Laptops in thatched classrooms doesnt add up

[veritas]

As a private tutor I agree absolutely with Parker. Technology detracts away from learning especially for young students. I've tried flashy powerpoints and know from 5 years experience of teaching, it's gimmicky and doesn't guarantee results. What does is making them rote learn basic skills and then bombard them with high end philosophy. It forces them to be smart with guarantee results. I don't use computers. I print them sheets of work to do. It's quality in the material and teaching, not the mode of teaching.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

I fall in the computer lab access time group as opposed to the a gadget for every little one group.  They should get time on computers in a structured environment.

Any other time, the gadgets should be used, if they facilitate learning of the subject matter.  As opposed to throwing them down a black hole and hoping something magical happens.

Even without mentioning the practicability aspect. Kids at those formative ages need more human interaction time and less to no time on gadgets.  They need to learn the discipline, values and organization that make human societies succeed.

When it comes to choosing between more teachers or laptops, it seems like a no brainer to me.

Termi

Those gadgets are used to facilitate learning of the subject matters not to teach discipline and values. The latter is what teachers and parents and the whole community are there for. Other than the practicability (to Kenya) aspect of it, I see nothing wrong with introducing the youngens to the information age. That being said however, there are more dire needs for the kids like classrooms as opposed to leanrning under trees, books, library, trained teachers etc

If they are used to facilitate learning I am all for it.  Yet, I feel that at a certain age, children cannot make a distinction between the tool and the purpose.  In fact, for many, these are just toys.

In my jurisdiction, kids in elementary school get access to computers only in a computer lab.  Usually to do something like raz-kids.  The rest of the time it is human to human interaction.

Paediatricians recommend the same thing.  Limit the time with gadgets as much as possible.  More time playing with other kids and interacting with real humans.

[Georgesoros]

I was listening to NPR yesterday and the researcher was talking about how reading is changing. The use of tablets has led to skimming thru papers rather than reading word by word when using a real book. I recognized that they were talking about me. I no longer read sentence by sentence, rather try to get what the author is talking about and take it from there. Imagine if it was a grade kid? They will not learn, rather try to skim quickly and move on to the next.

[mya88]

I fall in the computer lab access time group as opposed to the a gadget for every little one group.  They should get time on computers in a structured environment.

Any other time, the gadgets should be used, if they facilitate learning of the subject matter.  As opposed to throwing them down a black hole and hoping something magical happens.

Even without mentioning the practicability aspect. Kids at those formative ages need more human interaction time and less to no time on gadgets.  They need to learn the discipline, values and organization that make human societies succeed.

When it comes to choosing between more teachers or laptops, it seems like a no brainer to me.

Termi

Those gadgets are used to facilitate learning of the subject matters not to teach discipline and values. The latter is what teachers and parents and the whole community are there for. Other than the practicability (to Kenya) aspect of it, I see nothing wrong with introducing the youngens to the information age. That being said however, there are more dire needs for the kids like classrooms as opposed to leanrning under trees, books, library, trained teachers etc

If they are used to facilitate learning I am all for it.  Yet, I feel that at a certain age, children cannot make a distinction between the tool and the purpose.  In fact, for many, these are just toys.

In my jurisdiction, kids in elementary school get access to computers only in a computer lab.  Usually to do something like raz-kids.  The rest of the time it is human to human interaction.

Paediatricians recommend the same thing.  Limit the time with gadgets as much as possible.  More time playing with other kids and interacting with real humans.

Any access to technology is still better than no access at all. Learning when it comes to children, just like with adults doesnt happen in a vacuum. If at that age children cannot make the distinction between the usefullness of each gadget they are exposed to, then it defeats the purpose of using those computers. I am talking about the age where kids are actively learning and start having homework. Actually most kids who come from households with computers have an idea of what they are for...and yes they also have many playful activities.

Some of these kids started going to schoo at 4 years of age. Most paediatricians are against blindly use of all gadgets like TV's video games, computer games  etc that do not foster any form of learning and are purely for entertainment because it breeds lazy fat kids. Most parenst actually use them to stop the kids from nagging. I am yet to see a paeditrician critical of kids using laptops in class to complete a project or create class presentations.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

I was listening to NPR yesterday and the researcher was talking about how reading is changing. The use of tablets has led to skimming thru papers rather than reading word by word when using a real book. I recognized that they were talking about me. I no longer read sentence by sentence, rather try to get what the author is talking about and take it from there. Imagine if it was a grade kid? They will not learn, rather try to skim quickly and move on to the next.

I think that is related to information overload.  You are absolutely right.  That you tend to learn more about a subject, reading from a physical book, than from a computer screen or e-book.  That definitely applies to me too.

@mya88,

I think we are on the same page.  Me perhaps being slightly different in that I would not break the bank to get these gadgets for the kids.

[Nyakinywa]

Laptops Vs Classrooms...


If we are serious about raising the tech expertise in our kids, what is wrong with improving all classroom settings by ensuring
we have labs where teachers and students can share advanced facilities that can be easily upgraded in an on going basis?

In my opinion in this case both the teachers and the students will improve their skills more or less at the same time.

Currently, we are targeting laptops to kids when teachers themselves are computer illiterate...but that's the elephant in the room
no one wants to acknowledge.

Don't hoodwink Kenyans..all this laptop euphoria is about inflated tenders benefiting the big honchos in charge, not wanjiku.

[veritas]

Better yet, teachers who'll steal those laptops. I stopped giving books and toys to schools upon finding out staff steal them.

Parker..

"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/03/31/if-can-raed-tihs-msut-be-raelly-smrat/

Perhaps you're a skilled reader. I don't read anymore too. I can't finish a paperback.