Computers in schools

[ajw]

Do any of you have kids at high school who have received the free laptop in Year 9? My daughter has one. It's got heaps of software on it, but she hardly ever uses it.

It can connect to the internet from home wirelessly, but most sites are blocked. Only those on an approved "white list" are accessible. Seems that most of her classmates don't used their laptops either.

They get to keep the device at the end of their schooling, but that's a few years away, so it'll probably be out of date by then.

Seems like a huge waste of money to me.

What do you think?

ajw

[artme]

I think that as much as anything they are meant to be used at school.

A good thing for those who can't afford a computer for their kids, I think


I suppose we would be naive to think that there would not be restrictions placed on the sites accessible.

[ian]

I think the idea was that the kids would take the laptops home and charge them, saving the need to upgrade the school's power supply.

I can see the "vision" thing behind giving each kid a laptop -- many parents will be impressed.
But I have trouble seeing the "educational" benefit, unless it's learning to touch type which has almost become an essential skill like reading and writing
Education is as much about learning to think as it is about doing assignments, and I can't see how a neatly typed assignment is any better than a hand written one.

and yes after 4 years (at the end of Year 12) the technology will be so obsolete, that the kids might as well can keep it and you, rather than the government, gets to be the "irresponsible" person who sends it to land fill.

[artme]

A cynic or a realist???:aro-u:


CAST YOUR VOTE!!!:D:D:D

[RETIRED]

and I can't see how a neatly typed assignment is any better than a hand written one.You haven't seen some kids (or adults) writing.

Decoding Hieroglyphs is easier.:wink::D

[Scribbly Gum]

Here's a conundrum.
Teachers and students are obliged to include IT as part of every lesson now and the students are expected to be active participants in the process.
But wait - how are they obliged to sit their HSC exams?
You guessed it - pen and paper!:doh:
Go figure.
SG

[Sebastiaan56]

My 14yo does all his work on it now. We can see his workload for the year. There are plenty of restrictions but that is cool IMO. My biggest concern is the backups which will be kept in perpetuity. Quite apart from the IP aspect there are issues of privacy to be considered.

I think it is only a recognition of the future workplace and its requirements. Of course my plumber has a different idea.

[kevjed]

In theory these computers will allow the students to eventually type at greater than 40 wpm. Most people max out at around this mark. So...if they can become good to very good touch typists at say 70-80 wpm then they should be able to spend more time on the content and less on the writing up and presentation.
As I have said...in theory.
Computers and access to the internet are wonderful tools but they are no substitute for developing an enquiring mind. My aim as an educator is to inspire and motivate the students to ask approriate questions and to equip them with a range of skills and techniques to search out and evaluate a range of solutions to any given problem.
All the best
Kevin

[Chesand]

As I have said...in theory.
Computers and access to the internet are wonderful tools but they are no substitute for developing an enquiring mind. My aim as an educator is to inspire and motivate the students to ask approriate questions and to equip them with a range of skills and techniques to search out and evaluate a range of solutions to any given problem.
All the best
Kevin

I am not an educator but I heartily agree.

[rrich]

My kiddies are 39 and 41. They have had a computer at home or access to a time sharing system virtually all of their lives. They have never been restricted to where they could "GO" using the computer.

From year 4 or 5, most of their school work was done on the computer.

Today in their working life, they use computers as tools. (No different than you and I with a table saw.)

Today in their personal life, they will spend equal time between the telly and Internet for their entertainment.

I have donated several computers to their school. (All running but perhaps a version down from the latest and greatest.)

Based upon my observations, a school giving lap tops to the students can only benefit the students education. Unfortunately, here in the US there are very few schools that are able to give lap tops to students. My kids would have benefited from a school computer but lap tops didn't exist then.

I only have one philosophical objection to the internet access thing. The students should be restricted to only a specific set of internet sites from school. However, at home that is the parents job to police the child's internet access. (A desk in the telly room would suffice in most cases.)

The company that I retired from had restricted some of the most benign sites. I never understood their logic.

