Ipads in Preschool?

[Anonymous]

Our preschool (I won't name it for fear of outing myself, so don't ask), is starting to use ipads in the classroom this year. They think by the time kids get to real school, it will be helpful for them to be proficient with electronic devices. Is this a good idea? This is for 3 and 4 year olds. On the one hand, classrooms seems increasingly electronic but on the other hand, that is a lot of "screen time." I'm honestly surprised by it and torn.

[Anonymous]

Seems unnecessary to me, and I say that as a mom of a preschooler who does sometimes play on the iPad at home. And sure, he plays "learning" games, but I guess at school, I would hope that he's playing and learning his letters and that sort of thing the "old-fashioned" way.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be down with this. Kids will get plenty of screen time as they get older. No need to start it now.

[Anonymous]

ipads..no, but they do use computers.

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous and no. My kid, 4, has an ipad of his own at home. I would not want him to play with it at school or with a computer. I want him to interact and play with other people at school.

[Anonymous]

Our daycare/preschool has computers for the kids that they start to use at 3 and use more when 4 and 5. We also let our preschoolers use our iPads at home. I don't see any difference between them using computers at school and using iPads at school, just a different device. I'm completely fine with it. I think its a necessary educational step that they need in getting ready for the modern world and modern schools just as much as any other skill.

[Anonymous]

What happens if your child breaks the iPad? Who would be responsible for replacing it?

[Anonymous]

Totally unnecessary! They need to touch things and experience all 3 dimensions to absorb the information.

[Anonymous]

I don't think computers or ipads etc are appropriate for preschool. They are only there a few hours each day--let them muck around in the sandbox and build with enormous blocks and etc.

[Anonymous]

Very bad idea. Young kids need to interact with the environment. As for developing "skills," by playing with the iPad--these can be learned in a couple of hours. There is no need to teach kids how to use touch screens. There is a tremendous need to teach kids how to share, wait in line, use the toilet, use words, observe the natural world, and run around.

[Anonymous]

I agree with some posters about kids needing real experiences at school and what not but I also don't believe teachers using these tools would replace these other learning experiences with ipad instruction. As a former technology teacher at a private preschool I can tell you this generation of kids is more technically proficient and needs the curriculum to adapt to the times we live in- they will still interact with their peers, play in the mud, and build with blocks too!

[Anonymous]

I think it's not necessary for pre-schoolers at all. My 3 yo can work the iPad perfectly, and he's no genius. They're easy to learn so there's no need to introduce them in preschools. I'd rather he learn things hands on and not on a screen.

[Anonymous]

the dcps in my neighborhood is doing this. we don't like it. Parents should weigh in. They won't change their policies unless you do, and more and more pk's are starting to think this is a good idea.

[Anonymous]

My kids public Arlington elementary school is getting them in the science lab. They won't be playing 'angry birds'!

FWIW, the schools use a big interactive board (no longer a blackboard) to teach adn the concept (moving letters around, etc) is much like an ipad.

[Anonymous]

I am a preschool teacher in a fantastic school in St. Louis. Our curriculum is a constructive, play-based curriculum. We do not have "themes" or teacher-directed activities. We provide provocations for the students and follow their lead as they discover. I am currently collaborating with two other teachers to write a grant for our school so that each classroom will have two ipads--one for the teachers and one for the students. Instead of vilifying the use of technology in the classroom, I believe that it might be better to take a step back and see how the technology will be used. Talk with the teachers to determine their plan for the use of the iPads. Are they used simply for games, or are they being used to follow up on the wonderings of the children in the classroom? Preschool is a place for exploration. Are the students wondering about weather and tornados? Use the iPad to look at how a tornado is formed...look at video of the wind in a tornado...extend that into classroom experimentation and create tornados in a bottle. Move your body like it is in a tornado. The children can brainstorm ways to be safe in a tornado. They can create their own video about tornados with the video capabilities of the iPad. The video is THEIRS. They decide what goes in the video, they create the content, they create the format. The video can be posted to their classroom blog. Parents watch the blog and see what their children are accomplishing through play. The teacher can use the iPad to document this process and explain the learning that is occurring with the students.

Preschool IS a place for play. And, play is the medium for learning in a good preschool. There is no place for worksheets, flashcards, or rote memorization. Children wonder; children create; children navigate relationships as they play. Technology is not the enemy. Technology is merely a tool to be used by good teachers as part of the learning experiences that children have. I encourage parents to ask questions, gather information, and engage in an ongoing dialogue with their child's teachers. Children learn everywhere. Our job as parents and educators is to make sure that they have access to many opportunities to learn and encouragement to investigate their world in as many ways as they can.