The letter came a couple of weeks ago. Princess Child is going to need an i-Pad for Year 7. That will be $498 for the actual piece of equipment, another $59 for the aps required, then so help me it’s going to need some pretty hardy protective casing if it is going to survive life in the school bag. That thing gets thrown about, stood on, sat on and heavy books chucked in it – adding a fragile piece of technology into that mix is a great idea. We’ve also got to understand we are giving the responsibility for a small, but highly expensive, resource to children who are still struggling to return home each day with their school hats and jumpers. No really, what could possibly go wrong with this plan?
OK, putting aside my worries about the survival of the apparatus let’s consider for a second the difference between a want and a need. I’m fairly certain every Year 7 child WANTS an i-Pad but do they really NEED one? Will this bring about highly improved educational success essential for survival in the modern world? Considering the i-Pad has only been for sale since April 2010 the fact they have now clinched the school market is a hell of a marketing coup.
Don’t get me wrong, I love our i-Pad, but I’m possibly feeling a little testy that it’s been added to our list of “requirements” for Year 7. It’s pulling the guilt trip on parents. We have to go with the crowd on this one, otherwise our child will be disadvantaged.
I can see the benefit of having an i-Pad for children with learning difficulties, I can also understand that it adds variety to the lesson plans and gives children an alternative to the “pen and paper” approach. Given my previous whinging about the weight of schoolbags I can also see the i-Pad replacing some of those heavy text-books as possibly a good thing
However, this weekend the Sun-Herald ran an article wondering if our children’s connectivity was rewiring their brain. Given we know very little about the effects of long-term use of all this new technology and social media isn’t it important that we encourage our kids to disengage from the computer, the gaming console, the i-Phone, the i-Pad and engage with the real world? Face to face conversations. Kicking a ball in the street. Riding a bike.
The Sun-Herald piece talked about a new program, Smiling Mind, which teaches a mindfulness meditation program, aimed at helping students learn to switch off from the gadgetry.
I’m not suggesting we completely ignore this new world, I’m just suggesting that perhaps before we get too caught up in its magnificence, we figure out a way to incorporate it into our children’s lives with limitations.
I’m not convinced that i-Pads to every Year 7 student is necessarily the way to go, particularly given the huge changes children encounter that year, adapting to high school routine, dealing with an increased academic focus, trying to find their place in friendship groups.
Am I just an old-fashioned fuddy duddy (and a cheapskate)? Will an i-Pad help my child learn? What do you think about technology in our modern classrooms?
I agree with everything you say about this forced technology at schools. The school that our grandsons go to to are changing their curriculum and are going to be using i-pads for every student from prep up. they will be using facebook for interacting with other students ( no vocal discussions) We are all NOT HAPPY -the kids are stressed because they have no idea what to expect next year This has been a Christian school, and with this new curriculum they will throw in a bit of God stuff. Hence a few people are working on starting up a new school using the old system , hopefully it will be up and running for next year
Wow most schools are trying to discourage Facebook. Very interesting.
I’m not concerned that they are using technology. The same arguments were around during the 1980s when calculators became mainstream, and possibly in the 1950s when the slide rule was popular. I don’t buy the argument that it’s dumbing kids down or making them less social. In fact, it’s essential they are exposed to this technology, otherwise there is a risk they will ‘fall behind’.
My concern is why this brand? I’ve been a user of Apple products for almost three decades – they are very good. But it concerns me that students are being taught solely through this device. I understand (having been a maths teacher) that having the one brand of technology makes it easier in the classroom, rather than the teacher having to learn how to do XYZ on each brand of tablet wasting precious classroom time.
I would rather that the school provide the iPads (left at school), and that homes decide whether they buy their own and/or choose a brand they want.
I do think they need exposure to technology, I would be happier with your suggestion of using iPads at school and leave us fighting over our single at-home iPad (won in a competition). Once she has her own personal iPad with her all day it makes it more difficult to see what she’s doing and how long she is spending online each day.
I’m kind of with you. I think year 9 is early enough. As you say, there are so many other new things about the first couple of years, and the burden of not losing it – my child lost so many bloody jumpers and sports bags and mobile phones and books in year 7. And I know it stressed her as much (almost) as me.
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Right there with you babe. Hippie Child lost jumpers, hats and four mobile phones (one of which was smashed when someone sat on her school bag at the athletics carnival). I can’t afford to replace 4 iPads!!!
very important topic. i need to get off my computer, though, and parent my kids. keep talking, janine. you have your children’s best interests at heart. joy to your family.
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Isn’t it annoying when those pesky kids interrupt your computer time!! Joy to you too Noreen.
