Technology in Schools

[disney junky]

For discussion....we are equipping our students with laptops and ipads (1to1)with the long term goal of saving money (this is how it is explained) and of reducing paper and the purchase of textbooks, which can be available on line.
But my question is this. In five years, when these laptops and ipads break and cannot be fixed, disposing of them is a lot more difficult than the renewable resource of paper (textbooks, which typically last around the same length of time).
I have no data, no evidence to argue one way or the other. I'm just skeptical about the idea of paperless schools and on-line textbooks as a solution to a problem of resources.
Am I alone in my thoughts?

 

[soccerdad72]

As far as a resource question, I would venture to say that you are correct in saying that 1:1 programs don't decrease natural resource use, especially since in most cases, textbooks haven't completely gone away. I know my son's program still has textbooks for each child - in their case, the main benefit is that they don't necessarily need to carry their textbooks home each night. All the material is available on their tablets.

 

[momsully]

In our case the students have to purchase the ipads.

 

[sam_gordon]

For discussion....we are equipping our students with laptops and ipads (1to1)with the long term goal of saving money (this is how it is explained) and of reducing paper and the purchase of textbooks, which can be available on line.
But my question is this. In five years, when these laptops and ipads break and cannot be fixed, disposing of them is a lot more difficult than the renewable resource of paper (textbooks, which typically last around the same length of time).
I have no data, no evidence to argue one way or the other. I'm just skeptical about the idea of paperless schools and on-line textbooks as a solution to a problem of resources.
Am I alone in my thoughts?

I think you bring up a good point, but it's not just a "natural resource" benefit. As mentioned, having all textbooks on an ipad takes weight away from a backpack. You can also get updates easier, and therefore might get a new textbook every year instead of every 5-6.

Let's say a school spends $400 on an ipad for a student (leaving the laptop out of the equation for a moment). How much would textbooks cost for that student, factoring in multiple years possible on the ipad?

I would like to see every student issued an ipad as a freshman. That one is paid for by the school system. That ipad stays with them through their senior year. After they graduate, they can keep it. However, if there's any damage or issues through the year, the family is responsible. Insurance should be offered that covers loss & damage.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

For discussion....we are equipping our students with laptops and ipads (1to1)with the long term goal of saving money (this is how it is explained) and of reducing paper and the purchase of textbooks, which can be available on line.
But my question is this. In five years, when these laptops and ipads break and cannot be fixed, disposing of them is a lot more difficult than the renewable resource of paper (textbooks, which typically last around the same length of time).
I have no data, no evidence to argue one way or the other. I'm just skeptical about the idea of paperless schools and on-line textbooks as a solution to a problem of resources.
Am I alone in my thoughts?

You can't win either way. Textbook replacement is just as expensive and maybe more since you can have multiple textbooks on a computer.

That being said there needs to be a stop gap with having a technology fee or government needs to give money for laptops yrly, or something of that nature.

Theft is a big deal here and not sure how you solve that equation.

I suppose not allowing laptops to be brought home would have to be a staple in some districts.

In addition the home would need wi fi so that is an issue as well.

Basically here it is just put on the students and they are expected to have or use computers for homework. No free laptops here.

 

[soccerdad72]

In our case the students have to purchase the ipads.

Same here (private middle school), except that our school went with Windows 7 based tablets instead of iPads.

 

[Hoodie]

My kids are little so we don't have to deal with iPads yet, but someone I know had an issue because he had punished his son with no phone/tablet/etc. and the next day got a notice that the school was giving him one (and forcing an insurance policy on the parent). This parent was more than a little mad and notified the school that until the punishment was over, his son wouldn't not be taking the iPad.

Personally, I can see plusses and minuses, but I'm increasingly becoming more against technology in the classroom. I think we've lost a lot of the basics because technology handles it now, including basics of communication. Kids spend enough time using technology without having more added.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

For discussion....we are equipping our students with laptops and ipads (1to1)with the long term goal of saving money (this is how it is explained) and of reducing paper and the purchase of textbooks, which can be available on line. But my question is this. In five years, when these laptops and ipads break and cannot be fixed, disposing of them is a lot more difficult than the renewable resource of paper (textbooks, which typically last around the same length of time). I have no data, no evidence to argue one way or the other. I'm just skeptical about the idea of paperless schools and on-line textbooks as a solution to a problem of resources. Am I alone in my thoughts?

