DrDawkinstein Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 LOL...yep. My 5 year old will be in kindergarten next year. Giving him an IPad would be ridiculous. It would end up soaked in apple juice. Smart boards...yeah, I could get behind that. Have the kids learn to stand up in front of class and use them...sure, perfect skill to teach. But an Ipad...sorry. Your fault for not watching him. Kids dont have apple juice all day in school. There would be very little they could do to ruin these devices. Besides being grubby and wiping boogers on them. You guys act like school is a free-for-all like at home. Classrooms, especially Kindergarten, have to be pretty structured to survive at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 We have to pry our 2 year old away from it kicking and screaming. Of course it's just a fun toy for her, but many of the apps are very educationally sound. Same with my 2-year old and 5-year old nieces. I tried using mine to help tutor a 7-year old in math, though...didn't work. She couldn't get past the "shiny toy" effect of the iPad to actually learn any math. We did much better with playing cards and a stopwatch...which points out another issue that could arise with this idea: if students don't learn from the iPad (and some won't, for whatever reason), are the teachers and administrators going to be flexible enough to use other teaching tools? Odds are not, because "We spent a buttload of money on these, the kids HAVE to use them." Plus, there's the simple point that they're spending a buttload of money on those. Is that a wise prioritization of money in this case? Your fault for not watching him. Have you ever even seen a small child? Give a three-year old two steel bearings and turn your back; in two minutes, the child will break one and lose the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) Have you ever even seen a small child? Give a three-year old two steel bearings and turn your back; in two minutes, the child will break one and lose the other. Of course, Of course. Im not sure how you guys are getting that I think they are going to be perfect little angels with them. Ive already said that some will be ruined and need repairs replacements. That's no reason to NOT do it. And we're not talking about 3 year olds. We're talking about 5-6 year olds who would be using them under direct supervision. Plus, there's the simple point that they're spending a buttload of money on those. Is that a wise prioritization of money in this case? This much is true. However, according to the article, we're talking about a district that purchased Apple laptops for all of it's high school students. Doesnt sound like they are hurting for money. If anyting, Id be interested in moving to this district if I were to have kids. Edited April 13, 2011 by DrDankenstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Have you ever even seen a small child? Give a three-year old two steel bearings and turn your back; in two minutes, the child will break one and lose the other. More like, eat the other. Dank, I'm sorry, but unless there's 8 teachers for 16 kindergartners, there's going to be damage. Blind faith that everything will be all right is a prescription for a $50,000 disaster. And the article didn't say --- are these are going to be taken home or left in the classroom? And who's held accountable for breakage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 More like, eat the other. Dank, I'm sorry, but unless there's 8 teachers for 16 kindergartners, there's going to be damage. Blind faith that everything will be all right is a prescription for a $50,000 disaster. And the article didn't say --- are these are going to be taken home or left in the classroom? And who's held accountable for breakage? No one, especially me, has said that "everything will be all right" with blind faith. Ive repeatedly said there will be some need for repairs or replacements. So you do a little PLANNING and work out a service agreement with Apple who has ALWAYS been willing to work with schools and teachers. Also, the fear that some might get damaged is no reason to NOT upgrade to current technology. Im sure there were a lot of people who said the same thing when schools first started putting PCs in classrooms. My class had 5 PCs in it. Not one was damaged in 3 years. Not one keyboard was spilled on, or painted on, or broken. If there are 16 kids sitting at a table, with nothing but their iPads, it would be no problem for 1 adult to supervise them. Again, this is not the free-for-all of home life where parents want to just shut their kid up so they distract them with a toy and TV and leave them to their own devices. This is a structured classroom setting where you can even use the iPads as a reward. Kids will react positively to this, and will behave in order to use them. Not all, but most (90%?). I'll agree that taking them home is a different story. But it doesnt say anything about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWVaBeach Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 That's chump change! They plan on spending $651,000 here in Va Beach. My tax dollars at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 That's chump change! They plan on spending $651,000 here in Va Beach. My tax dollars at work. "“Today’s kid is different. These kids we have, they’re wired to think digitally. They can’t be taught the old way.”" Wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Of course, Of course. Im not sure how you guys are getting that I think they are going to be perfect little angels with them. Ive already said that some will be ruined and need repairs replacements. That's no reason to NOT do it. And we're not talking about 3 year olds. We're talking about 5-6 year olds who would be using them under direct supervision. Tell ya what...supervise twelve kindergarteners for a day, see how well you do at that. This much is true. However, according to the article, we're talking about a district that purchased Apple laptops for all of it's high school students. Doesnt sound like they are hurting for money. If anyting, Id be interested in moving to this district if I were to have kids. Oh, okay. It doesn't sound like an unwise expenditure. That makes it okay. Mind you, I'm not judging the school system...because I haven't seen their books, and I don't know if it's a misprioritization or not. I'm judging you for the incredibly stupid argument of "If they're doing it, it must be okay, because if it wasn't they wouldn't do it." That sort of silliness makes me wonder if you're not just a kindergartener craving a free iPad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Hindsight Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 LOL...yep. My 5 year old will be in kindergarten next year. Giving him an IPad would be ridiculous. It would end up soaked in apple juice. Smart boards...yeah, I could get behind that. Have the kids learn to stand up in front of class and use them...sure, perfect skill to teach. But an Ipad...sorry. Now thats a good idea. Its a little excessive for every student to have one i think but its not a terrible idea. Education should be this country's number one priority IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clippers of Nfl Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 some school was going to do this sooner or later. welcome to 2011. lets go for it! i think a lot