Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they need them. Mine uses it for Itrace and zearn. Maybe Zearn, but Itrace should be replaced with actual writing practice.

Why TF do kids need to do zearn anyway? Put it on paper! Then the information will actually stick! It's lazy, stupid, and the result of some schmo who is friends with a higher up at the public school system who managed to sell them on their stupid ineffective software.

Because it is easier to stick kids in front of computers than to provide actual instruction from a human being. And yep, "Edtech" is a huge business...follow the money. Always.

Yep and this is also a natural and necessary consequence of continually increasing class sizes and no differentiation. Teachers are struggling and this is an easy shortcut.

+1
I’m not a fan of screens in elementary school in the younger grades but understand why iPads and Chromebooks are used. My kids don’t use or own tablets at home. My kids’ teachers use Lexia and ST Math as a small group rotation so they can have time for some differentiation. Class sizes are too big. Because tracking is no longer in practice, the skill levels in one class are too extreme.

What does this mean?

Kids of all ability levels are in one class. You might have ten kids reading on level, five kids severely above, and five way ahead who are bored to tears. iPad time lets teachers pull kids in small groups so they can all get some instruction at their level.

Wasn’t this always the case? Kids of lots of levels in one class? I remember attending public and the only thing that was different was that a classmate and I got harder spelling words.

Putting kids in different groups based on ability happens in middle school or maybe 5th grade.

Nope, I definitely recall my elementary school tracked from first grade. They were very open about it, we all knew which class was the "best" class, which class had what we probably called "the stupid kids" but looking back was kids struggling with LDs diagnosed or not, and which classes were the middle ones.

Even in college (and I can't for the life of me remember why this came up in a sociology class), I remember a professor saying "and I know you elementary education major are being taught how to track students."

Not tracking is a fairly new thing. Varied ability classrooms are recent, and I don't know how teachers are expected to meet the needs of every child when there is such a wide spread. My child's second grade classroom has kids who are way above grade level and kids who still can't read or do basic addition. I feel for these teachers, we're demanding they perform superhuman work with less than zero support. And it ultimately hurts all the kids.

Anonymous wrote:The public schools in a different metro unofficially do sort kids a bit, to put the top kids in one class and bottom in another. They will vocally deny this is what they are doing. (Some parents have figured it out - usually by volunteering at their kids' school.)

Our school seems to sort by distributing most of the problem kids to experienced teachers. Add most of the kids to balance gender, race, and numbers. Then they spread out the top kids.

I think I’d rather be with more experienced teachers even with more troublemakers. I noticed the new teacher this year got a couple troublemakers but then all the rest of the boys were quiet rule following boys who have already learned all the material expected for the grade. I was happy because I thought they would be able to get more done with fewer disruptions. Well, new teacher is unable to challenge the top kids. She doesn’t have any incentive to do so, since these kids already do above grade level math and can read well.

Last year we got lots of updates and I sensed the amount of differentiation the experienced teacher was able to provide. Despite the troublemakers, my kid was given more advanced books to read, math challenges, and was encouraged to write extra drafts.

Classes overall would be a lot more productive if 3 or 4 kids were taken out for part of the time. 2 are kids who throw things, run around the class, eat glue, shout out, and generally keep the teacher’s focus on tamping down mayhem rather than on educating minds. 1-2 kids are not badly behaved but are way behind grade level, as in they can barely read much beyond simple cvc words. These 3-4 kids would probably be better behaved in a small group and be able to work on remediation to catch up in math and literacy. Do schools not do pull out, push in work anymore?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they need them. Mine uses it for Itrace and zearn. Maybe Zearn, but Itrace should be replaced with actual writing practice.

Why TF do kids need to do zearn anyway? Put it on paper! Then the information will actually stick! It's lazy, stupid, and the result of some schmo who is friends with a higher up at the public school system who managed to sell them on their stupid ineffective software.

Because it is easier to stick kids in front of computers than to provide actual instruction from a human being. And yep, "Edtech" is a huge business...follow the money. Always.

Yep and this is also a natural and necessary consequence of continually increasing class sizes and no differentiation. Teachers are struggling and this is an easy shortcut.

