Giving every kindergartner an ipad

[Anonymous]

As someone who sells technology (to adults!) this makes me sick to my stomach. Sales is a business of finding new markets and expanding into them. I hate that schools and kids are just another market segment to target with no regard for whether the technology is beneficial/age appropriate. Think of everything else you could buy with this money instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone posting here an actual parent of a kindergartner? Geez. In my kid’s class they use the iPads at very specific times, for Lexia and one math program. It’s not every day and it’s not for very long in a given day. It has never come home and they charge at school using some type of charging station. I’m much more annoyed by the laptop my third grader has. It’s old and heavy and he has to lug it home to charge every day. They also seem to use it a LOT in that grade. It definitely feeds their screen and video game addictions. The kids spend a lot of time talking and thinking about how to access various games and websites on their school computers.

There’s a problem with tech use but it’s not in K.

Almost no schools are sending ES laptops home nowadays. Is yours still doing that?

Our FCPS school does. DS6 and DD9 both have to bring their laptops home to charge every night. It’s not an issue for my older one but my first grader literally cannot carry his backpack up the stairs of the bus without help. It looks like he’s training for a strongman competition. He had to carry his laptop home in kindergarten as well. Not to do work. Just to plug it in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone posting here an actual parent of a kindergartner? Geez. In my kid’s class they use the iPads at very specific times, for Lexia and one math program. It’s not every day and it’s not for very long in a given day. It has never come home and they charge at school using some type of charging station. I’m much more annoyed by the laptop my third grader has. It’s old and heavy and he has to lug it home to charge every day. They also seem to use it a LOT in that grade. It definitely feeds their screen and video game addictions. The kids spend a lot of time talking and thinking about how to access various games and websites on their school computers.

There’s a problem with tech use but it’s not in K.

Almost no schools are sending ES laptops home nowadays. Is yours still doing that?

Our FCPS school does. DS6 and DD9 both have to bring their laptops home to charge every night. It’s not an issue for my older one but my first grader literally cannot carry his backpack up the stairs of the bus without help. It looks like he’s training for a strongman competition. He had to carry his laptop home in kindergarten as well. Not to do work. Just to plug it in.

Same. Our house is the charging station.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone posting here an actual parent of a kindergartner? Geez. In my kid’s class they use the iPads at very specific times, for Lexia and one math program. It’s not every day and it’s not for very long in a given day. It has never come home and they charge at school using some type of charging station. I’m much more annoyed by the laptop my third grader has. It’s old and heavy and he has to lug it home to charge every day. They also seem to use it a LOT in that grade. It definitely feeds their screen and video game addictions. The kids spend a lot of time talking and thinking about how to access various games and websites on their school computers.

There’s a problem with tech use but it’s not in K.

Almost no schools are sending ES laptops home nowadays. Is yours still doing that?

Our FCPS school does. DS6 and DD9 both have to bring their laptops home to charge every night. It’s not an issue for my older one but my first grader literally cannot carry his backpack up the stairs of the bus without help. It looks like he’s training for a strongman competition. He had to carry his laptop home in kindergarten as well. Not to do work. Just to plug it in.

Same. Our house is the charging station.

I find this fascinating. I teach at a Title I ES in a trailer (so I have 25 kids in a room that is 75% the size of a normal classroom). We have DONT have a traditional charging station and don’t send the laptops home. We store then on a small bookcase (unplugged) and only charge them when needed. Students can use them for a 2-3 hours a week and we only need to charge 5 or so at a time. There are viable solutions, they don’t need to come home everyday.

[Anonymous]

I asked our PTA if they could use fundraising money to buy more charging carts and they said we can only buy things the administration asks for and apparently charging carts are not a priority, they'd rather break our children's backs. Between my child's ancient, heavy laptop and their instrument, I'm glad that they go to SACC and don't have to worry about lugging all this stuff on the bus every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone posting here an actual parent of a kindergartner? Geez. In my kid’s class they use the iPads at very specific times, for Lexia and one math program. It’s not every day and it’s not for very long in a given day. It has never come home and they charge at school using some type of charging station. I’m much more annoyed by the laptop my third grader has. It’s old and heavy and he has to lug it home to charge every day. They also seem to use it a LOT in that grade. It definitely feeds their screen and video game addictions. The kids spend a lot of time talking and thinking about how to access various games and websites on their school computers.

There’s a problem with tech use but it’s not in K.

