Tablet/Laptop being requried at Middle School

[RiverRock]

It's a move towards being paperless. Even some university instructors ask for digital formats of assignments instead of printed copies.

[twoplustwo]

Originally Posted by RiverRock

some university instructors ask for digital formats of assignments

For myself, I never submit anything in person. All assignments & papers are turned in online.

[SalH]

Yes dh has to submit all online. But at 40 I'm ok with that screen time haha!!!!


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[2sunshines]

My kids attend public school and they submit most of their schoolwork online. However, it's not required and they are able to print it off and submit it with paper too.

The school has iPads that the kids use. Not one per kid or anything, just a travelling iPad lab that they bring in to the classrooms when needed. The kids have access to a computer lab at school when they want/need. But they are not required to have outside of school computer access, although it does help them with their homework (we have a shared family computer that they use for homework when needed).

[AngelaVA]

It seems normal to me in this day and age that a middle school child would need a computer for school work. I definitely need a computer for homeschooling my fifth grader. I can see where it would be hard and stressful financially though.


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[SalH]

I think when you look at using technology in the education process yes we all use it to some degree. But then for a school to insist that each child has an iPad at 8 (like the Lutheran schools here all do in my city) you're potentially looking at a family having say 4 children with their own devices / computers, and that starts to look excessive. When you think about treading lightly on the earth, carbon footprints, financial costs etc. so multiply that by a whole family and you have say $4k getting on the school bus every day if you only have 4 children. Let alone a bigger family. Sending $1k with an 8 year old is too much for me.


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[solatido]

Originally Posted by AngelaVA

It seems normal to me in this day and age that a middle school child would need a computer for school work. I definitely need a computer for homeschooling my fifth grader. I can see where it would be hard and stressful financially though.


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A computer, sure. But why is the student requiredto have a dedicated device for schol? A shared desktop or laptop at home should suffice.

[Katigre]

Originally Posted by solatido

A computer, sure. But why is the student requiredto have a dedicated device for schol? A shared desktop or laptop at home should suffice.

Because curriculum and projects are integrated electronically in a way they weren't fifteen years ago. Textbooks have online components that are part of the learning activities done in class and at home, including group work learning activities.

Schools use LMS (learning management systems) where class discussions, assignment updates, group activities, grading and submitting homework are done through the LMS and not by paper.

Computers aren't just for typing assignments at home or doing online research for a project, they really have become a key part of the classroom learning experience.

[RiverRock]

My 12yo is not in digital immersion (this is an option in her school) but all assignments are graded and submitted to a program called Schoology. The students even have an area on the site where they can chat about their schoolwork. Until now, COWs (computers on wheels) worked with classes sharing the computers. I think the ability to use a stylus is now required so it is more than just sharing that is the issue.

[Katigre]

Our homeschool program uses Schoology too.

[solatido]

Originally Posted by Katigre

Because curriculum and projects are integrated electronically in a way they weren't fifteen years ago. Textbooks have online components that are part of the learning activities done in class and at home, including group work learning activities.

Schools use LMS (learning management systems) where class discussions, assignment updates, group activities, grading and submitting homework are done through the LMS and not by paper.

Computers aren't just for typing assignments at home or doing online research for a project, they really have become a key part of the classroom learning experience.

If that is the case then schools need to provide them.

[mommylove]

Originally Posted by solatido

If that is the case then schools need to provide them.

Yep. But perhaps anyone with a brain those with the authority to make that call are worried about repeating the LAUSD iPad fiasco.

Two years ago, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) tried an interesting new experiment: give every student a tablet computer equipped with a digital curriculum. It was a bold move that was supposed to push Los Angeles public schools into the 21st century. It turned out to be a disaster.
The idea was certainly huge, requiring the purchase of 650,000 Apple iPads, networking gear and educational software from Pearson -- all at a cost of nearly $1.3 billion. L.A. Schools Superintendent John Deasy, who launched the program in 2013, also saw it as a way tohelp the city’s low-income students. Until Deasy’s announcement, students had limited access to digital education tools at computer labs, which couldn’t accommodate all students at the same time.

******

The entire purchase was funded by construction bonds, which are typically used to build and repair schools.

Spoiler alert: this was not a good choice

[Leslie]

I remember the One Laptop One Child project, where they designed a tough and cheap personal computer to give kids in third world countries so they could have access to education, but the grown ups in the third world countries were taking them from the kids for their own purposes, and both kids and grown ups were using them to access porn.

[tempus vernum]

I see both sides of this issue. truthfully, this is the wave of the future. However, public school should pay for it IMO or give aid as mentioned above in the free lunch program.