+1
I’m not a fan of screens in elementary school in the younger grades but understand why iPads and Chromebooks are used. My kids don’t use or own tablets at home. My kids’ teachers use Lexia and ST Math as a small group rotation so they can have time for some differentiation. Class sizes are too big. Because tracking is no longer in practice, the skill levels in one class are too extreme.

What does this mean?

Kids of all ability levels are in one class. You might have ten kids reading on level, five kids severely above, and five way ahead who are bored to tears. iPad time lets teachers pull kids in small groups so they can all get some instruction at their level.

Wasn’t this always the case? Kids of lots of levels in one class? I remember attending public and the only thing that was different was that a classmate and I got harder spelling words.

Putting kids in different groups based on ability happens in middle school or maybe 5th grade.

The public schools in a different metro unofficially do sort kids a bit, to put the top kids in one class and bottom in another. They will vocally deny this is what they are doing. (Some parents have figured it out - usually by volunteering at their kids' school.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they need them. Mine uses it for Itrace and zearn. Maybe Zearn, but Itrace should be replaced with actual writing practice.

Why TF do kids need to do zearn anyway? Put it on paper! Then the information will actually stick! It's lazy, stupid, and the result of some schmo who is friends with a higher up at the public school system who managed to sell them on their stupid ineffective software.

Because it is easier to stick kids in front of computers than to provide actual instruction from a human being. And yep, "Edtech" is a huge business...follow the money. Always.

Yep and this is also a natural and necessary consequence of continually increasing class sizes and no differentiation. Teachers are struggling and this is an easy shortcut.

+1
I’m not a fan of screens in elementary school in the younger grades but understand why iPads and Chromebooks are used. My kids don’t use or own tablets at home. My kids’ teachers use Lexia and ST Math as a small group rotation so they can have time for some differentiation. Class sizes are too big. Because tracking is no longer in practice, the skill levels in one class are too extreme.

What does this mean?

Kids of all ability levels are in one class. You might have ten kids reading on level, five kids severely above, and five way ahead who are bored to tears. iPad time lets teachers pull kids in small groups so they can all get some instruction at their level.

Tracking can make all kinds of sense pedagogically, but it is politically impossible.

The political barriers include:

1) How can a child move up to the next track? Lots of claims about inequity will arise.

2) No one in the public schools wants to have to tell any parent their child does not belong in the top track. Many parents would freak out if they heard that.

Montessori Schools and Waldorf Schools are very unlikely to have screens.

DD's Montessori had zero screens before 1st grade. At first grade, they had about 20 minutes once a week on a Mac computer, but just to learn to type on the keyboard. Even at 6th grade, they used paper textbooks, hands-on learning, and screens were limited to their once a week computer class.

Colleague's child went to a Waldorf school. Also zero screens at K or before. Colleague's child changed schools at 1st grade, so do not after K.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they need them. Mine uses it for Itrace and zearn. Maybe Zearn, but Itrace should be replaced with actual writing practice.

Why TF do kids need to do zearn anyway? Put it on paper! Then the information will actually stick! It's lazy, stupid, and the result of some schmo who is friends with a higher up at the public school system who managed to sell them on their stupid ineffective software.

Because it is easier to stick kids in front of computers than to provide actual instruction from a human being. And yep, "Edtech" is a huge business...follow the money. Always.

Yep and this is also a natural and necessary consequence of continually increasing class sizes and no differentiation. Teachers are struggling and this is an easy shortcut.

+1
I’m not a fan of screens in elementary school in the younger grades but understand why iPads and Chromebooks are used. My kids don’t use or own tablets at home. My kids’ teachers use Lexia and ST Math as a small group rotation so they can have time for some differentiation. Class sizes are too big. Because tracking is no longer in practice, the skill levels in one class are too extreme.

What does this mean?

Kids of all ability levels are in one class. You might have ten kids reading on level, five kids severely above, and five way ahead who are bored to tears. iPad time lets teachers pull kids in small groups so they can all get some instruction at their level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they need them. Mine uses it for Itrace and zearn. Maybe Zearn, but Itrace should be replaced with actual writing practice.