Almost no schools are sending ES laptops home nowadays. Is yours still doing that?

Our FCPS school does. DS6 and DD9 both have to bring their laptops home to charge every night. It’s not an issue for my older one but my first grader literally cannot carry his backpack up the stairs of the bus without help. It looks like he’s training for a strongman competition. He had to carry his laptop home in kindergarten as well. Not to do work. Just to plug it in.

I'm so glad our school doesn't make K-2 bring their laptops home. We had a rolling backpack during Covid, definitely recommend that for little ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who sells technology (to adults!) this makes me sick to my stomach. Sales is a business of finding new markets and expanding into them. I hate that schools and kids are just another market segment to target with no regard for whether the technology is beneficial/age appropriate. Think of everything else you could buy with this money instead.

K students are already on iPads at home. The K office gave us all sorts of documents about incorporating the screen time and 30 minutes a day is too much for me. Especially since we use the smart board a lot too.

[Anonymous]

I'm further down the line with older kids. The in-school laptops started in middle elementary. That became bringing the laptops home.

We have had to really get into it with our kids from time to time. How does a parent fill the void if screens are restricted? It's challenging. Especially for kids who aren't really athletic or musically inclined.

We've done hobbies, Scouts, day trips, tons of books, get togethers with 1-2 friends, volunteering. But at the end of the day kids want to connect with others. They want to be part of a peer group. And those peer groups are founded on and operate in the other.

And I'm guessing kids see their parents constantly accessing screens, too. I don't mean to sound fatalistic, but as long as so many "improvements" and "educational developments" are built around technology for younger and younger users, I don't see a way out of this for the average kid in thos area.

[Anonymous]

*other = ether*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who sells technology (to adults!) this makes me sick to my stomach. Sales is a business of finding new markets and expanding into them. I hate that schools and kids are just another market segment to target with no regard for whether the technology is beneficial/age appropriate. Think of everything else you could buy with this money instead.

Thank the new leadership at FCPS for the PreK-2 iPads initiative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who sells technology (to adults!) this makes me sick to my stomach. Sales is a business of finding new markets and expanding into them. I hate that schools and kids are just another market segment to target with no regard for whether the technology is beneficial/age appropriate. Think of everything else you could buy with this money instead.

Thank the new leadership at FCPS for the PreK-2 iPads initiative.

Yeah the headstart/pre K also are supposed to be on every day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS and their push for technology use are disgusting.

Sure, if you're Amish, but for people hoping to learn valuable skills for the future seems like a sound plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who sells technology (to adults!) this makes me sick to my stomach. Sales is a business of finding new markets and expanding into them. I hate that schools and kids are just another market segment to target with no regard for whether the technology is beneficial/age appropriate. Think of everything else you could buy with this money instead.

What could they buy???? We all are waiting with bated breath

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who sells technology (to adults!) this makes me sick to my stomach. Sales is a business of finding new markets and expanding into them. I hate that schools and kids are just another market segment to target with no regard for whether the technology is beneficial/age appropriate. Think of everything else you could buy with this money instead.

Thank the new leadership at FCPS for the PreK-2 iPads initiative.

Damn. There’s no pleasing some of you. Three years ago, everyone was gleefully celebrating FCPS’s misstep when they were woefully unprepared for the pandemic. Maribeth Luftglass, the asst superintendent of technology lost her job over this. So many kids couldn’t access online learning because they had no device at home. Now everyone has a device, whether they’re in a Title 1 school or not and you’re here crying about what a travesty it is. Must be awesome to be so miserable all the time. 😒

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who sells technology (to adults!) this makes me sick to my stomach. Sales is a business of finding new markets and expanding into them. I hate that schools and kids are just another market segment to target with no regard for whether the technology is beneficial/age appropriate. Think of everything else you could buy with this money instead.

Thank the new leadership at FCPS for the PreK-2 iPads initiative.

Damn. There’s no pleasing some of you. Three years ago, everyone was gleefully celebrating FCPS’s misstep when they were woefully unprepared for the pandemic. Maribeth Luftglass, the asst superintendent of technology lost her job over this. So many kids couldn’t access online learning because they had no device at home. Now everyone has a device, whether they’re in a Title 1 school or not and you’re here crying about what a travesty it is. Must be awesome to be so miserable all the time. 😒

Whatever. We are talking about how unnecessary it is for K students to be on iPads during regular school. But the devices are there if needed. This is a different time than 3 years ago.