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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]These students are not doing document review.  They are actually reading and not constantly.  Not at a similar.[/quote]

Plus, the DCI kids spend 6 hours 15 minutes in class a day, so we aren't talking 8+ hours we're talking approximately 3 hours.[/quote]

Don't forget about homework time and leisure screen time. That's a lot of time each day to develop repetitive use injuries, circadian rhythm disturbances, and attention problems. [/quote]

It's a bit hypocritcal to be up in arms about academic computer use at school, and then allow large amounts of leisure screen time, don't you think?  Especially given that the research about attention problems all comes from media such as movies and video games, and not from reading some teacher's powerpoint or taking notes in google docs.[/quote]

To your first point, I was thinking about the average middle school student's leisure screen time, which does not seem to be limited by DCI's policy, and may or may not be limited at home.

To your second point, there is an emerging body of evidence regarding "non-leisure/educational" screen time and its effect on attention and learning.  Just a few examples are described here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/04/28/why-students-using-laptops-learn-less-in-class-even-when-they-really-are-taking-notes/
http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/Journal/Reviews/Pages/Research-In-Class-Devices.aspx#.VPRiHVZYXeI

I would also note that academic screen time at DCI does not seem to be limited to following powerpoint and taking notes in google docs.

There is also a large body of evidence re: the detrimental effects of multitasking on learning, concentration and memory.  One can reasonably argue that many activities a middle schooler might do with a laptop/screen, even in the classroom, would involve a large degree of multitasking.
[/quote]

The second article you reached starts off the the following

[quote=WUSTL]

[b]Two classroom-based studies reveal that the use of laptops, in particular, can have a positive effect on student attention and learning—if these tools are used for course-related, instructional purposes.[/b] However, when in-class laptop-use was not a required part of the class, the students in these studies reported lower levels of engagement and learning. In addition, one of the two studies found—again, when in-class laptop-use was not a required part of the class—a negative correlation between use of laptops in class and course grade. [/quote]

The second article references the same single study that has been referenced several times in this thread.  A growing number of articles about the same study isn't quite the same thing as a growing body of evidence.

My response to the second article would be to ask the school what steps they are taking to help make sure that kids are synthesizing, simplifying and organizing information while taking notes.  For example, are they:

Providing kids with note taking templates and formats that prevent the use of paragraph notes?

Allowing kids the option to or even requiring them to take notes by hand, and using the computer for other things?

Teaching kids strategies for note taking, and holding them responsible for using those strategies?

For people who are reading this and thinking about 1:1 schools, it's also important to note that a tablet and a note taking app that allows handwriting is one solution to this problem. [/quote]

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