APS parents -- are you happy about the MacBooks and iPads? Unhappy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am concerned about the radiation exposure. ipad use may have harmful effects on kids.

Such a stereotypical N. Arlington parent comment.

Signed,

Another N. Arlington parent

[Anonymous]

We have been using them in school for years. It really helps them with written materials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been using them in school for years. It really helps them with written materials.

Could we have some antecedents with those pronouns, please? I mean, as long as you're all over the high-quality writing . . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I really do feel that the people in the SB do whatever they want to do personally. They make it appear as if this is not the case; by asking the residents in their surveys, if they would rather scrap this or that program. "We don't have money for all of this."
Then one of them goes out and buys the most expensive laptops on the market for all 9th graders in Arlington. Can't take the surveys seriously anymore.

First the SB asks for opinions.

Then makes a decision that may or may not reflect those opinions.

Then Murphy does whatever the fuck he wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really do feel that the people in the SB do whatever they want to do personally. They make it appear as if this is not the case; by asking the residents in their surveys, if they would rather scrap this or that program. "We don't have money for all of this."
Then one of them goes out and buys the most expensive laptops on the market for all 9th graders in Arlington. Can't take the surveys seriously anymore.

First the SB asks for opinions.

Then makes a decision that may or may not reflect those opinions.

Then Murphy does whatever the fuck he wants.

Exactly. This is what I am going to talk about at the school board meeting tonight. It's not going to be pretty, but I am so fed up...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have been using them in school for years. It really helps them with written materials.

Could we have some antecedents with those pronouns, please? I mean, as long as you're all over the high-quality writing . . . .

Sorry - I didn't download the antecedent app on my ipad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really do feel that the people in the SB do whatever they want to do personally. They make it appear as if this is not the case; by asking the residents in their surveys, if they would rather scrap this or that program. "We don't have money for all of this."
Then one of them goes out and buys the most expensive laptops on the market for all 9th graders in Arlington. Can't take the surveys seriously anymore.

First the SB asks for opinions.

Then makes a decision that may or may not reflect those opinions.

Then Murphy does whatever the fuck he wants.

Exactly. This is what I am going to talk about at the school board meeting tonight. It's not going to be pretty, but I am so fed up...

please, there're more pressing issues Murphy needs to be held accountable of, this is just noise/distraction. it's most likely not even his own 'pet project' but one of his deputy's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

please, there're more pressing issues Murphy needs to be held accountable of, this is just noise/distraction. it's most likely not even his own 'pet project' but one of his deputy's.

How nice for you that an ill-considered $1 million+ purchase is just noise. I suspect the teachers whose funding was taken so Murphy (or his minions, but he is responsible for what they do) could indulge in this rejected project would not agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

please, there're more pressing issues Murphy needs to be held accountable of, this is just noise/distraction. it's most likely not even his own 'pet project' but one of his deputy's.

How nice for you that an ill-considered $1 million+ purchase is just noise. I suspect the teachers whose funding was taken so Murphy (or his minions, but he is responsible for what they do) could indulge in this rejected project would not agree.

yes, $1 million+ is just noise. it's barely enough to build a streetcar super stop. or to buy your house. do you even know what APS budget is this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

please, there're more pressing issues Murphy needs to be held accountable of, this is just noise/distraction. it's most likely not even his own 'pet project' but one of his deputy's.

How nice for you that an ill-considered $1 million+ purchase is just noise. I suspect the teachers whose funding was taken so Murphy (or his minions, but he is responsible for what they do) could indulge in this rejected project would not agree.

yes, $1 million+ is just noise. it's barely enough to build a streetcar super stop. or to buy your house. do you even know what APS budget is this year?

yi

Why yes, I do, and so does every parent who looked in the first day packet.

If APS has an extra $1 million to spare, why did Murphy have to strip the tech budgets to pay for his pet project?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I limit the use of technology at home because both my kids turn into assholes and zombies when they are on devices and I don't want them staring at a screen all day long.

There's no substitute for a good teacher.

+1.

Arlington is just cementing its status as home to overprivileged idiots.

[Anonymous]

Csn someone clarify? After reading this thread, I am confused. The 1:1 plan is for every child in Arlington schools, with some gettting iPads, MacBooks, etc. Some schools have them for school only, others are allowing students to take them home for homework Do I have this correct? Or is it only some grade levels.

Any teachers out there from Arlimgton schools. How frequently are the principals expecting you to use the devices? I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who teach the younger grades. I don't want my second grader spending hours on a computer each day. 1/2 hour a day for skill development in math or reading is acceptable. Occasional projects too. I wouldn't want them doing more than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTH. As a taxpayer in Arlington with two kids, I find this plan really wasteful and short sighted. I do not think that my young kids need something that I or my husband have managed to live w/o. They could have easily purchased a much more cost effective device/computer but for some insane reason went w/ Apple.

We purposely have chosen not to expose our kids to these type of gadgets and now one person decides every kid in Arlington "needs" one.

The rest of us keeping up with the times should not have to suffer for your peculiar outlook on this. What kind of parent "purposefully chooses not to 'expose'" children to technology? You almost sound as if you think this is virtuous or something.

why does it have to be an air book? Those are way more expensive than a traditional PC lab top. I would never buy one and would not want my kid asking me for one just b/c they are handed out at school. and what do you mean "the rest of us keeping up with the times?" my husband actually works in technology and has the most up to date software, etc. on his personal home computer which again is a PC. You don't have to have a MAC. most offices still use windows at work.

I ignored this thread until now. Macbook Air's do have a higher initial cost than the low end PC's. However, if you compare feature and quality, you find that the so called Apple Premium does not exist. These days, the comparably build PC's (meaning processor, video, SSD drive, quality of construction) cost as much if not more than a Macbook Air. I researched this for my fortune 500 company -- the individual unit lifecycle costs were actually lower for the apple machines across the board. However, because of software contracts in place for the enterprise, we remain a windows shop (mostly help desk contract does not handle apple well). Plus the cost of training the people to use apple -- not the technical staff, finance and admin people. The final issue was that most macs (except for the MacPro) are made in china, which presented security concerns.

For a school, Apple makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...I don't want my second grader spending hours on a computer each day. 1/2 hour a day for skill development in math or reading is acceptable. Occasional projects too. I wouldn't want them doing more than that.

most oppose due to this knee jerk reaction - equating the macbook purchase to more screen time for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I ignored this thread until now. Macbook Air's do have a higher initial cost than the low end PC's. However, if you compare feature and quality, you find that the so called Apple Premium does not exist. These days, the comparably build PC's (meaning processor, video, SSD drive, quality of construction) cost as much if not more than a Macbook Air. I researched this for my fortune 500 company -- the individual unit lifecycle costs were actually lower for the apple machines across the board. However, because of software contracts in place for the enterprise, we remain a windows shop (mostly help desk contract does not handle apple well). Plus the cost of training the people to use apple -- not the technical staff, finance and admin people. The final issue was that most macs (except for the MacPro) are made in china, which presented security concerns.

For a school, Apple makes sense.

The considerations about what to buy are not as simple as that. Assuming that APS's decisions about 1:1 and restricting use to cloud-based computing were the right choice (not an assumption I am comfortable with IRL, but to keep this moving), where is the evidence that for this use, the MacBook Airs were the best way to go and, equally important, that students needed the best rather than the good or the good-enough?

We do a cost-benefit analysis for other purchases for students. Why not this time?