Reply to DCI: Too much focus on tablets/devices?

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[quote=Anonymous]I am a prospective parent and went to the open house.  i did not read this thread prior to that, but have been concerned about the over-use of technology.  For one thing, the use of paper and pencil seems to trigger more long-term memory learning.  Also, the ability of kids to engage in sociocratic discussions wih their teachers and peers is integral to being a functional participant in society.  ie. one who is not head-down in a computer and doesn't know how to function either socially or to problem-solve with others.

This quote was in an article posted and I found it spot on.  There is so much that our kids will be missing by being on screens.

Paul Thomas, a former teacher and an associate professor of education at Furman University, who has written 12 books about public educational methods, disagreed <with technology-laden classrooms>, saying that “a spare approach to technology in the classroom will always benefit learning.”

“Teaching is a human experience,” he said. “Technology is a distraction when we need literacy, numeracy and critical thinking.”

It does not surprise me that Steve Jobs and others protect their kids from over-teching as they are aware of how it does not promote their actual brain development.  Kids can pick up computers easily later.  I value that I had a great education without computers and am pretty tech savie.  I also note that technology has actually interfered with my productivity and socializing.  but i digress.

I did ask about use of computers and if there were "filters" on what they were allowed to access.  They said they block things initially, but the kids figure out how to unblock.  I am sure there are ways to do this where the control is not in the student's computer to do so.  Perhaps, DCI is not tech-savie enough to figure out how to universally block things that are not educationally related?  They also said that kids can access anything at anytime during breaks.

At the very least, they should re-think open access at times where social interaction is taking place.  This is when kids learn how to function as human beings in communities where they are interconnected.  How can we tell kids we are teaching them to be International Ambassadors and connecting them to the World when they are not learning to be connected to the person sitting next to them at lunch?!

These recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics in regards to technology in schools should be followed by DCI and other high tech schools to reduce the negative affects:

-Educate school boards and school administrators about evidence-based health risks associated with unsupervised, unlimited media access and use by children and adolescents, as well as ways to mitigate those risks.

-Work collaboratively with parent-teacher associations to encourage parental guidance in limiting or monitoring age-appropriate screen times. In addition, schools that do use new technology like iPads need to have strict rules about what students can access.

I for one am seriously considering not exercising my right to feed into DCI since the jury is still out on their technological experiment, which I think could go really wrong.  I agree with the other poster who said it is not inevible nor unavoidable.  But it might be if I send my kid to DCI.  
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