighted family and have talked about this with my ophthalmologist. I really feel like all the screen time isn’t great for the kids vision.

It's funny you mentioned that because all of the 3rd grade teachers removed their mini libraries in their classrooms to house the big tower of chrome books and plug ins. We were told the kids need to supply their own books from home, and they will be doing reading on Epic. How sad is that?

Good God that is AWFUL!

Our (new) teacher has an awesome library. I would lose it if she removed it for computer reading.

That said, my child and a few other children were competing to see who would read more books on Epic. They were flipping through little kid books as fast as possible in order get more points. I told him he'd better cut it out NOW. I love this age where they do bonehead things but usually confess to them immediately.

My kid did that also! We talked about it and it got better.

I guess the books on Epic are cheaper than actual books? Kind of like how people have started buying E-Books over paper copies on amazon.

[Anonymous]

Folks take a tour of your local ES and get updated. Seriously. Just look around, listen, ask a few innocent questions, and smile.

Then post back your honest assessment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks take a tour of your local ES and get updated. Seriously. Just look around, listen, ask a few innocent questions, and smile.

Then post back your honest assessment.

This +100

Volunteer in your kid’s classroom. Ask your kid more details about his day. Ask him every day if they had Chromebooks time and what he did in the Chromebook. Ask what videos your kid watched today.

Don’t ask questions in a judgemental way. Just simply gather some info on your kids’ use of screens in school. I think most parents would find it pretty disheartening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

Also, what do you consider primary classrooms? K-2?

Because my 3rd graders reads on Epic daily for free reading. FWIW, I come from a nearsighted family and have talked about this with my ophthalmologist. I really feel like all the screen time isn’t great for the kids vision.

It's funny you mentioned that because all of the 3rd grade teachers removed their mini libraries in their classrooms to house the big tower of chrome books and plug ins. We were told the kids need to supply their own books from home, and they will be doing reading on Epic. How sad is that?

I agree that’s pretty terrible. Our 3rd graders still has a library in the classroom but they do encourage reading on the Chromebooks more.

When my K kid has media, instead of the librarian actually reading books to the kids, she uses a video of the book being read on the Promethean board. I feel like in the early years, there is something to be gained by having a book read aloud to you versus watching an animation of the book on the screen.

At least the K teacher actually reads the physical books in class, but it seems sad that the librarian is now also relying on the Promethean boards.

I’m not anti-screen and my kids spend a good deal of time on the iPad, but DH and I have decided no screen time at home for our K kid anymore during school. He gets hours of screen time daily at school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

Also, what do you consider primary classrooms? K-2?

Because my 3rd graders reads on Epic daily for free reading. FWIW, I come from a nearsighted family and have talked about this with my ophthalmologist. I really feel like all the screen time isn’t great for the kids vision.

It's funny you mentioned that because all of the 3rd grade teachers removed their mini libraries in their classrooms to house the big tower of chrome books and plug ins. We were told the kids need to supply their own books from home, and they will be doing reading on Epic. How sad is that?

I agree that’s pretty terrible. Our 3rd graders still has a library in the classroom but they do encourage reading on the Chromebooks more.

When my K kid has media, instead of the librarian actually reading books to the kids, she uses a video of the book being read on the Promethean board. I feel like in the early years, there is something to be gained by having a book read aloud to you versus watching an animation of the book on the screen.

At least the K teacher actually reads the physical books in class, but it seems sad that the librarian is now also relying on the Promethean boards.

I’m not anti-screen and my kids spend a good deal of time on the iPad, but DH and I have decided no screen time at home for our K kid anymore during school. He gets hours of screen time daily at school!

I just found out from my 3rd grade they can request books from the library on their Chromebooks in the classroom now. So not only are we taking away the reading of a book, but also searching for one. I help at the media center. Most kids are just on the computers playing games. I mean there may be 5 kids reading or looking for a book out of 25.

[Anonymous]

And the noise!!

