How can we advocate against Ed tech in elementary in dcps?
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Anonymous
Yep and all the higher ups in tech are anti-screens too. |
Anonymous
Yes, even if people want to argue about tech in older grades, it seems like a no-brainer to me that we should be eliminating as much tech as possible from PK and K classrooms. To be fair, the PK teacher our kid had in a Title I DCPS was already on this 5 years ago -- it's one of the reasons we chose that PK despite getting into some charters in September. No tablets or computers in the classroom, the only screen use ever was a short dance video they would play for the kids while setting up for "choice time." Physical books were read to the kids, as much time as possible was spent outside, any learning was done through play, music, and games. She (and her teacher's aide) were such a gem. I think a lot of DCPS PK classrooms are like this, though, because DCPS requires most PK teachers to have a masters in early childhood education, and anyone who has gotten that degree in the last 20 years is going to understand that you don't teach 3/4/5 year olds with apps and screens. I think K is the tougher sell, especially in Title I schools, because DCPS starts pushing academics pretty hard in K and that often leads to more screens because of DCPS's reliance on iReady and other tech for teaching. But honestly, even our K class wasn't that screen heavy -- some videos here and there, the teacher used a smart screen for lessons (this is just a more convenient chalkboard, it's fine), and sometimes kids did iReady lessons during centers time (this was the only one that bothered me). But I don't think it would be that hard to get parents and teachers on board with a concerted effort to get the vast majority of screens out of ECE classrooms. I think grades 1-5 is where the battle will be, because yes at those ages some tech is pretty much inevitable and advisable in some areas (like learning to type), but it's also a time when kids can get completely hooked on screens and apps. I know people keep saying "stop talking about screen time!" because it makes me sound like an overzealous parent of a toddler, but I'm speaking as the parent of older kids -- screen addiction is REAL and it becomes a critical problem for tweens and teens when they can't go a few hours without a screen. Some of these kids have zero ability to work through normal boredom, social discomfort, anxiety, etc. without screens. You see it in adults too, of course. This is a major social issue. It's really more about handheld, interactive screens than about screens in general, but I mean, I'm 45 and I worry about my "screen time." |
Anonymous
This is just absolutely horrendous. Way to kill the joy out of reading. |
Anonymous
| At the Peabody tour today, they said kindergartners use tablets for about 15 minutes a day for iReady purposes (and then we saw the kids on tablets). Is this the same across DCPS? I understand that charters can do their own thing and can be lower-screen, but I thought I was told that some DCPS elementary schools are also lower-screen. But do they all have tablet use in K? |
Anonymous
Emphasis on the word “selling.” Parents and school districts are falling for it. |
Anonymous
Yes they all have tablets in K. They do other testing on it. Also I think it’s 30 minutes at some schools because they have to do math and ELA. FYI most charters will have some for testing purposes as well. 15 minutes isn’t horrible but I’d want to know what the time is for 1st-5th. |
Anonymous
We are at a charter and K kids are not on screen at all. Why do you need to test math in K?? Now the teacher did do individual reading eval but that was live one on one so those kids who were reading knew which bin of leveled books to take. That was it. There are no screens |
Anonymous
| What charter? Why do people saying their schools don’t use many screens not want to identify those schools? That’s positive feedback! |
Anonymous
There are virtually no screens whatsoever at LAMB. |
Anonymous
I’m the PP above and charter is MV |
Anonymous
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Please speak out at council meetings, make it known to your council member. Please also reach out to the WTU, who would like to partner with more parents. Maybe if we work together, DCPS will follow the science.
I would love to see more real books and more assistance. I think we need 3 teachers in pre-K (1 lead 2 paras). And 2 in every grade until 5th. More differentiation will be possible and another person to support with behaviors as needed. If we have a really strong foundation in PK-5th MS and HS will be so much better. Sometimes I think DCPS thinks screen time will make learning more ‘fun’ and students better behaved -it’s the opposite. We also need to get DCPS to give students consequences and hold parents who don’t take their kid to school accountable. |
Anonymous
This is the way. At DCPS level. Not every parent at every school has the energy and resources to do advocacy but those who do, really should jump in. It’s not fair to teachers who know better and want to take another approach, to be beholden to so much pressure from Central that runs counter to that, and it shouldn’t be that schools with more UMC families advocating will see a more favorable trend while others see 4th graders addicted to the entertainment and stimulation of more and more screen-based “learning” (in quotes because there are times when they don’t really learn, they’re just consuming content). |
Anonymous
Increase staffing by 50% in ECE and 100% in K-5. This is deeply unrealistic. |
Anonymous
What kind of consequences are you talking about? And how exactly do you hold parents accountable for not taking their kid to school? |
Anonymous
+1 It sounds amazing but you're talking about doubling school budgets at a time when schools are not renewing contracts for some teachers just to hit existing budgets. A major reason Ed Tech is popular is because it's so much cheaper than people. You get what you pay for, but they aren't going to more than double ES staffing. |