Yup! give kids tablets and free internets, they get dumber not smarter.

[Hugo Drax]

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out. All these gadgets and internet is going to distract students not get them to focus on what they need to learn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/o...side-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region&_r=0



We don’t know why this is, but we can speculate. With no adults to supervise them, many kids used their networked devices not for schoolwork, but to play games, troll social media and download entertainment. (And why not? Given their druthers, most adults would do the same.)


LOL "It’s drive-by education — adults distribute the laptops and then walk away."

 

[maddogchen]

but they'll be excellent drone pilots when they grow up so that we can bomb the ENTIRE world with our drones!

 

[K1052]

Seems the lack of structure is more to blame than the technology.

 

[maddogchen]

at my volunteer job working with children with learning disabilities, i set up ipads with a home button lock, basically its just a bubble you put on it so that they can't press it, so they can't exit out of the learning game and go watch sesame street on youtube hahaha

 

[First]

Seems the lack of structure is more to blame than the technology.

^ This. The tablets themselves are merely yet another conduit for kids to not get any work done. Without structure, you could give kids a book and leave them alone and they still wouldn't read. Direction, guidance, structure and incentives are all important for getting children to do anything. For most kids, their brain development, specifically impulse control, have not matured sufficiently for them to be self-guided.

 

[cbrunny]

very interesting. thanks for the link.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

^ This. The tablets themselves are merely yet another conduit for kids to not get any work done. Without structure, you could give kids a book and leave them alone and they still wouldn't read. Direction, guidance, structure and incentives are all important for getting children to do anything. For most kids, their brain development, specifically impulse control, have not matured sufficiently for them to be self-guided.

You need structure, but the problem is that unless someone is standing over a kids shoulder all the time they will use it for other purposes. It's as if you handed over a magic textbook which allows you to communicate with your friends in real time, watch a tv show, every form of social media and entertainment which exists, all with less effort than turning pages. Tablets are magic textbooks. There needs to be selective access to materials, but how do you tell the genie out of the bottle what he can and can't do? How do you universally enforce limited access which is neither too restrictive or too permissive? I haven't an answer for that one.

 

[realibrad]

Its weird. It seems like no matter how much time you don't spend on kids, they do what they want. I cant for the life of me understand why kids would rather do something fun over something not fun.

I feel like kids today enjoy clothes too much, so maybe we should do away with those too. A naked kid is a focused kid.

#BABYANDBATHWATER

 

[Subyman]

Hard to have structure when teachers and parents use the devices as digital baby sitters.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Seems the lack of structure is more to blame than the technology.

What I believe a core problem, perhaps the heart of the matter, is not access to information. We emphasize increased access to all kinds of knowledge, but have virtually eliminated the concept of intellectual discipline for easier and flashier "stuff". The elimination of cursive writing would be such a thing. "Oh we don't use that" is irrelevant to the fact that the hand/eye coordination and mental faculties are developed at the age it's taught. There is no other task which has as lasting effect on the brain and it's ultimate abilities. But it's "useless" compared to typing or swiping, unless of course one cares about limiting forever the potential of a child. It's more than just to tablet or not to tablet. Biology doesn't care if it's taken advantage of or ignored, and neither will those who aren't later as capable. They couldn't really miss what you never had.

 

[werepossum]

but they'll be excellent drone pilots when they grow up so that we can bomb the ENTIRE world with our drones!

As long as we can find some foreigner to design and build them for us.

^ This. The tablets themselves are merely yet another conduit for kids to not get any work done. Without structure, you could give kids a book and leave them alone and they still wouldn't read. Direction, guidance, structure and incentives are all important for getting children to do anything. For most kids, their brain development, specifically impulse control, have not matured sufficiently for them to be self-guided.

Well said, to you and to K1052 and Hayabusa too.

Its weird. It seems like no matter how much time you don't spend on kids, they do what they want. I cant for the life of me understand why kids would rather do something fun over something not fun.

I feel like kids today enjoy clothes too much, so maybe we should do away with those too. A naked kid is a focused kid.

#BABYANDBATHWATER

lol +1

You don't like being naked and cold? Just open the door and come inside. To open the door, just enter the answer to:
One train leaves Memphis running 50 kilometers per hour . . .

 

[mizzou]

the picture is interesting.

Typically, a student will have one tablet for everything. That is the goal.

Right now they have like 15 different books, binders, notepads, you name it.

Having a gajillion tablets with cords everywhere doesn't make sense.

 

[corwin]

You need structure, but the problem is that unless someone is standing over a kids shoulder all the time they will use it for other purposes. It's as if you handed over a magic textbook which allows you to communicate with your friends in real time, watch a tv show, every form of social media and entertainment which exists, all with less effort than turning pages. Tablets are magic textbooks. There needs to be selective access to materials, but how do you tell the genie out of the bottle what he can and can't do? How do you universally enforce limited access which is neither too restrictive or too permissive? I haven't an answer for that one.

Do it with a Nabi

Full control over what apps the child has access to including setting timers on how long they can use any particular one. You can even configure "rewards" of more time on game/fun apps if they do work in educational ones. A little work to setup in the beginning but once done it controls itself.

 

[Homerboy]

My kids have used computers, laptops, tablets and ipod touches since K4 (grades 6 and 7 right now) and they have been nothing but a resounding success.

Structure is the key. Good teachers are the key. A good system is the key.

Giving kids technology with no structure or direction or for that matter giving them to the kids and not educating the educator on how to utilize them, is a recipe for disaster.

The devices aren't failing. The teachers, system and parents are failing.

 

[Moonbeam]

When I read the threads here what I see are incredibly intelligent and educated people who don't know their asses from a hole in the ground. The lack of self awareness here is simply amazing. Even more amazing is that so many of you don't even begin to see it. That is why, although a leading world authority on the matter before us here, I'm not going to post a single thought because kindergarten has to come before college.