In Canada, we do not even require that every grade 12 student (year before university) have accesse to a computer because if a family does not own one, they can use the computers in the library or in the computer room. Most families at least have an old clunker. However, requiring an an ipad??? That is ridiculous. In any case I love the fact that all finals and “culmanative tasks” must be hand written in class, to assure teachers that the work students hand in came from their own brain.
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Wow no individual computers even in Year 12, that’s incredible.
I think learning to use iPads and other technologies is important but as a requirement, for Year 7, no. It’s an outrageous expense and, as you say, too much responsibility. It also means kids are permanently connected, from school to home and back again. Can’t they just take a break! I’m fascinated by this topic and how technology is revolutionising all interactions.
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I have this image in my head of them all sitting around “messaging” each other rather than interacting, but I could just be over-reacting!
I have all the same misgivings as my childrens’ school heads to compulsory ipad use for grade 4 and up! At one point we were told it was no different to buying a calculator for your child – just another tool. My fourth grader has a $10 calculator(incidently NOT a gr4 requirement). She seems to think the best place to store it is under her bed.
I think it is another tool, and probably a useful one, I think what gets me riled is that it is a large expense and do they really need to have access to a personal iPad both at school and home? Gosh Year 4 is early. Thanks for the heads up on the bed thing, that’s the first place I’ll look when we lose it (should be around week 2 I reckon).
Interesting subject… Our school is in the process of implementing a tablet (not iPad) as a part of their curriculum for years 2-5 next year. Don’t currently have all the information yet but it seems that it will be around the $150 mark (I think some of the cost is being subsidized by the school). They are estimating the total cost for the year including tablet, texts, stationery, uniforms etc is approx $400 (ish)… I also agree with Darren – why an iPad? There are certainly cheaper alternatives out there that can do the same thing!?!? Surely if the school insists on an iPad then perhaps they should bear some of the costs???
It seems to be the latest big thing for 2013, I know there are other schools in our area implementing them in primary school (although they are getting a choice of which tablet they would like to purchase). I do get that for the teacher’s sanity it’s important to have everyone using the same piece of equipment. It’s interesting to see such an enthusiastic take-up by the school for this equipment, we live in fascinating times, nobody really knows what all this access to technology will have on kids in the long term, I hope it’s really positive. But as someone who has been spending a lot of time online with this blogging thing I can see the benefits but am also very aware of the negatives as well.
I’m a big pro of technology in schools, of course, it should be used effectively. I could go on and on about advantages and disadvantages (with enough research evidence to support these explanations). However, I’ll just stop and prevent you from gettting bored – reading such a long comment! 😀
In my primary school, each class has 10 iPads for the students to use (mostly 30 children per class and it’s provided by the school) – that’s from Reception to Year 6. I’ve downloaded (with the help of some of my Y6 children) quite a lot FREE educational apps that we used for Literacy and Numeracy. It’s very interactive and if done effectively, it’s such a fun way to learn! They can send/connect their work to our printer and stick the tasks to their books (as evidence). We never use Facebook to interact to other students. There are apps that you could use to help them with their communication skills or you could build a WordPress blog for interactions and peer feedbacks (like we did in my class).
“I’m not convinced that i-Pads to every Year 7 student is necessarily the way to go” – YES! I agree with you on this. This is just absurd, not to mention, VERY EXPENSIVE! How about the parents who can’t afford it? Our 10 iPads in our class are used alternately between students. So usually, it’s 2 per student or even 3-4 students. Half of the class can either go to the laptops (again provided by the school) or research to the books provided for them then the groups of children swap after 30 minutes.
Oh and our iPads doesn’t have any protective covers. We emphasised (and say it over and over again!) to the children HOW MUCH EXPENSIVE IT IS! So they only carry two iPads at a time and we have a safe to keep all the iPads.
Right, sorry, this is too long. Such a good entry!!!
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Thanks for your great comment. It’s wonderful to hear how they are actually being used in the classroom. Love that you built a blog! I agree that technology has an important place in classrooms, my big concern with this is the idea that the kids are carting this very expensive equipment around in their school bags, I really don’t want to be replacing iPads throughout the year, but if every kid has one you would have to otherwise your child is disadvantaged.
My daughters school won 22 ipads last year – and there are only 29 kids at the school. They use them all the time,and I am happy that she is motivated in her learning using them. As a teacher, I would love one, and I would love my class to have them, but it is an extra expense for many families.
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How fantastic for a little country school to win that prize, that’s wonderful. I’m pleased that you and other teachers have commented here on the educational value of the equipment, so really, I just have to suck it up and bear the cost, and hope for no breakages. Wish me luck.