iPad use at Dorothy Hamm Middle School -- does it get better?

[Anonymous]

My child is in the 6th grade at DHMS. After helping her study for two tests this weekend, and realizing the only materials are in game-like apps, I looked at her APS iPad usage, and she's on it during almost all of the day. I thought maybe they were using it just to upload materials to Canvas, or while the teacher was working with small groups, but this looks like it's all on the iPad, unless she's in PE or at lunch. Math looks almost entirely on the iPad, she has a few pieces of paper in her binder but not much. For the two tests she had, the studying seemed unhelpful in that it was one question a screen at a time, and then the question disappeared and you could never go back to the answer to actually learn the material. They were cute games, but not helpful. Is this the nature of the beast in middle school in 2023? Or will it get better as the year goes on? I don't even need text books, but there has to be some kind of lecture, take some notes or complete a study guide, review the materials handed out, something other than what is on Canvas, right? Her grades are ultimately fine right now, because a lot seems to be content they had in the 4th and 5th grades, but I imagine at some point there has to be more, please tell me this happens? Please?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is in the 6th grade at DHMS. After helping her study for two tests this weekend, and realizing the only materials are in game-like apps, I looked at her APS iPad usage, and she's on it during almost all of the day. I thought maybe they were using it just to upload materials to Canvas, or while the teacher was working with small groups, but this looks like it's all on the iPad, unless she's in PE or at lunch. Math looks almost entirely on the iPad, she has a few pieces of paper in her binder but not much. For the two tests she had, the studying seemed unhelpful in that it was one question a screen at a time, and then the question disappeared and you could never go back to the answer to actually learn the material. They were cute games, but not helpful. Is this the nature of the beast in middle school in 2023? Or will it get better as the year goes on? I don't even need text books, but there has to be some kind of lecture, take some notes or complete a study guide, review the materials handed out, something other than what is on Canvas, right? Her grades are ultimately fine right now, because a lot seems to be content they had in the 4th and 5th grades, but I imagine at some point there has to be more, please tell me this happens? Please?

This sound unusual. Some teachers are better than others about this, but many (most?) have their materials in Canvas. Slides, handouts, study guides, etc. Poke around Canvas more. Also, ask your kid if they have any papers in their locker - sometimes they get stuffed in there. Some textbooks stay at school (maybe math and/or science for 6th?).

My kid is in 7th and every core class and most electives have materials online this year. And there is a math textbook.

[Anonymous]

Swanson parent following. We are new to APS and used to paper worksheets and class lectures with note-taking to study.

My son didn't do well on a math test, despite knowing the material well, because of math test app issues and inability to return to check his work.

[Anonymous]

For math, you could ask the teacher if the test can be given on paper. That made a big difference for my kid.

[Anonymous]

That's a great idea -- asking for paper test. I think too this all makes me understand I need to go into Canvas and start printing off those slides and study guides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a great idea -- asking for paper test. I think too this all makes me understand I need to go into Canvas and start printing off those slides and study guides.

Paper tests are usually only given if it is a 504 or IEP accommodation. SOLs and other standardized tests on on the computer, so they want students to get used to the format.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at Gunston and he seems to use mostly paper (according to him). I did just see that he has a math test Thursday and the teacher uploaded a PDF study guide (with sample questions to look at). So he can print it out and go over it. But I did ask my kid and he said he rarely uses the ipad except for tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a great idea -- asking for paper test. I think too this all makes me understand I need to go into Canvas and start printing off those slides and study guides.

Paper tests are usually only given if it is a 504 or IEP accommodation. SOLs and other standardized tests on on the computer, so they want students to get used to the format.

OP and yes she has a 504. Agreed that printing paper may be part of our solution here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a great idea -- asking for paper test. I think too this all makes me understand I need to go into Canvas and start printing off those slides and study guides.

Paper tests are usually only given if it is a 504 or IEP accommodation. SOLs and other standardized tests on on the computer, so they want students to get used to the format.

