Teachers: tech in the classroom — your take?

[Anonymous]

I wish we could homeschool, because our DC would learn so much more, but for a lot of reasons it is not practical for us. As it is, we are supplementing at home in most subjects to fill the gaps in the school curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Another question I’d like to ask teachers is: when do you think technology should be introduced and used heavily in the classroom? I’m what grade?

My kid is in a school that gives out iPads to kindergartners. I looked at privates and the 30k/year down the road actually advertises “ubiquitous access to technology” for students from K to 12th. Just… why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another question I’d like to ask teachers is: when do you think technology should be introduced and used heavily in the classroom? I’m what grade?

My kid is in a school that gives out iPads to kindergartners. I looked at privates and the 30k/year down the road actually advertises “ubiquitous access to technology” for students from K to 12th. Just… why?

Not a teacher, but my 7th grader is using tech somewhat heavily. It's not the "do your math in this Google slide deck" that FCPS had her doing before we switched to private, though. Her textbook is scanned online (not a digital textbook) so she doesn't have to carry it. I'm kind of neutral on that, but it's fine. She has review lectures from her teachers recorded online she goes over before tests. Her assignments and grades are all tracked online. She can chat with classmates when she has questions - and to get distracted - at home. She's pointed to resources for research online, same as she will be later in her academic career, and learning to use and cite them appropriately.

She still does a lot of pencil and paper work and I think the tech is used in a somewhat meaningful way, though I think the school could send the textbooks home and skip the recorded review sessions and be just fine.

Her 5th and 3rd grade siblings have access to a media center or computer cart, but I haven't heard of them using them at all. They do some typing practice at home for homework and the 3rd grader does math facts online as opposed to on paper. The typing can only be done digitally (unless you give every kid a typewriter) and is a critical life skill. The math fact website I am neutral on.

I think at a minimum all assignments need to be listed and grades listed online in middle. Not sure computers need to be regularly out except in specified computer labs ever...and that includes graduate school.