I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
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I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
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Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#2Change is hard. When computers were first introduced to schools there were similar arguments and complaints. When calculators were brought in instead of the slide rule we heard it would be the end of actually "knowing" math. Teachers who are great find ways to use technology and tools available to inspire their students and create engaging lessons. This teacher just sounds resistant to change.
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#3Change is hard. When computers were first introduced to schools there were similar arguments and complaints. When calculators were brought in instead of the slide rule we heard it would be the end of actually "knowing" math. Teachers who are great find ways to use technology and tools available to inspire their students and create engaging lessons. This teacher just sounds resistant to change.
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.
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#4Change is hard. When computers were first introduced to schools there were similar arguments and complaints. When calculators were brought in instead of the slide rule we heard it would be the end of actually "knowing" math. Teachers who are great find ways to use technology and tools available to inspire their students and create engaging lessons. This teacher just sounds resistant to change.
Change also doesn't just happen because you dumped a computer in a room. I personally haven't seen a computer used effectively in a classroom, in a large part because the teachers don't know how to integrate them into their lessons. They were given devices and then given no instruction on how to use them.
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#5> My lively little kids stopped talking and adopted the bent-neck, plugged-in posture of tap, tap, swipe.
I'm extremely skeptical about the utility of technology in education, but iPads are a bad idea for reasons other than the above. A room full of kids working hard with pre-iPad technology looks like that too, except they're concentrating on books and paper.
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#6Change is hard. When computers were first introduced to schools there were similar arguments and complaints. When calculators were brought in instead of the slide rule we heard it would be the end of actually "knowing" math. Teachers who are great find ways to use technology and tools available to inspire their students and create engaging lessons. This teacher just sounds resistant to change.
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 need to do 9x14 when they have no access to a calculator is pretty much zero.
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#7Change is hard. When computers were first introduced to schools there were similar arguments and complaints. When calculators were brought in instead of the slide rule we heard it would be the end of actually "knowing" math. Teachers who are great find ways to use technology and tools available to inspire their students and create engaging lessons. This teacher just sounds resistant to change.
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.
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)?
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#8Change is hard. When computers were first introduced to schools there were similar arguments and complaints. When calculators were brought in instead of the slide rule we heard it would be the end of actually "knowing" math. Teachers who are great find ways to use technology and tools available to inspire their students and create engaging lessons. This teacher just sounds resistant to change.
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.
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#9Earlier 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 need to do 9x14 when they have no access to a calculator is pretty much zero.
To be fair though, that's the math version of "I don't need to know JavaScript at all because I will always have jQuery." Technically accurate but lazy.
Re: I gave my students iPads – then wished I could take them back
#10Earlier 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 need to do 9x14 when they have no access to a calculator is pretty much zero.
That doesn't mean it isn't a valuable skill. Mental arithmetic can also improve other brain skills.