so. our little county school is moving ahead and adopting eLearning in a big way. this is the first yr the school has offered it and this yr only in yr5/6. in 2014, the school is extending eLearning into yrs 5-8.
what it means practically is that each child has their own ipad (our school has chosen apple) and they choose when or not to use their ipad in class to learn. they still have the option to be old fashioned and write in an exercise book should they choose. the classroom itself has extra laptops and desktop computers for the kids to access (I understand this is for access to programs like "flash" and other extras not on an ipad), apple tv and other techy gadgets to go along with the whole eLearning thing.
let me say I have been pretty cynical from the outset. and here are my issues:
in order to put your kid in the class it requires the parent to purchase the child an ipad, cover, and ensure it is properly insured. the parent is also responsible to pay a $600 "donation" (the word "donation" is laughable, but if they don't put on the front that it is a donation they are in fact breaking the law). last yr they also put a condition that paying the school "donation" would also be mandatory. this condition hasn't been talked about for yr2 of eLearning though, so I wonder if they figured the whole "illegal" thing out... there are some pretty rich families in our local community - but i think financially it is a big ask. (lets remember this is a public school). if they were to have eLearning at every level of the school which i believe is the plan, we as a family would be particularly under pressure. in 2015, and 2016 we will have 4 children at the school. that's 4 ipads, 4covers + insurance, $2400 (each yr) for the eLearning "donation" and then school donation on top of that (for 4 kids that would be somewhere around the $500 mark). i know of parents who have this notion that if their child isn't taking up the opportunity they are going to be left behind or suffer academically. as if using an ipad at 8, 9 or 10yrs old is going to set them up for life. perhaps at high school. i am quite open to that as a concept. but i just can't buy into the notion that all day screen time at primary school and more when they get home is actually going to be the best, most healthy option for my child.
*disclaimer - although it may not be the best option for my child, i certainly think that for some kids it could be a fantastic option, dependent on the childs needs. im thinking especially of boys who may be easily distracted or lack interest in learning*
i don't think i am coming at it from a naïve perspective either. i think i have a bit of a clue about the online world - its positives and its negatives. i am in it and as long as i have children who are learning about it i will need to stay in it. and so far they haven't needed an eLearning class to figure out how to use cyberspace. Isabella (9) is doing her projects online using google docs and has her own blog and wikispace. our kids are also lucky enough to have a daddy who is a software developer (funnily enough though he got into the profession without eLearning in primary school...) and as far as losing the skill of handwriting... handwriting is a dying art according to info given at a recent school meeting...
this yr there are three yr 5/6 classes. two of those are eLearning. Isabella is in a great class with an amazing teacher. she is one of only 4 yr5 girls in her class. next yr as one girl is moving away and another is taking up the eLearning option that only leaves two. the other wee girl is also a great kid. but i have BIG concerns, (and this is actually the CRUX of my issue at the moment) over the way the children are being segregated eLearning vs non eLearning. Isabella is feeling it, there have been a couple of incidents where my sensitive child has felt really excluded and it makes me pretty angry.
so tomorrow reuben and I are going to the school and have a meeting set up to discuss it. it makes me feel slightly ill that we would be put in this place of pressure. that my kid wants to be in the eLearning class cause everyone else is, but that she is actually doing exceptionally well without eLearning (crazy notion i know). that the money we might invest into eLearning could be much better used spent on other activites to enrich our kids learning (like music lessons, or sports or activities - or God forbid, clothing and other necessities. that my public school would be putting me in this position of standing strong and making the decision we feel is best (but we might have it totally wrong!) or going the other way and allowing my daughter not to feel like an outcast. segregated from her peers because of her parents stand...
what would you do?
ughh...
4 comments:
I read the other day that 2 year olds only take around 30 mins to learn how to use an ipad etc. IMHO don't need a class to learn that, there are plenty of other skills as you state ie. writing that is a far more complex skill to learn that involves all the cognitive processes that elearning tasks would require plus a higher level of fine motor skills that would overall have far more future benefits than tapping a screen and reading. I love having my mini ipad and being able to do banking etc online. I am sure the complex movements for writing letters allows for better connection between Centers in the brain. For example tapping a screen can provide any letter and no laid down connection and learning of material whereas each letter has its own form that when written is being controlled and registered by the brain and must have better learning outcomes. I still remember essays I had to write out via hand much better than typed projects etc. make sense? And yes a whole other issue regarding segregation between e-learners and non e-learners.
Hi Vania
I understand your point about the school's "BYOD (but make sure it's Apple)" policy. That completely sucks and besides upsetting parents is not the best thought out way of introducing the technology to the school.
BUT
I totally support the use of these devices as tools in the classroom. They shouldn't be used as eLearning, but a way to enhance learning.
For example, you can ask a child to give answers to maths questions by drilling them or you can get them to use an app so they jump a penguin onto the right iceberg and win the race. I bet without hesitation that 100% of kids would prefer the second option. Not because it is a cool device, but because it is a more interesting way of learning.
The concept of Storywriting becomes more real when you can add scenes and act out the story to create a movie. Or they can write the story and actually publish it in a more time and cost efficient way using the technology.
Many kids say they love using their tablets because they can get their thoughts down unimpeded - in some cases this applies to special needs kids, but in others it applies to the kid who has messy writing. Yes her writing might need to be tidied up at some stage, but how much of a priority should it be in a storywriting, maths or science class?
Done well, the kids are still having to use their brain and are learning the basic skills they need, but used as a tool tablets can enhance the learning environment.
Find out what the policy is regarding these tablets and how they will be used. if they are just using them to go online and use Studyladder while the teacher marks their 'real' work, then this is not the best way to use the technology.
By learning how these tools can improve the way our kids learn we also teach the kids how to use the technology wisely and responsibly.
Okay, lecture over, see ya
:)
Bad bad bad. That's all of I've got to say. Bad bad bad that any child should be made to feel excluded, for any reason, even a seemingly "this is the best way to manage e-learning in our school" way. It should be for all or none. To have "optional" e-learning classes is ridiculous...they know and you have experienced it...the children will end up feeling left out and put pressure on their parents to fork out the big $$$, to bow to the pressure, to compromise on their own philosophies of education. My little school (decile 10) has done it well...a few ipads are available in each class to enhance the learning of every child in the school. The number of ipads will probably increase each year but they are for all. They also have an interactive whiteboard in every classroom. I've seen them being used and they are fantastic. E-learning? Why do they even call it that? Education is supposed to be holistic. They have compartmentalised it by giving it such a label. Sorry, I've had a rant too. Hope it helps. Hope your meeting went well.
A friend of mine who does IT at a local school just tweeted the following:
"...we bolt new technologies on top of current learning tools...effectively means that we give our kids a $1k pencil."
I asked how he suggested we better use tech in edn?
His response was "it's time for education to be redefined" and linked to this:
https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model
If you want to contact him, his twitter account is @stevevoisey
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