<p>Every student in Maine gets a laptop computer to use in 7th and 8th grades. That’s turned out to be a pretty good program. The kids have done a surprisingly good job of taking care of them, and the teachers report that they’re great tools for learning. The problem is that when they get to high school, the state doesn’t subsidize the program, so most towns do not give the students computers.</p>
<p>I don’t like schools buying electronics for students for a variety of reasons:</p>
<p>1) It makes it more difficult for parents to monitor students use and access to the electronic world. </p>
<p>2) Books become outdated not because the material changes, but that publishers want to sell more books. World history doesn’t change every 5 years (when few students learn about history newer than WWII). Nor does mathematics</p>
<p>3) iPads are actually less useful than they seem. I own one. Websites that use flash (which are very, very common) don’t display in my iPad. I can’t easily check out books from the library using the iPad. I can’t easily read magazines on the iPad. It has potential in the future, but not today.</p>
<p>4) Schools and teachers claim they don’t have enough money and need us to pay more in taxes. Buying an expensive, brand name, electronic toy for all kindergarteners is not a good use of limited tax dollars.</p>
<p>5) Kindergarteners should have limited screen time anyway according to the American Pediatrics Association. My child gets no screen time whatsoever, and we will continue to limit her screen time as long as we can.</p>
<p>What a waste of money. Kindergarteners should be learning to socialize with others, not bury their noses in electronics like they probably do at home.</p>
<p>I know things have changed, but I suspect it is still somewhat true that the smartest professors and students in the world (think MIT, Stanford, Harvard, physics, chemistry, and math) often are in 100+ year old classrooms with hard wooden seats and little more than a book, notepad, chalk and a blackboard.</p>
<p>Spending can improve certain things. It seems to me that it often diverts attention from basic skills development rather than enhancing it.</p>
<p>I’m concerned that there seems to be a trend among educators to see themselves as evaluators rather than instructors. If they were measured the way that football coaches are, there would be a lot of turnover.</p>
<p>I think it’s awesome. They can eliminate the library. I hope the teachers know how to use them so they don’t have to learn how from the 5 year olds.</p>
<p>Frankly, this decision is being made by the good people of Auburn Me. If they want to spend their tax dollars to give every child an iPad who are we to judge? This is the crux of local tax dollars funding education.
Schools in Texas pay mega buck for a football coach and hire them as full time employees. Probably no school district in Maine does that.</p>
<p>Hard to resist the latest fad. Someone should force the people who voted this through to use the iFad exclusively for one week and vote again. Voters should think twice about this on May 10th.</p>
<p>Fwiw, the real problems are not at the kindergarten level, and definitely not a lack of toys. By the time those 5 years old reach high school, the iPad will be like today’s fax machine. However, all the problems that placate our elementary and high schools will still be there, and will probably worse if we believe that technology alone can lead to better … teaching.</p>
<p>I rather they focus on the three Rs. Our highschool had a survey about incorporate texting into lesson plan, ie texting teacher the answer etc… I voted it down for the same reason. I don’t think it makes any difference. What’s wrong with the old fashioned raising hand approach.</p>
<p>Are they giving the IPads to the kids to keep? What happens if one breaks?</p>
<p>Also, forgive my ignorance, but how do you keep a 5-year old from accessing porn when they take them out of the classroom? I did not allow any of my kids to have a laptop before graduating from high school (they had/have to use the desk top in the middle of the room), as a way of protecting them from inappropriate online use and exposure.</p>
<p>“One might assume that without a crazy upbringing, a five year old would have no idea of what to even look for, let alone how to look for it.”</p>
<p>Ahem, it has nothing to do with upbrining. Many innocent sounding websites can be masked cesspools of nasty stuff. Just google Pokemon or Barbie, I’m sure a few will
pop up.</p>
<p>This whole story sounds so unreal to me, almost an April fools joke.</p>
<p>Maybe the money should be spent on education in the old fashioned sense–paying good teachers a living wage and treating them like professionals.</p>
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