Laptops in Kindergarten?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering if some folks on this thread have ever had their mids in MCPS. For what it is worth, my current 4th grader only used the Chromebooks for cumulative tests + about 15 minutes/day of literacy games per day up until this year.

This year, they are only using it for cumulative assessments + leveled literacy homework with assigned texts plus comprehension questions.

Honestly, it's not much time with the computer at all, and they are still getting spelling worksheets and math homework to complete by hand. It's not that much different than how I learned as a kid, in the mostly pre-computer age. Back then, most of our work was online and we were allowed to play Oregon Trail for about 15 mins in between stations. That's what my kid is doing now as well.

Two things:

1) It is possible that different elementary schools use Chromebooks more or less than others.

2) Was your child not in virtual school for over a year? That was 6 hours on a Chromebook. I find it hard to believe when you say your child only spent around 15 minutes on the Chromebook and he/she is in 4th grade. For at least a year, it was was way more than that.

I have 3 kids in MCPS and used to volunteer in the classroom a ton before Covid. The teachers rely very heavily on the Chromebooks, whether it is as a way to keep kids quiet while in small groups or as a way to do assignments. You’re fortunate if what you say is true. My oldest is now in high school, and she finally seems to be doing more stuff with paper and pencil. Thank goodness.

I wasn't counting the covid year because that's not really relevant to the actual experience of MCPS today in 2022. Once school returned in March 2021 (so, my child's 2nd grade year), the teachers worked very hard to keep them offline as much as possible. I'm sorry if that' wasn't your experience, but some of the other folks on this thread seem to have very little experience with public school, and are just looking for an excuse to talk up/justify their "superior" decision-making in choosing private.

I don’t really get that impression at all. We can’t afford private, so we stick it out with MCPS. But talking to parents who DO have kids in private school is interesting to me. Provides another perspective. I have no ill will against parents who switch to private. Especially after Covid, we know of so many families who decided private is better for them.

I think we all do what works for us. You sound like you feel an excessive amount of animosity towards families who choose private school.

Regardless, excessive screen time is most definitely an issue in MCPS.

Really don't understand why parents who are truly happy with their education in private school have to come troll the public school boards to brag about it. I spend zero time on the private and homeschooling it's because I'm happy with my kids education and I don't really feel any desire to go out of my lane and brag about it. Maybe it's actually private school recruiters masquerading as parents.

Do you realize how pathetic you sound? Can you really not imagine that someone might be able to see why someone made a different choice?

Also, private schools don’t need to stoop so low as to try to drum up applicants by masquerading as parents on here.

I think it's weird that private school parents are constantly advertising private school on a public school forum.

Maybe it's just insecure parents trying to feel smug about spending 10's of thousands of dollars for not much difference. Well, except to say Larla is in this very swank private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering if some folks on this thread have ever had their mids in MCPS. For what it is worth, my current 4th grader only used the Chromebooks for cumulative tests + about 15 minutes/day of literacy games per day up until this year.

This year, they are only using it for cumulative assessments + leveled literacy homework with assigned texts plus comprehension questions.

Honestly, it's not much time with the computer at all, and they are still getting spelling worksheets and math homework to complete by hand. It's not that much different than how I learned as a kid, in the mostly pre-computer age. Back then, most of our work was online and we were allowed to play Oregon Trail for about 15 mins in between stations. That's what my kid is doing now as well.

Two things:

1) It is possible that different elementary schools use Chromebooks more or less than others.

2) Was your child not in virtual school for over a year? That was 6 hours on a Chromebook. I find it hard to believe when you say your child only spent around 15 minutes on the Chromebook and he/she is in 4th grade. For at least a year, it was was way more than that.

I have 3 kids in MCPS and used to volunteer in the classroom a ton before Covid. The teachers rely very heavily on the Chromebooks, whether it is as a way to keep kids quiet while in small groups or as a way to do assignments. You’re fortunate if what you say is true. My oldest is now in high school, and she finally seems to be doing more stuff with paper and pencil. Thank goodness.

I wasn't counting the covid year because that's not really relevant to the actual experience of MCPS today in 2022. Once school returned in March 2021 (so, my child's 2nd grade year), the teachers worked very hard to keep them offline as much as possible. I'm sorry if that' wasn't your experience, but some of the other folks on this thread seem to have very little experience with public school, and are just looking for an excuse to talk up/justify their "superior" decision-making in choosing private.

I don’t really get that impression at all. We can’t afford private, so we stick it out with MCPS. But talking to parents who DO have kids in private school is interesting to me. Provides another perspective. I have no ill will against parents who switch to private. Especially after Covid, we know of so many families who decided private is better for them.

I think we all do what works for us. You sound like you feel an excessive amount of animosity towards families who choose private school.

Regardless, excessive screen time is most definitely an issue in MCPS.

Really don't understand why parents who are truly happy with their education in private school have to come troll the public school boards to brag about it. I spend zero time on the private and homeschooling it's because I'm happy with my kids education and I don't really feel any desire to go out of my lane and brag about it. Maybe it's actually private school recruiters masquerading as parents.

Do you realize how pathetic you sound? Can you really not imagine that someone might be able to see why someone made a different choice?

Also, private schools don’t need to stoop so low as to try to drum up applicants by masquerading as parents on here.

I think it's weird that private school parents are constantly advertising private school on a public school forum.

Maybe it's just insecure parents trying to feel smug about spending 10's of thousands of dollars for not much difference. Well, except to say Larla is in this very swank private.

You got it! We are horribly insecure. Eek.

[Anonymous]

Do the laptops come home at the end of the day? Do the kindergartners get homework on their laptops?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are some of the websites the kids use? If you’re a kindergarten parent, how have teachers explained the approach of using screen time for instruction to you?

They're on the apps that the teacher has on their page--like Epic, Happy numbers, etc. they aren't surfing the net or allowed to get YouTube.

That said, it's way too much screen time. But they do it early for testing (kids can barely get through MAP testing if they don't know how to use the computer) and it allows teachers to pull small groups because the rest of the class is pacified by the computer

ABCYa, Math Playground. Both have lots of games like asteroids, pacman, blow up the deathstar flying game, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are some of the websites the kids use? If you’re a kindergarten parent, how have teachers explained the approach of using screen time for instruction to you?

They're on the apps that the teacher has on their page--like Epic, Happy numbers, etc. they aren't surfing the net or allowed to get YouTube.

That said, it's way too much screen time. But they do it early for testing (kids can barely get through MAP testing if they don't know how to use the computer) and it allows teachers to pull small groups because the rest of the class is pacified by the computer

ABCYa, Math Playground. Both have lots of games like asteroids, pacman, blow up the deathstar flying game, etc.

Oh yes, my K child loved the space invaders ABC game. It helped teach them letters and typing at the same time.