APS: I can't stand iPads

[Anonymous]

I can't stand this policy. I think it is lazy. The kids zone out in front of screens and the research continues to support divesting from screens, not pushing more.

How can this policy change? Is there any way to convince aps to turn this policy around? In an era where there is a shortage of seats, why on earth did they spend so much on stupid teaching methods?

/rant over

[Anonymous]

Our FCPS ES is proud that the kindergartners get time on the computer and the iPad. Do I want that? No, but what can I do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand this policy. I think it is lazy. The kids zone out in front of screens and the research continues to support divesting from screens, not pushing more.

How can this policy change? Is there any way to convince aps to turn this policy around? In an era where there is a shortage of seats, why on earth did they spend so much on stupid teaching methods?

/rant over

When they first announced this proposal during the time of the trolley to no where I said on dcum that this was a waste of monry. Someone on this board called me a Republican. One of my co-workers whose kids are in arlington wonders if this is bc of the overcrowding. It is easier to teach kids through less teacher interaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand this policy. I think it is lazy. The kids zone out in front of screens and the research continues to support divesting from screens, not pushing more.

How can this policy change? Is there any way to convince aps to turn this policy around? In an era where there is a shortage of seats, why on earth did they spend so much on stupid teaching methods?

/rant over

When they first announced this proposal during the time of the trolley to no where I said on dcum that this was a waste of monry. Someone on this board called me a Republican. One of my co-workers whose kids are in arlington wonders if this is bc of the overcrowding. It is easier to teach kids through less teacher interaction.

But they have not changed the student:teacher ratios, have they? My kid is in K so I am not sure but I thought that the class sizes were remaining constant and the overcrowding just meant there were more classes.

[Anonymous]

Why do 7 or 8 year olds need to use an iPad? (Or even younger).

They need to learn how to read and write -- iPads can come later. Trivial to learn. Reading/writing, not so much.

[Anonymous]

I went and spoke in front of the school board about it (against it) in Sept of 2014. They went ahead with their hairbrained plan.

I finally got fed up with fighting with APS and pulled our kids out for a progressive private school. I've posted about it here before.

I'm so glad we did it.

[Anonymous]

I remember some Arlington parent bragging ad nauseum about 2d graders having IPads in APS, and just textbooks in ACPS. You got what you deserved. Money spent on gadgets and a few shiny new schools, while the need to deal with the massive overcrowding on the horizon goes largely unaddressed.

[Anonymous]

I think this policy is so stupid and spoke out about that at the time. I think Falls Church City also does this and is proud of themselves. What a waste of money and disservice to the kids. Can't believe these two systems are so proud of themselves for giving free access to screens.

[Anonymous]

Yes - who ever thought this was a good idea?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this policy is so stupid and spoke out about that at the time. I think Falls Church City also does this and is proud of themselves. What a waste of money and disservice to the kids. Can't believe these two systems are so proud of themselves for giving free access to screens.

Most of us in Falls Church City don't like it either. Such a waste of money.

[Anonymous]

I don't like it. I don't want my kid spending school time on an ipad.

That said, I think the purpose of the ipads is at least in part to bring up the abilities of the kids living in poverty to the same technological level as the other kids. But they can't just give ipads to the poor kids, so everybody gets one.

I too have been reading the studies and reports that technology isn't really helping our kids, so I hate that kids in 2nd grade are spending class time on iPads.

At a minimum, why can't APS install an app or other tracker in the iPads that allows parents to track exactly how much time they have spent on them in class and how much time on each app? That seems like the absolute minimum that we should be able to see.

[Anonymous]

If you don't like them, tell the school board. The iPad decision was made without any input from the teachers. I heard they don't like them, either. This was a superintendent-level decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you don't like them, tell the school board. The iPad decision was made without any input from the teachers. I heard they don't like them, either. This was a superintendent-level decision.

Yup. A shame we can't boot the iPads AND the superintendent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember some Arlington parent bragging ad nauseum about 2d graders having IPads in APS, and just textbooks in ACPS. You got what you deserved. Money spent on gadgets and a few shiny new schools, while the need to deal with the massive overcrowding on the horizon goes largely unaddressed.

It's the Arlington Way: Talk. Talk some more. And then some more. Make a bad decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand this policy. I think it is lazy. The kids zone out in front of screens and the research continues to support divesting from screens, not pushing more.

How can this policy change? Is there any way to convince aps to turn this policy around? In an era where there is a shortage of seats, why on earth did they spend so much on stupid teaching methods?

/rant over

I love them. The things my kid has been able to do with them since getting an iPad has been nothing short of amazing. She's used it to augment science projects, she's learned to code, she's worked out presentations.

I would be there shouting you down if you tried to convince APS to "turn this policy around." I'm so sick of you luddite ninnies who are afraid of your shadow. It's 2016. Get with the damn times.