Were I to venture an opinion, and I won't, I would say that new organs of perception develop as a result of need, so anybody seriously intending to teach others anything might want to be sure there's a feeling of need present in those doing the learning. This is why the ignorant that post here continue to regurgitate the garbage they have collected in a life of robotic sleep. They don't see their tea cups are full of shit and need to be emptied before real learning can begin. The ignorance of ones state of need is often called stupidity.

Otherwise and out in the garden, it's a really beautiful day. I gotta go work on my fence.

 

[realibrad]

When I read the threads here what I see are incredibly intelligent and educated people who don't know their asses from a hole in the ground. The lack of self awareness here is simply amazing. Even more amazing is that so many of you don't even begin to see it. That is why, although a leading world authority on the matter before us here, I'm not going to post a single thought because kindergarten has to come before college.

Were I to venture an opinion, and I won't, I would say that new organs of perception develop as a result of need, so anybody seriously intending to teach others anything might want to be sure there's a feeling of need present in those doing the learning. This is why the ignorant that post here continue to regurgitate the garbage they have collected in a life of robotic sleep. They don't see their tea cups are full of shit and need to be emptied before real learning can begin. The ignorance of ones state of need is often called stupidity.

Otherwise and out in the garden, it's a really beautiful day. I gotta go work on my fence.

 

[berzerker60]

There have to be issues about measuring 'smart' over time and changing technology, though. It's way less important than it used to be for a kid to be able to do long-division, because he'll always have a calculator with him; on the other hand, that gives them more time and importance to learn how to reason through problems more abstractly. The latter kid might have much worse 'math' scores using a test devised in the 1980s or earlier, while still being able to solve more difficult math problems more quickly than ever.

 

[corwin]

There have to be issues about measuring 'smart' over time and changing technology, though. It's way less important than it used to be for a kid to be able to do long-division, because he'll always have a calculator with him; on the other hand, that gives them more time and importance to learn how to reason through problems more abstractly. The latter kid might have much worse 'math' scores using a test devised in the 1980s or earlier, while still being able to solve more difficult math problems more quickly than ever.

Sure, let's just redefine what "smart" really means...everyone will ALWAYS have a computer to figure shit out for them, why should they have to actually think these days, thinking is archaic

 

[Mai72]

I remember when they said having computers and internet in homes is going to make kids smarter, because now they can do research on anything. That the computer and internet was going to be the equivalent to having a library in your home.

While some of that is true, thee majority of people who use the computers/internet at home use it mostly for entertainment. Instead of actually doing homework, most young people use computers, tablets and the internet for...

1) Movie Watching
2) Gaming
3) Music Listening
4) Let's Plays and TwitchTv
5) Social (Facebook, Twitter, We Chat, etc...)

Has anyone looked on You Tube lately? The videos that are most viewed are entertainment related like those Let Play videos.
Educational videos are rarely watched.

 

[werepossum]

When I read the threads here what I see are incredibly intelligent and educated people who don't know their asses from a hole in the ground. The lack of self awareness here is simply amazing. Even more amazing is that so many of you don't even begin to see it. That is why, although a leading world authority on the matter before us here, I'm not going to post a single thought because kindergarten has to come before college.

Were I to venture an opinion, and I won't, I would say that new organs of perception develop as a result of need, so anybody seriously intending to teach others anything might want to be sure there's a feeling of need present in those doing the learning. This is why the ignorant that post here continue to regurgitate the garbage they have collected in a life of robotic sleep. They don't see their tea cups are full of shit and need to be emptied before real learning can begin. The ignorance of ones state of need is often called stupidity.

Otherwise and out in the garden, it's a really beautiful day. I gotta go work on my fence.

Wow, you're smart! You must have spent your school daze buried in a mountain of tablets, only dug out to be sent home.

 

[Moonbeam]

You are luckier than I. You have much to be modest about.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Centuries ago, people could learn to read, write, and do mathematics long before we had computers, tablets, and even calculators, and they could do it better than today's kids. It really proves that it's not about how much money and gadgets you throw at the kids, but rather the quality of the teaching and psychology.

 

[corwin]

Centuries ago, people could learn to read, write, and do mathematics long before we had computers, tablets, and even calculators, and they could do it better than today's kids. It really proves that it's not about how much money and gadgets you throw at the kids, but rather the quality of the teaching and psychology.

Bullshit...it's all about the level of "privilege" and nothing else:hmm:

 

[TheSlamma]

It's an appliance, it takes no problem solving to make work. Hardware side or software side.

The data is one search engine away, why remember anything? It is basically outsourcing your memory. The brain works like all of our other muscles, you stop working it out it gets weak also.

All forms of convenience technology combat what evolution is designed to do which is to overcome and adapt to challenges.

Children today have it made, something breaks, you swipe a card and replace it. When I was a kid when my cheap little electric car set broke I broke out the soldiering iron. I started with fat globs that didn't work well and got better through time cause I wanted that stupid thing to work and knew mom wasn't going to go run up credit at dad's expense to just get me a new toy that I was "entitled" to like what happens today.

Sadly thanks to our culture, Millennials and Generation Z are setup to just be consumers. They have no one to show them how to work on cars, how to fix plumbing, electrical and basic construction.

When they do go to a trade school and learn something, it's all modular stuff.. change out the entire system boards with another one or if a major part is broke you just replace the whole thing. Without knowing what ever part can do we lose the ability to reverse engineer things and improve upon them.

 

[MongGrel]

There is a reason the wife and I are going to eventually die childless I guess.

We are beyond the point of having one and not too concerned, and it wasn't a lack of being able to.

Still could.

Just didn't want to.