Posted to The Age (25/1/2020) on 26/1/2020 (comment not published by the newspaper)
Commenting on "Parents count the cost as classrooms dump textbooks for MacBooks"
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/parents-count-the-cost-as-classrooms-dump-textbooks-for-macbooks-20200125-p53uoi.html
With devices “connected” to a central server, updates of software including operating system OS is the job of a professional in the organisation. Any problems encountered is just a phone call away.
It is not just the cost of the device but also associated costs like new software, or upgrades of certain application software incompatible to the new OS.
How can a teacher supervise or stop a student from switching from one application to another in a class of 20 students when their back is turned?
It is a complete nightmare to “mark” assignments submitted online. Teacher has to be at a table or having the device on hand in order to read them. It is a bigger nightmare to comment on digital submission. Not every school has the proper platform to simulate or handle classroom environment. It is very time consuming to open and close each individual folder and identify the relevant submission.
Imagine an assignment having a number of pages, and at certain point, it refers to materials pages somewhere. With paper base submission, the pages could be spread across a table top for ease of reference. Even with digital links, the screen normally is suitable to display certain amount of information in a suitable readable size.
At younger age, students learn to write and draw the old fashion way. This is entirely different from a digital pen, and many children do have problems manipulating those digital accessories.
Watching a video on a device saves a lot of time, but do students understand what they are watching? Teachers are not able to see the body language of the students, and it is difficult to fix their problems aftermath.
I volunteer in a primary school helping teachers to help students require additional attention in their class work. The students use the school computers.
A lot of time is wasted to fix a computer problem in class, be it hardware or software, even with my experience. The rest of the students requiring help are put on hold, unless another “good” computer is available.
Teachers are not technical experts, and they are not paid to fix such problems. How do the teachers know that the digital “homework”, if any, is done by the students not someone else?
Thank you for reading.
It is not just the cost of the device but also associated costs like new software, or upgrades of certain application software incompatible to the new OS.
How can a teacher supervise or stop a student from switching from one application to another in a class of 20 students when their back is turned?
It is a complete nightmare to “mark” assignments submitted online. Teacher has to be at a table or having the device on hand in order to read them. It is a bigger nightmare to comment on digital submission. Not every school has the proper platform to simulate or handle classroom environment. It is very time consuming to open and close each individual folder and identify the relevant submission.
Imagine an assignment having a number of pages, and at certain point, it refers to materials pages somewhere. With paper base submission, the pages could be spread across a table top for ease of reference. Even with digital links, the screen normally is suitable to display certain amount of information in a suitable readable size.
At younger age, students learn to write and draw the old fashion way. This is entirely different from a digital pen, and many children do have problems manipulating those digital accessories.
Watching a video on a device saves a lot of time, but do students understand what they are watching? Teachers are not able to see the body language of the students, and it is difficult to fix their problems aftermath.
I volunteer in a primary school helping teachers to help students require additional attention in their class work. The students use the school computers.
A lot of time is wasted to fix a computer problem in class, be it hardware or software, even with my experience. The rest of the students requiring help are put on hold, unless another “good” computer is available.
Teachers are not technical experts, and they are not paid to fix such problems. How do the teachers know that the digital “homework”, if any, is done by the students not someone else?
Thank you for reading.
