Jamestown elementary school - they use iPads for 40 min a day at kindergarten classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jamestown is our assigned school and I think it's terrible and sad to have kindergartners on Ipads during school hours. They can do that at home. There are so many better uses of time at school in my opinion.

Unless you have some degree in educational pedagogy, your opinion isn't valid.

Sorry, that's not how opinions work.

+1. As an aside, I'm a teacher with a pair of master's degrees and fully agree with PP.

[Anonymous]

I love how parents think that using school time to use technology is not okay but it is okay at home. We've got the same problems as parents in the classroom. We are forced to teach in small groups most of the day. Not my choice but it is what it is. We spend days and days testing kids individually in my district. That means that no teaching is happening at that time. THAT is where you should direct your dissatisfaction, not at the use of technology. For a few weeks, 3 times per year, we are testing out in the hallway with the entire class, one student at a time. I would compare it to parents letting their kids watch TV or use the computer while they make dinner or whatever. You have to get a task done so you do what you need to. Technology is a tool and it works well if it is used appropriately. By all means, let your kids use it at home but many kids can't or won't use it at home so they use it at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love how parents think that using school time to use technology is not okay but it is okay at home. We've got the same problems as parents in the classroom. We are forced to teach in small groups most of the day. Not my choice but it is what it is. We spend days and days testing kids individually in my district. That means that no teaching is happening at that time. THAT is where you should direct your dissatisfaction, not at the use of technology. For a few weeks, 3 times per year, we are testing out in the hallway with the entire class, one student at a time. I would compare it to parents letting their kids watch TV or use the computer while they make dinner or whatever. You have to get a task done so you do what you need to. Technology is a tool and it works well if it is used appropriately. By all means, let your kids use it at home but many kids can't or won't use it at home so they use it at school.

Different poster. I don't have a problem with technology being used in the classroom. It is a tool. What I want is for it to be used well and with a purpose. What I don't want is what we're getting. No supervision, no blocks on content and the children able to download whatever they want. There have been a couple of threads on this in a couple of forums as well where parents are discussing the access to porn in middle school and it is sickening. If the school systems provide these tools then they need to put into place the appropriate safeguards so that children cannot download filth. The school board in our district is not being held accountable for its poor decision making. The school system technology staff is not blocking the material and saying it is a parent responsibility. What? How can I control what happens with other kids in school? My kid is getting pressured by bullies in her classes to play these games or to download these videos pictures and lyrics. She doesn't and is spending a lot of time with her counselor trying to get out of it. All this is happening with my taxpayer money. I don't see why I am paying for middle school students to have access to porn in their schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of complaining here, complain to the school board. If they don't hear from you, they'll continue to buy iPads for the students and the kids will continue to learn nothing.

They'll continue to do that no matter how much complaining a few informed parents do; this is increasingly standard practice throughout the country due to the privatization of public education.

I'm a preschool teacher. Our kids don't get iPads but they want us, the teachers, to use them to constantly assess the kids and take notes on them throughout the day. I refuse.

NP here.

I also think the iPads in schools are a terrible idea that young. Teachers do it because the kids love playing games and it keeps the 26 kids quiet and in their seats.

MCPS is giving all 2nd graders Chromebooks next year. The kids have access to Google and there are no filters/controls at all. All sorts of crap comes up. Parents have complained, but somebody at Google must have worked out a sweet deal and they continue to add more and more Chrimebooks for the kids.

Technology is fine, but now when it's not well thought out. Like those damn Promethean boards. They take up a ton of space and can be hard to see and barely work about 1/4 of the time. Waste of money. What schools really need in K-2 classrooms is more teachers/smaller class sizes.9

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how parents think that using school time to use technology is not okay but it is okay at home. We've got the same problems as parents in the classroom. We are forced to teach in small groups most of the day. Not my choice but it is what it is. We spend days and days testing kids individually in my district. That means that no teaching is happening at that time. THAT is where you should direct your dissatisfaction, not at the use of technology. For a few weeks, 3 times per year, we are testing out in the hallway with the entire class, one student at a time. I would compare it to parents letting their kids watch TV or use the computer while they make dinner or whatever. You have to get a task done so you do what you need to. Technology is a tool and it works well if it is used appropriately. By all means, let your kids use it at home but many kids can't or won't use it at home so they use it at school.

