41–50 of 127 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But calculators actually did negatively impact basic arithmetic skills. The number of people that can't do 9x14 without reaching for a calculator is scary.
The number of people who can do it quickly in their head, maybe. I don't know a single adult who would look at that problem and say they don't know how to solve it. Math is a perishable skill. You get slow at it if you don't use it.
Good lord.... I don't think I can roll my eyes hard enough.... > One of my saddest days in my digital classroom was when the children rushed in from the lunchroom one rainy recess and dashed for their iPads. Wait, I implored, we play with Legos on rainy days! I dumped out the huge container of Legos that were pure magic just a couple of weeks ago, that prompted so much collaboration and conversation, but the delight…
First, it's important for children to use their hands to develop their cognitive abilities. There is more in the world than just "pictures behind glass" to interact with and manipulating objects of various shapes, texture and weight is important.
Secondly, playing Minecraft is great, but maybe that's not what the kids were rushing to do. If they were playing Candy Crush or reading Facebook they would benefit more from playing lego.
Good lord.... I don't think I can roll my eyes hard enough.... > One of my saddest days in my digital classroom was when the children rushed in from the lunchroom one rainy recess and dashed for their iPads. Wait, I implored, we play with Legos on rainy days! I dumped out the huge container of Legos that were pure magic just a couple of weeks ago, that prompted so much collaboration and conversation, but the delight…
> but please tell me why playing with Legos is any more valuable than playing minecraft? She did - because it encouraged collaboration and conversation.
We don't have any of those problems at my daughter's school. First, all the iPads are locked down using some management software, so the kids are locked out of the clock, etc. that can cause unintentional distractions. Second, they limit use to about 30 minutes per day, so traditional lessons are taught using traditional techniques. Third, our school emphasizes social interaction with project-based learning, with the…
I don't often think I have vision or significant insight, but it's been obvious to me for as long as I can remember that egregious use of technology in classrooms is a profoundly terrible idea. What, educators were worried children wouldn't spend enough time staring at glowing rectangles, and needed to get a head start? Really?
It's not clear whether most adults are even capable of making good decisions about what technologies to invite into their lives. Inflicting computers and software on children in a classroom, I think, demonstrates either profound lack of understanding about the state of these technologies, or judgement, or both.
Pens, pencils, crayons, markers, paper, books, musical instruments. These are the kinds of things that belong in classrooms. Children should be reading and drawing and building and talking and playing creatively, learning to think and solve problems based on experiencing the world directly, not trying to sip secondhand information through the straw of a screen, not wasting time with the latest malware and ads and passwords and an infinite amount of other stupid computer bullshit. Technology is a kind of heroin-like thing you should choose to invite into your life later as an adult if you want, not inflicted on you as a child.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
To this point is there an easier way to do this than mentally do (9x10)+(9x4), which is what I've done since I was in elementary school (29 now)?
Hmm that's interesting - I'd tend to round one of the numbers, whichever is closest to a '5' or '10', to make an 'easier' multiplication, then add / subtract the extra value lost / gained by rounding. Example 9 x 14 = ( * 14) - ([1] * 14) = 140 - 14 = 126 key: easier rounded number [] deal with rounding 'error'
These schools have too much money
Remember when that guy was offering to buy every classroom free TVs in exchange for the school's commitment to have the kids watch a certain amount of programming a day? The programming included ads. This seems the same. Having the kids load linux onto laptops, yeah... I could understand the value in that. Having them work with Raspberry Pi's, I could see the merit in that. Program robots? Definitely. But this debacl…
I think a key component to the problem here is the very clear gap between computing enthusiasts/application developer and your typical K-12 teacher. Which is really not meant to be a knock on our teachers, but I don't think your typical school has the people with the right skill sets to teach "true" computing.
They don't realistically have any choice but to rely on the watered-down end user version experienced through the walled-garden of one vendor or another. Which makes most "technology in the classroom" initiatives to me look more like solutions in search of a problem (ie. not a very effective use of district resources).
Many of us here were introduced to this immersive technology as mature adults & don't know how to balance this technology with the demands of humanity (namely, proper social communication). Give me an iPad, and I'll find a way to watch stupid videos and avoid productivity (that's why I don't have one). Or send me a text and I'll make my best effort at checking it ASAP, even if that means losing focus on a real conversation for a few moments.
BUT: humans have an innate need to communicate. It's not a generational thing--it's a human thing. Kids aren't going to forget they need to make quality bonds with the people in their lives. They'll still do it. And I bet these kids growing up now will be able to achieve this balance between man and machine better than us.
I predict: it's not technology we're going to learn from our kids--it's how to truly live well with it.