How can we advocate against Ed tech in elementary in dcps?
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Anonymous
So weird that there is this one extremely pro-tech poster. Is it AI or something? |
Anonymous
So all prior generations were not getting “substantial enough” (whatever that means) assignments because we didn’t type them? Sure, Jan. We know that the brain works better when you write with your hands as opposed to typing. |
Anonymous
Haha. I made sure to NOT mention that I AM a PK teacher/coach. I hate to burst your bubble but I have seen this in plenty of classrooms. Why did you ignore my mentioning of laptop carts in every ECE classroom? This is easily verifiable by the Ed spec of schools that are modernizing. It’s also not just about what is currently happening, it’s what’s coming as well. DCPS isn’t giving us all iPads for nothing. The fact that you are bashing moms because you think they are not experts and just overly sensitive is telling. What do you let your young child have 3+ hours of screen time a day and you feel guilty? And please stop moving the goalpost like people are just saying ‘a screen in general’ it’s not helpful to the conversation. |
Anonymous
I organized for more tech use in MS, because without apps, my kid would have learned nothing. The teachers have their hands full dealing with social/emotional issues and 7th graders who read at a 1st grade level. |
Anonymous
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Hi, I'm a parent of an older kid who has been in DCPS since PK3. For those of you with younger kids, I want to give you some feedback on where the challenges might be to addressing tech use in DCPS schools.
1) I-Ready. Some of you likely have exposure to I-Ready, though if your kids are in PK maybe not. I-Ready is an ed tech program that is used throughout DCPS in order to do educational assessments, usually three each year (beginning of year, middle of year, end of year). Because DCPS uses I-Ready for assessments, there is a lot of pressure to use the app for learning -- using I-Ready math and reading lessons both in class and for homework. It's possible for kids to do well on I-ready assessments without using I-ready a ton as a learning tool (my kid did this) but lots of I-Ready exposure will generally boost scores. The program also sets score goals for the year (ordinary and "stretch" goals) and schools want to see lots of kids hit their stretch goals. I think this leads schools to push for more I-Ready use. We always fought it, but some teachers are much more intense about it and make it harder to avoid. 2) CAPE. This is a computer-based assessment. The scores are very important to schools even if not that important individually for kids, especially in elementary. Because it's computer based, schools need kids learning certain computer skills in order to do well on the exams. This leads to more computer time starting in 3rd, when CAPE testing starts, plus assignments to practice typing and typing assignments at home. Learning to type is important and the skills they learn for CAPE are mostly good skills. It's more that the pressure to get those skills in time for CAPE results in a lot of screen time in class, and dealing with the often terrible wifi and computer resources in schools (so many days where they are spending absurd amounts of time just getting a computer to work or logging into a program). But schools have to administer CAPE, and they have to prep for it. Their hands are somewhat tied here. This is most painful in 3rd and 4th, after which kids generally have the computer skills they need and they don't have to dedicate as much class time to it. 3) Parents who are fearful about their kids being left behind on tech. You need to understand that different parents view this issue differently, and there are lots of parents who want more tech in the classroom and highly value having a "high-tech" classroom. I would encourage you not to view these parents as automatically wrong. They are approaching these issues differently than you would and they have good reasons for that, often their own bad experiences with schools that had weak tech and having to overcome that later in life, or just general anxiety about their kids being ready to compete in a highly technical work environment. Their concerns are reasonable. The key to working with these parents is to find common ground. Talk about good uses of tech versus bad uses of tech. Think about where tech in classrooms CAN actually be good and maybe start by acknowledging that rather than starting right in on "we have to get screens out of classrooms." If you turn this into a battle of pro-tech parents v. no-tech parents, you will lose because that's just not where society is going. I'm on your side, I think we need to be thinking really critically about how over reliance specifically on Ed Tech and getting phones and social media out of the classroom because these are unnecessary distractions. But you don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater -- some tech in classrooms is important, and helps kids learn, and makes teaching better. The key is figuring out what tech that is and supporting it while also clearly identifying the bad tech that we want out of schools. |
Anonymous
This is not acceptable. |
Anonymous
lol no I am not AI. and I am absolutely not “pro tech” if you read my posts. Do you honestly think kids typing is bad??? |
Anonymous
Calm tf down. Yes I have a kid in DCPS MS and that is exactly why I know what I am talking about. You seem to only want to be surrounded by pearl-clutchers mad that their PK3 kid saw an episode of Dora at school. |
Anonymous
Look, feel free to have your kid hand write a research paper. I hope you know that is a very extreme position to take. I mean, I don’t think I handwrote any significant assignment post 7th grade … |
Anonymous
There are some of us here who hand wrote the bar exam, so a lot has changed. |
Anonymous
PP here who has been arguing against apps in MS. I understand this take and in fact this is why I am sympathetic to some teachers and admins who have adopted digital curriculums. It is a consequence of DCPS failing to differentiate. I can fully understand why a teacher who has a math class ranging in ability from 1st to 9th grade would think an adaptive, “self-paced” app-based approach could work. In our school the math department is painfully figuring out this doesn’t work… but honestly I don’t blame them for trying since the sensible route of tracking isn’t allowed. |
Anonymous
| The easiest thing to do is leave DCPS for a lower tech school. Then you’ll find parents who want the same things you do. |
Anonymous
I literally asked for parents with kids in DCPS MS to share what their experience is with tech in MS. Rather than do that, which would have been helpful, you told me to "dig in to how math is being delivered at SH." Do you have useful info or not? I actually don't yet believe you actually have an MS kid because no one on this thread has actually shared their experience with MS except the one person who said they advocated for more apps because teachers are spending all their time on behavioral issues and trying to help kids reading at a 1st grade level. Which isn't really a defense of apps so much as an indictment of the entire system. Also, btw, you are assuming that I share all of the opinions of everyone else posting. I don't. But rather than make fun of and criticizing everyone, I'm trying to have a productive, proactive conversation. You just want to make fun of parents of preschoolers for... caring about their kids' education? Paying attention to research and recommendations about screen time for very young kids? Why? To make yourself feel good? No one cares how you feel, we're talking about how to improve schools for kids. |
Anonymous
Good post! You are much more persuasive than I am 
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Anonymous
+1. I know the only reason my kid knows how to spell is because of Lexia, because he detests reading. |