Different poster. I don't have a problem with technology being used in the classroom. It is a tool. What I want is for it to be used well and with a purpose. What I don't want is what we're getting. No supervision, no blocks on content and the children able to download whatever they want. There have been a couple of threads on this in a couple of forums as well where parents are discussing the access to porn in middle school and it is sickening. If the school systems provide these tools then they need to put into place the appropriate safeguards so that children cannot download filth. The school board in our district is not being held accountable for its poor decision making. The school system technology staff is not blocking the material and saying it is a parent responsibility. What? How can I control what happens with other kids in school? My kid is getting pressured by bullies in her classes to play these games or to download these videos pictures and lyrics. She doesn't and is spending a lot of time with her counselor trying to get out of it. All this is happening with my taxpayer money. I don't see why I am paying for middle school students to have access to porn in their schools.

Are you in MCPS? This is absolutely an issue in MCPS. Even younger DD's principal acknowledges it's an issue. He gets notified when kids do an 'inappropriate' search but he can't always be monitoring that stuff. And it's impossible for teachers to monitor every student all the time.

I'm not a prude, but I find it INSANE that ES and MS kids can search for 'hot babes' on their Chrimebooks in school. Yes, ages ago, kids could sneak a Playboy at their desk, but some of the stuff that comes up online makes Playboy look tame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how parents think that using school time to use technology is not okay but it is okay at home. We've got the same problems as parents in the classroom. We are forced to teach in small groups most of the day. Not my choice but it is what it is. We spend days and days testing kids individually in my district. That means that no teaching is happening at that time. THAT is where you should direct your dissatisfaction, not at the use of technology. For a few weeks, 3 times per year, we are testing out in the hallway with the entire class, one student at a time. I would compare it to parents letting their kids watch TV or use the computer while they make dinner or whatever. You have to get a task done so you do what you need to. Technology is a tool and it works well if it is used appropriately. By all means, let your kids use it at home but many kids can't or won't use it at home so they use it at school.

Different poster. I don't have a problem with technology being used in the classroom. It is a tool. What I want is for it to be used well and with a purpose. What I don't want is what we're getting. No supervision, no blocks on content and the children able to download whatever they want. There have been a couple of threads on this in a couple of forums as well where parents are discussing the access to porn in middle school and it is sickening. If the school systems provide these tools then they need to put into place the appropriate safeguards so that children cannot download filth. The school board in our district is not being held accountable for its poor decision making. The school system technology staff is not blocking the material and saying it is a parent responsibility. What? How can I control what happens with other kids in school? My kid is getting pressured by bullies in her classes to play these games or to download these videos pictures and lyrics. She doesn't and is spending a lot of time with her counselor trying to get out of it. All this is happening with my taxpayer money. I don't see why I am paying for middle school students to have access to porn in their schools.

Are you in MCPS? This is absolutely an issue in MCPS. Even younger DD's principal acknowledges it's an issue. He gets notified when kids do an 'inappropriate' search but he can't always be monitoring that stuff. And it's impossible for teachers to monitor every student all the time.

I'm not a prude, but I find it INSANE that ES and MS kids can search for 'hot babes' on their Chrimebooks in school. Yes, ages ago, kids could sneak a Playboy at their desk, but some of the stuff that comes up online makes Playboy look tame.

No, we're in Alexandria. It is just insane that the children are downloading this trash at school on the school system WiFi. 11 and 12 year old children have no business having unfettered access to the internet.

[Anonymous]

My biggest issue with technology in the younger grades is that I believe kids should learn more interacting with each other and not on tablets. Games can be very addicting with the rewards and adrenaline from trying to reach a certain goal. Why not have the kids read to a buddy. Or talk to each other about math? Do the teachers actually have a curriculum to incorporate technology or are they just introducing random math games & reading apps? Kids are so easily bored nowadays and require technology to fill the void. Let them sit and be bored. Great ideas come from being bored. It amazing what type of imaginative play kids come up with when they are not on an ipad or video game. I would rather the teachers traded the ipad time for outdoor recess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My biggest issue with technology in the younger grades is that I believe kids should learn more interacting with each other and not on tablets. Games can be very addicting with the rewards and adrenaline from trying to reach a certain goal. Why not have the kids read to a buddy. Or talk to each other about math? Do the teachers actually have a curriculum to incorporate technology or are they just introducing random math games & reading apps? Kids are so easily bored nowadays and require technology to fill the void. Let them sit and be bored. Great ideas come from being bored. It amazing what type of imaginative play kids come up with when they are not on an ipad or video game. I would rather the teachers traded the ipad time for outdoor recess.

