posted in Technology

Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies

fortune.com/article/schools-abandoning-chromebooks-laptop-programs-as-screen-time-hurts-learning-test-scores-north-carolina-michigan-kansas-tech-education/
Chromebooks at Newfield Elementary School in August 2020, in Stamford, Conn. FortuneSchools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies | FortuneMillions were spent putting laptops in every student’s hands. Now schools want them back as tech falls short of the miracle solution it was sold as.

Replying to @⁨sanitation@lemmy.today⁩

This has been a major problem for my kid. They don’t even lock down the iPads they issue so they just do whatever. So when my kid is failing classes because he’s not doing assignments in class and it turns out he’s just on YouTube all day, it’s like why the fuck are they even able to get on that in the first place? Doesn’t matter how tightly I restrict technology at home when his school just says fuck it.

Replying to @⁨The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world⁩

Probably not down to the teachers but to administration. When I was a kid we had computers (PC’s or Macs) in some classrooms, but the caveat is that they specifically blocked most websites so if it wasn’t on an approved list you couldn’t use it. At some point it seems like they gave up trying to stay ahead of kids circumventing the blocks and teachers aren’t spending time outside of class playing IT. They already dedicate a lot of unpaid time to grading papers and other extracurricular activities.

I can at least agree that teachers should confiscate or prevent students from using them if they provide more of a distraction than a help.

en

Replying to @⁨cannedtuna@lemmy.world⁩

Yeah. My kid doesn’t go to a school where they use computers or iPads this way, but I have to assume that lessons are done on device and therein lies the problem. Can’t confiscate the device because then the kid can’t do the lessons. So now teachers have to fund classrooms partially out of their own pocket, spend unpaid time outside school hours to do marking and lesson planning, and play IT. Teachers already have a lot on their plates without adding an extra burden that the administration should be addressing properly.