Google Classroom for Elementary kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand people's concerns, and share some of them, but as for "too young" - fourth and fifth grade is when you have the MOST influence over your kids. I feel like it might be better to dip a toe into social media and internet use at this age when they are easier to supervise and more likely to listen to your safety rules and internalize them. If you wait until they are teens they are developmentally programmed to think you don't know what you're talking about. For us, I feel like google classroom is a good way to begin to realize that we need to be paying attention to these platforms and to begin to work through online rules and safety practices with our kid. Fourth and Fifth grade is the perfect time to do that. Before peer influence drowns us out.

I’m the PP

I also meant to say that if you’re concerned about ‘peer I fouence’ than you’d also like to limit the Chromebook use at school.

You mean like tell the teacher "no Chromebook for my child?" I guess. But it's not like opting out of testing, or swimming in PE, or a book that addresses a touchy topic. It's like saying "My kid can't look at the Smartboard." Literally, 80% of the work is obtained on, researched on, done on, submitted on, the Chromebook. It's the single most used tool in upper elementary in MCPS, and opting out would create a real issue for the teacher, AND the student. It's a double-edged sword.

PP

Sorry, I was unclear.

I agree that it's pretty much impossible to opt out of Chromebook use. I was just saying that if a parent wants to introduce his/her child to social media, and responsible internet use, having unlimited access at school is not going to do it. The kids have completely unrestricted access (at least at our school). They can search anything. They can play any games. Sometimes a kid will search something 'inappropriate' and it's up to the principal to deal with it.

So, I mostly meant that if you want to be the one influencing how your kid behaves online, you'd probably be pretty horrified by what goes on in school. By 4th and 5th grade, the kids are already influenced by their peers, and their peers are doing all sorts on inappropriate things.