Why TF do kids need to do zearn anyway? Put it on paper! Then the information will actually stick! It's lazy, stupid, and the result of some schmo who is friends with a higher up at the public school system who managed to sell them on their stupid ineffective software.

Because it is easier to stick kids in front of computers than to provide actual instruction from a human being. And yep, "Edtech" is a huge business...follow the money. Always.

Yep and this is also a natural and necessary consequence of continually increasing class sizes and no differentiation. Teachers are struggling and this is an easy shortcut.

+1
I’m not a fan of screens in elementary school in the younger grades but understand why iPads and Chromebooks are used. My kids don’t use or own tablets at home. My kids’ teachers use Lexia and ST Math as a small group rotation so they can have time for some differentiation. Class sizes are too big. Because tracking is no longer in practice, the skill levels in one class are too extreme.

What does this mean?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they need them. Mine uses it for Itrace and zearn. Maybe Zearn, but Itrace should be replaced with actual writing practice.

Why TF do kids need to do zearn anyway? Put it on paper! Then the information will actually stick! It's lazy, stupid, and the result of some schmo who is friends with a higher up at the public school system who managed to sell them on their stupid ineffective software.

Because it is easier to stick kids in front of computers than to provide actual instruction from a human being. And yep, "Edtech" is a huge business...follow the money. Always.

Yep and this is also a natural and necessary consequence of continually increasing class sizes and no differentiation. Teachers are struggling and this is an easy shortcut.

+1
I’m not a fan of screens in elementary school in the younger grades but understand why iPads and Chromebooks are used. My kids don’t use or own tablets at home. My kids’ teachers use Lexia and ST Math as a small group rotation so they can have time for some differentiation. Class sizes are too big. Because tracking is no longer in practice, the skill levels in one class are too extreme.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Screen use in public elementary school is atrocious. Teachers don’t teach any more. They throw up YouTube videos teaching fractions, the water cycle, US geography. You name it. The teachers are just there to press play and keep the peace.

Sounds like homeschooling is right for you. Oh, you “can’t” because you have a Big Important Job? Good news! Homeschooling can be done at any hour on any day, completely on your own schedule. Use some funds from your Big Important Job to hire childcare if you need it, since the evil public schools will no longer be providing it you. Easy peasy.

P.S. Don’t forget — no screens!

I don’t get it. Why are you angry at this poster? They are right. Why do you want to “punish” them with homeschool? Why is it unreasonable for parents to want teachers to teach without screens?

Anonymous wrote:Screen use in public elementary school is atrocious. Teachers don’t teach any more. They throw up YouTube videos teaching fractions, the water cycle, US geography. You name it. The teachers are just there to press play and keep the peace.

Sounds like homeschooling is right for you. Oh, you “can’t” because you have a Big Important Job? Good news! Homeschooling can be done at any hour on any day, completely on your own schedule. Use some funds from your Big Important Job to hire childcare if you need it, since the evil public schools will no longer be providing it you. Easy peasy.

P.S. Don’t forget — no screens!

My kindergartner has ipad at school. She says it's an option during choice time and that she mostly opts for other things. I see my kids still learning with iPad and laptops at school, it's not my favorite, but don't think it's the worst thing in the world.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our first choice school for kindergarten has a no-tablets rule and doesn’t introduce computers until 6th grade. But if you’re not comfortable with a conservative Catholic school I have no idea where you’d find a no-screens school in this area.

The private school forum is full of answers to this exact question.

AFAIK there are no public school districts that are screen free in elementary, though. Or even individual public schools.

Even in Diocese of Arlington I’m only aware of one school that’s truly screen-free.

Anonymous wrote:Our first choice school for kindergarten has a no-tablets rule and doesn’t introduce computers until 6th grade. But if you’re not comfortable with a conservative Catholic school I have no idea where you’d find a no-screens school in this area.

The private school forum is full of answers to this exact question.

AFAIK there are no public school districts that are screen free in elementary, though. Or even individual public schools.

Our first choice school for kindergarten has a no-tablets rule and doesn’t introduce computers until 6th grade. But if you’re not comfortable with a conservative Catholic school I have no idea where you’d find a no-screens school in this area.