This! Absolutely. The kids still love playing games in K-3. I'd much rather they have time to play Jenga or read with their friends. With the Chrimebooks, the kids are all isolated at their desks with their faces glued to a screen. They have the rest of their lives to do that. Let them go without screens.

At our ES, the Chrimebooks are used for either reading books on Epic or random math games. Kids are allowed to choose their games. Sometimes the games are related to what they are doing in class, but sometimes they are just random games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My biggest issue with technology in the younger grades is that I believe kids should learn more interacting with each other and not on tablets. Games can be very addicting with the rewards and adrenaline from trying to reach a certain goal. Why not have the kids read to a buddy. Or talk to each other about math? Do the teachers actually have a curriculum to incorporate technology or are they just introducing random math games & reading apps? Kids are so easily bored nowadays and require technology to fill the void. Let them sit and be bored. Great ideas come from being bored. It amazing what type of imaginative play kids come up with when they are not on an ipad or video game. I would rather the teachers traded the ipad time for outdoor recess.

This! Absolutely. The kids still love playing games in K-3. I'd much rather they have time to play Jenga or read with their friends. With the Chrimebooks, the kids are all isolated at their desks with their faces glued to a screen. They have the rest of their lives to do that. Let them go without screens.

At our ES, the Chrimebooks are used for either reading books on Epic or random math games. Kids are allowed to choose their games. Sometimes the games are related to what they are doing in class, but sometimes they are just random games.

Sounds like your ES has better controls than our MS because it has not been a good experience on our end.

[Anonymous]

I wrote an email to my son's first grade teacher to request he doesnt use iPads during reading time. No big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jamestown is our assigned school and I think it's terrible and sad to have kindergartners on Ipads during school hours. They can do that at home. There are so many better uses of time at school in my opinion.

Unless you have some degree in educational pedagogy, your opinion isn't valid.

Sorry, that's not how opinions work.

Sure it is. We certainly don't have to pretend like all opinions are valid. They're not. Yours, for example, is a case in point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote an email to my son's first grade teacher to request he doesnt use iPads during reading time. No big deal.

You do realize that request won't be honored, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jamestown is our assigned school and I think it's terrible and sad to have kindergartners on Ipads during school hours. They can do that at home. There are so many better uses of time at school in my opinion.

Unless you have some degree in educational pedagogy, your opinion isn't valid.

Sorry, that's not how opinions work.

+1. As an aside, I'm a teacher with a pair of master's degrees and fully agree with PP.

You may need some continuing education. Screens are an integral part of our lives and knowledge and learning. Understanding how to use an iPad as a tool is critical -- if you're so afraid of the technology, you may be out-dated in your efficacy.

In second grade, my child was wrote books and produced movies with her peers using an iPad. They certainly had interaction. They learned coding and wrote games that they took turns testing for each other. It was very collaborative. They did multimedia projects in science that involved writing, video, pictures, and graphics.

All of this at Jamestown, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jamestown is our assigned school and I think it's terrible and sad to have kindergartners on Ipads during school hours. They can do that at home. There are so many better uses of time at school in my opinion.

Unless you have some degree in educational pedagogy, your opinion isn't valid.

Sorry, that's not how opinions work.

+1. As an aside, I'm a teacher with a pair of master's degrees and fully agree with PP.

You may need some continuing education. Screens are an integral part of our lives and knowledge and learning. Understanding how to use an iPad as a tool is critical -- if you're so afraid of the technology, you may be out-dated in your efficacy.

In second grade, my child was wrote books and produced movies with her peers using an iPad. They certainly had interaction. They learned coding and wrote games that they took turns testing for each other. It was very collaborative. They did multimedia projects in science that involved writing, video, pictures, and graphics.

All of this at Jamestown, btw.

LOL. iPads and associated apps are designed to require zero tech savvy. I think there is a place for them in schools in limited, well thought-out applications, but certainly no one will be falling behind if they don't use an iPad in Kindergarten.

-STEM person

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote an email to my son's first grade teacher to request he doesnt use iPads during reading time. No big deal.

Ha! Do you think it's really being followed? Maybe he's not using iPads sometimes now during reading but I can guarantee you he's using it other times. Whether the teacher said so or not.