Our ES doesn’t ask for headphones until 2nd grade. So the kids are all using Chromebooks and they are so loud. It’s terrible.

[Anonymous]

Is the best 2-4 hour babysitter in the world for a teacher.

Headphone use from 1st grade on. Kid can literally go all day without talking to nor with the teacher. If you hurry though the assignment (which most average kids can) before she floats over to your group, you get chrome book game time!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks take a tour of your local ES and get updated. Seriously. Just look around, listen, ask a few innocent questions, and smile.

Then post back your honest assessment.

This +100

Volunteer in your kid’s classroom. Ask your kid more details about his day. Ask him every day if they had Chromebooks time and what he did in the Chromebook. Ask what videos your kid watched today.

Don’t ask questions in a judgemental way. Just simply gather some info on your kids’ use of screens in school. I think most parents would find it pretty disheartening.

Our school does not allow volunteers. I just logged on my child's account - thanks to the person who posted how and it had emails with lots of links to games we'd never allow as school work. Very disappointing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait until Middle school and playing games during classes and tests...
Bringing Chromebooks with open internet to school is the worst decision possible by MCPS.
My child became real gamer in school. Students "educate" each other what to play. Nobody watching what is going on.
All study process (except Math) involves computers...

I don’t understand why they can’t put some sort of Parental control mechanism on the Chromebooks. Maybe not in MS but at least in ES.

At our school the principal gets a notification if someone is looking at an ‘inappropriate’ site. But there are 700 kids in our ES so that is pretty much impossible to monitor. And often the principal is off doing something else.

Put some controls on there for the ES kids. Even my work is able to block sites like Facebook and Instagram. It wouldn’t seem that hard and there is no reason for my 3rd graders to be accessing Instagram at school.

Pretty sure that Instagram is blocked at Mcps. If you actually read the original post they were talking about a Flickr account

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

Well it seems somewhat counterintuitive because they don't really use mouses with a Chromebook it has a trackpad.

And the students have to take a parcc assessment in 3rd grade so teachers want students to at least know how to use computers before then

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think we need to start with a Chromebooks in k to teach kids how to use a mouse and keyboard. Their hands are so small anyway at that age! Not like you will teach a 5 year old touch typing. They need to learn how to actually handwrite at that age.

If we want to introduce Chromebooks to get kids used to typing and mouse usage and research, it would be completely reasonable to wait until 4th grade.

The problem is that k starts taking mClass assessments on the chromebook and need to know how to use a touch pad or mouse. But in general, most primary classrooms don't use chrome books often.

Also, what do you consider primary classrooms? K-2?

Because my 3rd graders reads on Epic daily for free reading. FWIW, I come from a nearsighted family and have talked about this with my ophthalmologist. I really feel like all the screen time isn’t great for the kids vision.

It's funny you mentioned that because all of the 3rd grade teachers removed their mini libraries in their classrooms to house the big tower of chrome books and plug ins. We were told the kids need to supply their own books from home, and they will be doing reading on Epic. How sad is that?

I agree that’s pretty terrible. Our 3rd graders still has a library in the classroom but they do encourage reading on the Chromebooks more.

When my K kid has media, instead of the librarian actually reading books to the kids, she uses a video of the book being read on the Promethean board. I feel like in the early years, there is something to be gained by having a book read aloud to you versus watching an animation of the book on the screen.

At least the K teacher actually reads the physical books in class, but it seems sad that the librarian is now also relying on the Promethean boards.

I’m not anti-screen and my kids spend a good deal of time on the iPad, but DH and I have decided no screen time at home for our K kid anymore during school. He gets hours of screen time daily at school!

Librarian here I think it's really sad when teachers to rely on videoes of books. I almost completely lost my voice this week so I was showing my students videos of the books that I would have read to them but I found that the videos wouldn't read the books in the way that I would have read them. I still pause the videos a lot to ask questions and get more interaction from students. It wasn't just a passive experience for them