The middle schooler had been begging to opt out, citing headaches from the Chromebook screen and a dislike of the AI chatbot recently integrated into it.
Parents across the country are taking steps to stop their children from using school-issued Chromebooks and iPads, citing concerns about distractions and access to inappropriate content that they fear hampers their kids’ education.
I have a few family members that are teachers or work in education at some capacity and would absolutely agree the curriculum requirements and standardized testing have become a barrier. Though I am not an expert in education I was a student and can attest to the fact that these things stand in the way of educators being able to reach all students. These education programs are not designed to reach students that learn differently from the vast majority of students. When it comes to reducing exposure to technology in schools it would be foolhardy to double down on either direction. Technology and literacy should coincide and neither should replace the other. A little bit of moderation and balance goes a long way. Today’s society and politics focus on a nose to the grindstone, devil may care rate of progress which though fast and traditionally the American way is unfortunately full of holes and mistakes that are only noticed in hindsight.
Absolutely. My spouse is a teacher and I have many friends who are, too. I see it every day. The “good” teachers use technology to the benefit of themselves and the students, using it when appropriate and when best applicable. No doubt there are teachers and students out there who use it as a crutch. Like you said though, we need to be able to switch between analog and digital, figuring out when either is better suited.
I play RPGs. I do all of my characters and planning and stuff with pencil and paper. I do a lot of my GM work digitally. You need to be able to do both today, or else you’re not going to be prepared for adulthood.