Bit on top of being less weight it is very useful for me on so many levels

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Our schools just sent home letters in the past 2 weeks about this.

Students are allowed to use their own devices brought from home. The parent had to list the devices their students were allowed to bring to class and sign that they were allowed to use them in school.

My kids only have iphones. I'm not buying them anything else for school use. My kids aren't interested in Ipads at all.
So they most likely would need to use the schools books.

Since our area has a very diverse student body, I'm sure there are alot of students who don't have a thing to bring and will still have to use the schools books.

I think anything the school supplies electronically should be left at the school to discourage theft.

I've no doubt if our school started supplying things like Ipads many would be stolen but the school would be told they were "missing" and the parents wouldn't have the money to replace them.

 

[Hrhpd]

For discussion....we are equipping our students with laptops and ipads (1to1)with the long term goal of saving money (this is how it is explained) and of reducing paper and the purchase of textbooks, which can be available on line.
But my question is this. In five years, when these laptops and ipads break and cannot be fixed, disposing of them is a lot more difficult than the renewable resource of paper (textbooks, which typically last around the same length of time).
I have no data, no evidence to argue one way or the other. I'm just skeptical about the idea of paperless schools and on-line textbooks as a solution to a problem of resources.
Am I alone in my thoughts?

You can always do what our district does: Require laptops (high school) with certain specifications, but the parent has to buy it. (Free and reduced lunch kids can borrow one.)

That was a nice little $1,000 school supply list item. Makes the scientific graphing calculator look cheap in comparison.

Public school. And we do not have textbooks for every child. Everything is done online.

 

[Hrhpd]

You can't win either way. Textbook replacement is just as expensive and maybe more since you can have multiple textbooks on a computer.

That being said there needs to be a stop gap with having a technology fee or government needs to give money for laptops yrly, or something of that nature.

Theft is a big deal here and not sure how you solve that equation.

I suppose not allowing laptops to be brought home would have to be a staple in some districts.

In addition the home would need wi fi so that is an issue as well.

Basically here it is just put on the students and they are expected to have or use computers for homework. No free laptops here.

As I noted above, our kids are required to have middle to high end laptops supplied by the parents.

However, we do not have a huge theft problem. The kids keep their laptops in their backpacks with them in class and if they absolutely have to leave it in their locker, they put a laptop lock on it. Also, the laptop serial numbers are registered with the school and they download an app that has gps tracking on it.

In the beginning, a kid was stupid enough to steal a teacher's laptop. With the app, the police walked right into the kid's bedroom and retrieved it.

As for the home wifi, Comcast works with families, especially those on free and reduced lunches, to get affordable wifi in each student's home. They offer a $10 a month plan for wifi for families. And if they can't afford even that, then there are grants by both Comcast and the school to help out.

 

[lauradis]

I would miss the actual text books, but my child would love tablet or laptop idea. No more heavy books, no more worksheets. As parents we have to remember their technology is going to be different then ours.

On the other side as a parent we have to unplug them and make them play tag, chase lighting bugs, etc .

 

[wiigirl]

I would miss the actual text books, but my child would love tablet or laptop idea. No more heavy books, no more worksheets. As parents we have to remember their technology is going to be different then ours.

On the other side as a parent we have to unplug them and make them play tag, chase lighting bugs, etc .

Me too...

 

[lauradis]

Me too...

Aww fellow nerd that loves to read text book .lol

 

[jahber]

Aww fellow nerd that loves to read text book .lol

I love books. We homeschool so my kids still use lots of books for school.