If the kid is struggling, a teacher might be open to it without a 504/IEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is in the 6th grade at DHMS. After helping her study for two tests this weekend, and realizing the only materials are in game-like apps, I looked at her APS iPad usage, and she's on it during almost all of the day. I thought maybe they were using it just to upload materials to Canvas, or while the teacher was working with small groups, but this looks like it's all on the iPad, unless she's in PE or at lunch. Math looks almost entirely on the iPad, she has a few pieces of paper in her binder but not much. For the two tests she had, the studying seemed unhelpful in that it was one question a screen at a time, and then the question disappeared and you could never go back to the answer to actually learn the material. They were cute games, but not helpful. Is this the nature of the beast in middle school in 2023? Or will it get better as the year goes on? I don't even need text books, but there has to be some kind of lecture, take some notes or complete a study guide, review the materials handed out, something other than what is on Canvas, right? Her grades are ultimately fine right now, because a lot seems to be content they had in the 4th and 5th grades, but I imagine at some point there has to be more, please tell me this happens? Please?

I have a 9th grader who just finished Swanson, and a younger sibling who is in 7th grade at Swanson now. This has been our experience the entire way through Swanson. The online testing really bothers me, because the kids can't see what questions they got wrong and neither can the parents. My daughter says that even with the new "retake" policy, they can't see the test questions that they got wrong-- the teacher assigns them some extra problems, and then they have to retake the entire test.

You are also correct that many of the tests are given in a way that the kids can't go back and change their answers. My 7th grader has test anxiety and this was a big issue for us last year-- she would get nervous and draw a blank, but then remember the answer a few questions later but couldn't go back. After a few panic attacks, I talked to the teachers, and a few were willing to change the test app setting to allow the kids to go back through the questions to check their answers. One teacher didn't even realize that the app was set up this way.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of this is teacher dependent. Kenmore parent here and my kid has always had paper tests for math. However, another parent I spoke with complained to me that her kid only had tests on the iPad. So, like a lot of things, it seems to be teacher dependent. Ask your kid’s friends’ parents. Maybe the same issue there?

[Anonymous]

Math tests should NOT be given on an app. No wonder American kids are so bad at math. My kids are older but went through APS schools and got a great education, especially in math. They ended up going to TJ and are now in STEM careers.

But I could see them having huge problems with taking a test this way. Only people who are not intrinsically good at math would think this is a good idea. Or they're just lazy. How do they see the work kids do to get the answer? Often the work will be right but the kid will make an arithmetic error at some point which yields the wrong answer.

Does every school district do this now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Math tests should NOT be given on an app. No wonder American kids are so bad at math. My kids are older but went through APS schools and got a great education, especially in math. They ended up going to TJ and are now in STEM careers.

But I could see them having huge problems with taking a test this way. Only people who are not intrinsically good at math would think this is a good idea. Or they're just lazy. How do they see the work kids do to get the answer? Often the work will be right but the kid will make an arithmetic error at some point which yields the wrong answer.

Does every school district do this now?

The kids have paper to do the work on. Only the answers are entered in the app. Then as far as I know the paper work is then turned it. Its kind of like using a scan tron but click an answer online vs filling in a bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math tests should NOT be given on an app. No wonder American kids are so bad at math. My kids are older but went through APS schools and got a great education, especially in math. They ended up going to TJ and are now in STEM careers.

But I could see them having huge problems with taking a test this way. Only people who are not intrinsically good at math would think this is a good idea. Or they're just lazy. How do they see the work kids do to get the answer? Often the work will be right but the kid will make an arithmetic error at some point which yields the wrong answer.

Does every school district do this now?

The kids have paper to do the work on. Only the answers are entered in the app. Then as far as I know the paper work is then turned it. Its kind of like using a scan tron but click an answer online vs filling in a bubble.

Curious how this works. Is the paper just blank scratch paper or an actual printed test with questions? Does the paper get marked up and returned to students to review their errors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math tests should NOT be given on an app. No wonder American kids are so bad at math. My kids are older but went through APS schools and got a great education, especially in math. They ended up going to TJ and are now in STEM careers.

But I could see them having huge problems with taking a test this way. Only people who are not intrinsically good at math would think this is a good idea. Or they're just lazy. How do they see the work kids do to get the answer? Often the work will be right but the kid will make an arithmetic error at some point which yields the wrong answer.

Does every school district do this now?

The kids have paper to do the work on. Only the answers are entered in the app. Then as far as I know the paper work is then turned it. Its kind of like using a scan tron but click an answer online vs filling in a bubble.

Curious how this works. Is the paper just blank scratch paper or an actual printed test with questions? Does the paper get marked up and returned to students to review their errors?

The former - scratch paper