Submitted by Michelle Tamburini (not verified) on May 18, 2007 - 12:36.
This is a hot topic with me. I am a high school Spanish teacher. All of our students, grades 9-12, are issued laptop computers at the beginning of the year. They have to pay a refundable $50 rental fee.
My Spanish textbook is online. While I like the textbook, I HATE it being online. It takes on second to open a book, and 10 minutes for everyone to get online, and the instant those screens pop open, I, the teacher, the bilingual Spanish teacher with so much to offer, am GONE. Policing the computers is NUTS. Kids are allowed access to i-chat, and i-tunes, and all sorts of ridiculously non-educational programs. I went into this with an open mind, but it is one of the most educationally irresponsible ideas to come along in centuries. A computer lab would do just fine, and has in the past.
Our dear friend John Dewey said in the 1800’s, “If we educate our children today like we did yesterday, we are robbing them of their future.”. OK. I still agree with him, but the students need to learn to use these computers as tools, not toys. Since I have been here, scores have declined in all areas. When asked to do any real research on any given topic they are clueless. All they really know how to do is play.
I have read articles about universities prohibiting the use of laptops in classes for the same reasons. Test scores and quality of work was taking a nosedive. Once the computers were prohibited, guess what? Test scores and quality of work went right back up.
So, my vote is yes, we do need to teach the kids technology to prepare them for life when they leave school, but this is an incredible waste of money and time and the results are in the trash. Most of my colleagues here hate them.
This is a hot topic with me.
Submitted by Michelle Tamburini (not verified) on May 18, 2007 - 12:36.
This is a hot topic with me. I am a high school Spanish teacher. All of our students, grades 9-12, are issued laptop computers at the beginning of the year. They have to pay a refundable $50 rental fee.
My Spanish textbook is online. While I like the textbook, I HATE it being online. It takes on second to open a book, and 10 minutes for everyone to get online, and the instant those screens pop open, I, the teacher, the bilingual Spanish teacher with so much to offer, am GONE. Policing the computers is NUTS. Kids are allowed access to i-chat, and i-tunes, and all sorts of ridiculously non-educational programs. I went into this with an open mind, but it is one of the most educationally irresponsible ideas to come along in centuries. A computer lab would do just fine, and has in the past.
Our dear friend John Dewey said in the 1800’s, “If we educate our children today like we did yesterday, we are robbing them of their future.”. OK. I still agree with him, but the students need to learn to use these computers as tools, not toys. Since I have been here, scores have declined in all areas. When asked to do any real research on any given topic they are clueless. All they really know how to do is play.
I have read articles about universities prohibiting the use of laptops in classes for the same reasons. Test scores and quality of work was taking a nosedive. Once the computers were prohibited, guess what? Test scores and quality of work went right back up.
So, my vote is yes, we do need to teach the kids technology to prepare them for life when they leave school, but this is an incredible waste of money and time and the results are in the trash. Most of my colleagues here hate them.
Voice of experience…