Anyway, another cost associated with laptops and iPads is support and maintenance. You need to pay a team to manage and support all those electronic devices. We looked into this at the small private school I taught at previously. I would have ended up being IT in addition to my teaching and admin duties. As it was, I was the go to person for EVERYONE'S computer probs. Multiply that by 1000 or 2000? Better have a budget for that.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

DS's Spanish textbook is online, but you have to supply your own device to access it. At the beginning of the year, he brought home a note explaining how to log into the site and find the book. It also said that the Williams Act specifies that every child is entitled to a text book. If you do not have access to a device at home (or choose not to use the online copy), you could request a hard copy of the book. We had to sign the form to waive DS's right to a text book. DS said his classroom has a set of text books and one is kept under every desk. They frequently use them in class, but they stay in the room. So far, this is the only class that uses online books. DS's 15th birthday was at the beginning of September and we got him his own laptop, assuming this would happen more frequently as he goes through high school.

 

[tvguy]

I have to wonder if 5 years from now if students won't be using some almost disposable, affordable, e-reader-tablet, something that may sell for as little as $20.

DD is in England, and they have a whole lot of really cheap cell phones, very basic, all plastic that sell for a full retail price of about $15 with no service agreement . She says they even have entry level smartphones there for about $50 full retail price with no service agreement. Not everyone wants to pay $100-$400 for a smart phone.

 

[StephMK]

Our school has lots of issues getting a strong wifi signal. Plus the computers are older and sometimes run so slow that they are not usable. There are few things more frustrating than planning a lesson that uses tech then not being able to get it to run.

We are an elementary school and have issues with kids not completing assignments and going other places online during class computer time, even though many are blocked to them.

I love technology but without lots of training and clear expectations, it can create more problems to have students issued their own tech devices.

 

[joviroxx]

My kids high school is 100% 1:1 fully Ipad integrated. Last year when DS started, I wasn't sure if I would like it. I wasn't sure if that whole textbook online was a good idea. I mean, how do you study without being to quickly hit the index or glossary.

I have to say, Ive been pleasantly surprised and I love it. My kids don't carry notebooks or books. Just 1 folder, a pen and many styluses (stylus replacement is a new budget item). With Noteability , Showbie and Edline, all worksheets, writing, etc, are done on line and submitted on line. These new books aren't just Ibooks, they are really very interactive, especially the science and math ones.

DD is very organized by DS is a mess. This has really helped him and there is no "forgetting" things in his locker, etc. The school's wifi is great, library is online so they check out books on their ipad, etc. The school really has done a great job putting it together

That said , this is a private school and we do buy the Ipads (put into our tuition) and pay hefty electronic materials fees but I find the kids are much more involved. Ipads come from the school and preprogrammed with retrictions (like no Siri). yes kids can jailbreak them but doing so , they lose the ability to go to the tech department in case anything go wrong and if caught, its a clear violation of the technology contract. I love the ability to just pull out the Ipad anywhere to study, do homework, etc .

 

[Cindy B]

I work in a small private school All of the middle school students received an Ipad as well as all the middle school teachers. (Ipad built into the tuition)

I love it. It does reduce the need for consumables such as papers and supplies. I used to go through so much paper in grading, rewriting and now- it is all on the Ipad.

Just this week, students used it to make Keynote presentations, Doceri creations (spoken word whiteboard) and new note taking strategies on Pages. All the students and teachers have a dropbox storage account- so I send something (for example a picture that was online and not in their textbook) and just said- its in the dropbox and they found it.
I created a study guide for a quiz and just said find it in the dropbox! Just today students used the air play feature to stream their projects wirelessly to the smartboard.

Some students still like to use binders and written notes so I allow that- but it is very efficient to say "Ipads up, notability open- let's go"

Some of my students have limited Internet access at home- they can get things downloaded at school (pictures, research) and work with the information at home.

I get assignments emailed to me or sent to the Dropbox that I have set up for each grade. It is a wonderful resource that is just so much easier than grading papers, worksheets, etc.
I will say that I am photocopying so much less and use a lot less supplies.

I am in graduate school and my textbooks are online. I love it! Its so much easier to type numbers in instead of flipping pages, going to the back- I love the highlight, markup and questions features.