of them will be broken by kinder kids, but still worth the experiment. but why cant apple just make a better deal to schools? charging about the same price as retail is bull. they should be 200 or 250 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I would like to see tech undermine the whole publishing industry and the racket they got going with textbooks... Yeah, like that will ever happen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 Most people here think the idea is dumb too, but some people agree that it's a good idea. http://www.neowin.net/news/school-district-spending-200000-on-ipads-for-kindergarteners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 There have been scientific studies that show children develop better with physical, tangible items as compared to learning from a computer screen. If I had time, I'd look that up again now -- maybe I'll have time tonight. How many years of data do they have to look at? I know from personal experience my understanding of Geometry and Trigonometry improved exponentially when I started working as a draftsman and used AutoCAD. I don't think anyone is advocating getting rid of tangible items in learning, but we are just at the beginning stages of figuring out how computers can be used in educating children. I think it's a shame if the potential were derailed by a bunch of naysayers that didn't even want to explore it because "That's not how they did things back in the good old days." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 How many years of data do they have to look at? I know from personal experience my understanding of Geometry and Trigonometry improved exponentially when I started working as a draftsman and used AutoCAD. I don't think anyone is advocating getting rid of tangible items in learning, but we are just at the beginning stages of figuring out how computers can be used in educating children. I think it's a shame if the potential were derailed by a bunch of naysayers that didn't even want to explore it because "That's not how they did things back in the good old days." Thank you. There are ALWAYS reasons to NOT do something. Get over it and move forward before the rest of the world passes us by. Lord knows our educational system is already floundering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Thank you. There are ALWAYS reasons to NOT do something. Get over it and move forward before the rest of the world passes us by. Lord knows our educational system is already floundering. NO!!! I think anytime we can delay teaching people that it's ok to walk down the street looking at a goddamn computer screen instead of looking where the !@#$ they're going or paying attention to the person they're sitting with instead of a damn machine is a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 (edited) NO!!! I think anytime we can delay teaching people that it's ok to walk down the street looking at a goddamn computer screen instead of looking where the !@#$ they're going or paying attention to the person they're sitting with instead of a damn machine is a good thing. What effed up school did you go to where they taught Kindergarten on the street? Sorry, I see this as an opportunity to teach kids from an early age that comupters/devices are TOOLS and should be used in a utilitarian way. Its a great chance to reinforce what you just said. Use the device for what you need, then get back to "real life". You guys act like bringing in the iPads means theyre going to get rid of EVERYTHING else. That's not the case. Edited April 14, 2011 by DrDankenstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 (edited) What effed up school did you go to where they taught Kindergarten on the street? Sorry, I see this as an opportunity to teach kids from an early age that comupters/devices are TOOLS and should be used in a utilitarian way. Its a great chance to reinforce what you just said. Use the device for what you need, then get back to "real life". You guys act like bringing in the iPads means theyre going to get rid of EVERYTHING else. That's not the case. What are you 4'10" because that went right over your head. I'm talking about teaching or encouraging at a young age the bad habit that people have these days of devoting 100% of their attention to what's happening on their computer/telephones and zero on the world around them. Edited April 14, 2011 by Chef Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 (edited) What are you 4'10" because that went right over your head. I'm talking about teaching or encouraging at a young age the bad habit that people have these days of devoting 100% of their attention to what's happening on their computer/telephones and zero on the world around them. I guess it went over my head because that has very little to do with this discussion. But now that you bring it up, again, I think it's a great opportunity to teach kids how to use their devices but also get back to paying attention to what is going on around them in the real world. If you are interacting with the teacher, then doing a task on the iPad, then going back to the teacher, I feel it can be used to teach that the device is only there to accomplish something and get back to the real world. BTW, that habit is mostly taught by parents who, nowadays, when the kid gets rambunctious, simply hand them their smart phone to play with. This could COUNTER-ACT those bad habits being taught by lazy parents (I understand that is redundant). Since that is mostly what Schools are here for in our current society... being the parents the kids dont have. But you guys can keep on with the old man act... Edited April 14, 2011 by DrDankenstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 My kids are in grades 1 and 2 and they use smart boards. I think they are shared between a few classes though. I could see them using ipads in classrooms as another tool, not just as the only tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I guess it went over my head because that has very little to do with this discussion. But now that you bring it up, again, I think it's a great opportunity to teach kids how to use their devices but also get back to paying attention to what is going on around them in the real world. If you are interacting with the teacher, then doing a task on the iPad, then going back to the teacher, I feel it can be used to teach that the device is only there to accomplish something and get back to the real world. BTW, that habit is mostly taught by parents who, nowadays, when the kid gets rambunctious, simply hand them their smart phone to play with. This could COUNTER-ACT those bad habits being taught by lazy parents (I understand that is redundant). Since that is mostly what Schools are here for in our current society... being the parents the kids dont have. But you guys can keep on with the old man act... It had very little to do with the discussion because I was using it as a social commentary as to how these iphones and ipads have reduced the interation between people. And I'm talking face to face interaction. I've heard stories of kids in a group texting to another group of kids that are right next to them. If you don't think this is going to have implications down the road you've got your head in the sand. Technical advances are not always 100% positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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