Except APS makes them such by relying on the technology for everything not actually doing much, if any, of that other stuff (ie penmanship and reading physical books). |
First problem is that they are not sitting around unused for the vast majority of the time, or are sitting around less and less each year. Secondly, them being overused would be equally good reason to not buy them - because they shouldn't be so dependent on them for teaching. |
What APS are you all in? My kids both read a lot of physical books, work on penmanship, etc. Also, for what it's worth, the math app Reflex on the ipads genuinely helps for memorizing math facts, which used to be a pretty painful process when it was just flashcards and multiplication tables. |
Lexia has its role; but APS is relying on it far beyond its basic useful role (identifying the student's mastery levels and areas needing more instruction). They are requiring "x" amount of time on it for the sake of requiring "x" amount of time on it, and also relying on it to provide instruction and skills practice. It's ludicrous. |
Wholeheartedly agree. Though I'm not convinced it's necessary in 5th grade. They can write essays on paper. |
How on Earth did K-2ers ever learn before computer games? Oh, right....teachers led them in non-computer learning games. Hmm... |
Who is saying to ban them? A shared set would be fine for most use in K-2. And don't send them home for most of elementary. The biggest problems happen on bus rides and at home. They don't come back or get broken. Parents get notes to pay but no one enforces. APS should come clean about how many ipads it's replacing each year. |
They don't need 1:1 devices to conduct assessments online or to give game-learning students access to Lexia and Dreambox. Class sets are sufficient. Even class sets in numbers fewer than the number of students in the classroom since, apparently, students are only using iPads for differentiation while teachers work with other students. |
I have no issue with things like math facts practice on computers. Our school did not spend time teaching penmanship - it was self-taught and then its use was never enforced, and then not needed because everything ultimately gets done on the iPad by middle school. I would say we're all in the APS you haven't gotten to yet or apparently just not in the special part of APS you're privileged to be in. |
Amen. This is exactly what my kids are experiencing right now. |
Honestly, I'm against this too. Make them write on pencil and paper. At the middle school level the essays aren't so long that it makes a meaningful time difference. The only advantage to giving them keyboards is so that it's easier for the teacher to collect all the written work with software. While I'm sensitive to the needs of teachers, paper and pencil are better for this age group in terms of re-inforcing all sorts of good habits and promoting better focus and engagement with the act of writing. Worse for students but easier for teachers isn't the kind of trade-off we should be making. Support the teachers with things like smaller class sizes so they have the ability to teach these skills well. |
Please. The issue is not that they are looking at a smartboard or monitor. It's the specific battle with the ipad. The discipline issues, the attention fragmentation from gamification, the cost of the devices, the amount of effort spent on making sure they're brought to school and charged up. All of it. |
It’s both. |
APS can easily buy the iPad keyboard attachments. I see people using iPads with keyboards all the time in planes, on trains, and in cafes. That’s cheaper and less disruptive than buying disposable Chromebooks for just a a few grades. |
APS pays teachers less than relative to other districts, we have mainstreamed kids with challenges, and ramped up testing. There will be times when the teacher needs to focus on on a small group, often times this will consume a large portion of the day, so what would the kids do before iPads? They would watch a movie. Or worksheets. This may or may not be better, but the real problem is the classes are too large now, and there’s too much differentiation effort to allow them to actually teach the class as one |