[arose62]

AFAIK, the money didn't *have* to be spent giving a laptop to each child - the school could choose how to spend it. At least that's been the answer to all the incensed mums at our kid's school, where the little darlings didn't get their free laptop.

On my soapbox, given the vast number of jobs requiring keyboard use, why isn't touch typing a basic part of education?? As an IT worker, I regard the keyboard as my primary "tool-of-trade" and feel I have an obligation to be as good at using it as I can. So, I first learned to touch-type, then discovered that QWERTY was not sensible, nor efficient, so retrained myself to touch-type, faster, using the Dvorak layout.

Imagine what could happen with the increased productivity if every worker in Australia could use their keyboard twice as fast? 10 times as fast?

Of course I realise there would be a period of dislocation, but we coped with the switch to decimal money, and to metric measurement. At this point I'll admit defeat, for realising my vision of a perfect world would require politicians with vision, leadership, and the balls to make a tough decision. 'nuff said :)

Cheers,
Andrew

[ajw]

In my area, every kid in year 9 got a laptop. Didn't matter if they already had a good laptop at home, or if they could easily afford to buy one. When I started this thread, I was pondering why it hasn't been a big issue along the same lines as the "pink batts" or "school hall ripoff" claims during this election campaign.

I agree that learning technology is essential for almost every child these days. Using spreadsheets, databases, and other applications should form part of the basic curriculum (and there seems to be more of this type of education creeping in).

I think there's a real issue with many teachers knowing less about technology than the students they are teaching. Time will fix this, but I'd like to see non-techo teachers get free laptops and significant eduction on how to use them and incorporate them into everyday classroom use.

Our local primary school got interactive whiteboards a couple of years ago. They never get used. I'm sure that more than half the kids in our local high school who got free laptops don't use them unless compelled to in particular classes at school.

While I'm all for spending more on education, I think the current program isn't well targetted, and the money could be better spent.

ajw

[.RC.]

It can connect to the internet from home wirelessly, but most sites are blocked. Only those on an approved "white list" are accessible. Seems that most of her classmates don't used their laptops either.



I bet there is a black market going on at school to "unlock" these laptops.. Not very hard to do..

[nummins]

I teach secondary History and English 7 -12. Currently my school is rolling out laptops for each students. Each teacher is expected to implement laptops into their teaching independently of every other teacher in the state, that is 40 000 teachers reinvent the wheel. There is currently no educational research that shows that computers in the classroom delivers better educational outcomes; that is no improvements in literacy, numeracy, and analytical thinking skills. Despite this, these programs run to billions of dollars. I think the best value for this money would be to reduce class sizes so there is more opportunity for one on one teaching time. Kids can learn computers at home with mum and dad who can appropriately supervise them.

[Christos]

We are diverting a little bit so how about this for a though. Just another skill to develop and nothing is wasted when you learn another skill.

It is just not possible to say to this kid you can have and then to another kid sorry not for you.

[ajw]

Just another skill to develop and nothing is wasted when you learn another skill.
.

While I think it's really important that kids learn IT skills, I don't agree that nothing is wasted. Many teachers I know are concerned that more and more items are being put into the curriculum. There are a limited number of hours that kids attend school each year, and if you put something new in, something else must by definition be reduced.

I'd be all in favour of schools offering free computers to those families who ask for one. For other families who have access to good computers already, it seems a bit wasteful to be accepting this from the school/govt when we don't need it. I don't think the program was well targeted, but I'm not suggesting that it was a bad idea for all people.

ajw

[ian]

Here's a conundrum.
Teachers and students are obliged to include IT as part of every lesson now and the students are expected to be active participants in the process.
But wait - how are they obliged to sit their HSC exams?
You guessed it - pen and paper!:doh:
Go figure.
SGthe "go figure" part is easy

if I take what looks like my school issued Laptop into an exam, what's to stop me also taking in a hundred or more prewritten essays, a comms link to the outside world, or to the kid on the other side of the room -- all of which would sort of defeat the purpose of the exam