Yikes! I can't imagine teaching myself to type. It was hard and if I hadn't had a teacher, I doubt I would have had the discipline to learn properly and I was 18. Guess I will have to sign DC up for a keyboarding class. I think it is difficult to expect kids to learn the mechanics of writing a good essay or story while they are also trying to master typing.

I'm 42 and took typing in high school.

But today you can learn with online programs.

Anonymous wrote:Do most schools offer keboarding? When are kids being taught how to type? I can't imagine typing up a report without being a good typist. 11 year olds should be focusing on how to write not how to type up a paper. Not saying a kid couldn'd do this but they would have to have taken a keyboarding class.

I'm 33 and don't recall taking keyboarding or anything similar in school.

Anonymous wrote:Do most schools offer keboarding? When are kids being taught how to type? I can't imagine typing up a report without being a good typist. 11 year olds should be focusing on how to write not how to type up a paper. Not saying a kid couldn'd do this but they would have to have taken a keyboarding class.

Our oldest has fine motor issues and was on an IEP so we had his school-based Occupational Therapist work on keyboarding with him. Wasn't a part of the general ed curriculum at all - and hasn't been for his non-SPED sibling. We subscribed to an online keyboarding tutorial adn made them learn over the summer. They hated it and still do more hunting and pecking than I would like but seemed the only option since kids were asked to keyboard writing assignments in middle school and that skill doesn't seem to be taught in schools anymore.

Do most schools offer keboarding? When are kids being taught how to type? I can't imagine typing up a report without being a good typist. 11 year olds should be focusing on how to write not how to type up a paper. Not saying a kid couldn'd do this but they would have to have taken a keyboarding class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:okay troll brigade,
can you finally let this rest? either pull out, don't attend, or storm the ramparts, but would you let this thread die? each time it goes off the main page you keep bringing it back. I love DCI, my child loves it, and a lot of us in the school community are really sick of the bashing and negativity.

I get that you are upset but don't see this post as bashing DCI (for real bashing, read a BASIS thread). I think this post could easily be titled: Technology in Middle school, how much and when?

DCI is at the forefront of 1:1 tech learning here in DC public. Many of us are just trying to get our heads around it.

^^ This. I am at a feeder. How is trying to find out more and discussing this being a 'troll'.

If you're at DCI and love it, could you discuss why? That's good to hear, btw!

Anonymous wrote:Well, I am a parent concerned about lack of balance at DCI. To the poster who said I should limit leisure time on the computer to compensate for screen time at schoo... my kids enjoy playing some games on the computer and watching some T.V. I would hate to remove that time so that they can do homework on the computer. Nor is it fair to ask them to handwrite a paper only to then have to type it.

Four hours a day (at least) on the computer just for school work is too much for 11 and 12 year olds. Not to mention we have no idea how this impacts their ability to learn or the possible health risks. Look at Rocketship Academy.. great preliminary results which weren't sustainable long term (if I remember corretly)

Just so you know, every middle school in the area asks kids to submit type written final drafts.

Anonymous wrote:okay troll brigade,
can you finally let this rest? either pull out, don't attend, or storm the ramparts, but would you let this thread die? each time it goes off the main page you keep bringing it back. I love DCI, my child loves it, and a lot of us in the school community are really sick of the bashing and negativity.

I get that you are upset but don't see this post as bashing DCI (for real bashing, read a BASIS thread). I think this post could easily be titled: Technology in Middle school, how much and when?

DCI is at the forefront of 1:1 tech learning here in DC public. Many of us are just trying to get our heads around it.

Anonymous wrote:No. just whining.

Is there any chance that if we keep having this discussion, you'll get so annoyed that YOU'LL leave DCI? Because aside from all the tech concerns, it's a bummer to think that some kids and their families are dealing with someone as bitter or snarky as you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These students are not doing document review. They are actually reading and not constantly. Not at a similar.

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.

You are entirely and completely missing the lawyer poster's point. Those were adults with fully formed brains and eyes. Kids are still forming and developing. Less screen time could be just as if not more damaging if it's still a siginficant amount of screen time. 4 or 5 hours (including homework) seems to be a VERY conservative estimate of how much screen time DCI middle schoolers are getting, and even that could totally be damaging their eyes, executive functioning, etc.

It's all about figuring out what the right balance is, which is hard without even more research, but a good starting point might be looking at the curriculum and figuring out where it would be easy to transition them off of screens for those modules or sections or parts of the day.

Anonymous wrote:No. just whining.

And then you PP just couldn't stifle the bitch in you.

No. just whining.

Sorry for the caps. That was unintentional. I was not screaming.

Anonymous wrote:okay troll brigade,
can you finally let this rest? either pull out, don't attend, or storm the ramparts, but would you let this thread die? each time it goes off the main page you keep bringing it back. I love DCI, my child loves it, and a lot of us in the school community are really sick of the bashing and negativity.

I AM AT A FEEDER. I KNOW FAMILIES WITH KIDS AT DCI. Not everyone is like you, happy. Some are, some are not. Why do you have a problem with other families trying to get as much information as possible while they still have a chance to make alternative options.

Well, I am a parent concerned about lack of balance at DCI. To the poster who said I should limit leisure time on the computer to compensate for screen time at schoo... my kids enjoy playing some games on the computer and watching some T.V. I would hate to remove that time so that they can do homework on the computer. Nor is it fair to ask them to handwrite a paper only to then have to type it.

Four hours a day (at least) on the computer just for school work is too much for 11 and 12 year olds. Not to mention we have no idea how this impacts their ability to learn or the possible health risks. Look at Rocketship Academy.. great preliminary results which weren't sustainable long term (if I remember corretly)