Junior School removing IT suite - "We have enough iPads"

[mejinks]

I still see these devices as a fad. Passing or not, its the wrong way to teach kids.

Now I'm older and sometimes get to look after work experience kids, they all lack a basic clue on life, never mind computing. When I was given a chance at work experience, I loved every minute and was keen, not stuck on my phone facebooking what a crap day I was having. I was, and am now to an extent, keen to learn new things. Kids now just couldn't be bothered unless the state tells them how to run their lives and holds their hand doing it.

My sons school uses Ipads and we are fortunate that his teacher recognises there needs to be a limit on how much time is spent on them. In fact, I discussed this at great length with her. She even says her colleagues are encouraged to hand them to children.

Are Ipads a replacement for desktop pcs? Absolutely no. They are an add-on at best and any attempt to integrate them into serious business has failed utterly. To me, they are a waste of time unless you spend your day playing games or on the internet browsing rubbish.

 

[Caged]

I could see your argument if the last 20 years of computers in schools had given us a workforce of people who can competently use a computer, but it hasn't. The issue isn't with what kids are learning on, it's what they are or aren't being taught, and how they are being taught it.

 

[Tefal]

It is not crazy at all, and this is coming from a rabid ipad hater.
I have two sister-in-laws aged 25 who don't own a PC/laptop, one has an android tablet+phone, the other just a phone - both of them are completely happy with those devices being the only way they can access the internet, they don't even want another device
Different generations use the internet in different ways..

don't they use computers at work?

 

[RDM]

It the terms that are required at KS 1&2, yes.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hopscotch-coding-for-kids/id617098629?mt=8

The programming options available on iPad are very limited and don't yet include the more popular programs such as Scratch.

Also you may have missed this section:

•select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information

The curriculum (such as it is, one paragraph for KS4!) stresses multi platform and rightly so. The ipad is also pretty woeful at collecting and presenting data, yes there are apps available, but they are pretty woeful compared to a desktop PC.

Tablets as an addition to desktops in an education environment certainly have their place (though I would still argue for Windows or Android based tablets for flexibility) but they are not yet in a position to replace desktops/laptops.

It is all pretty moot anyway because the vast majority of primary teachers are in no way skilled enough to teach computing at KS1&2 and there is little or no support being given to up skill them. Computing hasn't even managed to make it on to the training programmes at most HE institutes for Primary.

 

[RDM]

There is no value in teaching a child to use Office. Teach the concepts.

You may as well teach them the concepts on the most popular software package though. This doesn't just apply to Office, I know Serif is popular in schools due to price but many schools if they can afford it would rather teach digital image manipulation using Photoshop.

 

[d_brennen]

An iPAD is not a PC and can, in no way, teach a child of any age how to actually get stuck in to learning things. Even learning Office on an iPad will be a woeful experience.

Office isn't the be-all and end-all of computing

There is no value in teaching a child to use Office. Teach the concepts.

Exactly. Who remembers LOGO?

 

[Moothead2]

Reading this has made me reliase just how hopeless IT teaching in schools seems to be. It was a joke in my school. If you didn't choose to do the dedicated IT course you were stuck formatting the layout of a powerpoint presentation and describing the different types of storage media.

I'm not hugely into the software side of IT but the likes of some basic programming knowledge would have been appreciated even if it wouldn't have been of much use to a majority of students. Then again, I can't remember the last time I used quadratic equations either.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Courses are to teach you to think logically not always to learn out of a book by reading or been taught off a tutor.

 

[Caged]

You may as well teach them the concepts on the most popular software package though. This doesn't just apply to Office, I know Serif is popular in schools due to price but many schools if they can afford it would rather teach digital image manipulation using Photoshop.

It's a fine line to walk though. It's very easy to teach people how to use a word processor and use Word as an example and have them come out of it knowing that to store their document somewhere they click the third icon in from the right, not actually understanding the concept of 'save' at all.

This is why the ribbon caused such a stink, and when an Outlook shortcut disappears from someone's desktop they think their email has been uninstalled - because they never really understood what they were doing in the first place.

 

[IronSoldier]

I'm not hugely into the software side of IT but the likes of some basic programming knowledge would have been appreciated even if it wouldn't have been of much use to a majority of students. Then again, I can't remember the last time I used quadratic equations either.

I'm a "Student" teacher in an IT Specialist Secondary school. I agree with the basic programming bit. Problem is too many people just won't get it and i'm sure half the IT teachers in the country wouldn't be able to teach it without going onto loads of training days.

Basically with this government and the constant cuts that'd be us down to making students print work of in a5 size.

Something i'd say is to have a general computer usage and understanding them. Aka what makes up computers, explanation of components, how to keep safe ect. General things we assume should be common sense.

 

[mrbios]

Reading this has made me reliase just how hopeless IT teaching in schools seems to be. It was a joke in my school. If you didn't choose to do the dedicated IT course you were stuck formatting the layout of a powerpoint presentation and describing the different types of storage media.

I'm not hugely into the software side of IT but the likes of some basic programming knowledge would have been appreciated even if it wouldn't have been of much use to a majority of students. Then again, I can't remember the last time I used quadratic equations either.

It's changed a great deal in the past 2 years.

Y7-9 now learn programming concepts in scratch, small basic, kodu etc.
Y10+11 tend to do some very basic code programming as well as more of the above
Y12+13 have access to visual studio for C#, visual basic etc. As part of a dedicated computing course.

There's far less emphasis on spending time making excel documents, playing with macros and powerpoint....that still goes on of course, but it's probably about 50% of what it once was. Then there's also web design and coding as well, they have dreamweaver for that, they've also got adobe fireworks *shudder* and photoshop, and lastly they also do media as part of their course...so they'll take some videos and play around in movie maker editing a basic video together.

Of course you still have to walk before you can run, so the mind numbingly tedious stuff you mention such as learning about different storage devices etc still goes on in the early years.

I had two 6th formers come up to me the other day for help testing their program because they were writing a client-server program which wouldn't run under their restricted logons. Surprisingly it worked a treat as an admin, and none of it was for their course, they were just interested in learning it! (we do have one of the best IT teachers this country probably has to offer at secondary level mind you....I wish he was my teacher when i was in school, i mean he's actually preparing some of these 6th formers to be a step ahead if they start uni degrees in a similar line for example)

Back on topic though....I think some people have misguided ideas to what what junior school kids learn in IT, many junior school kids need the computers to simply learn the complete and utter basics...logging on, remembering a password, using a keyboard and mouse, opening programs, saving documents. Primary schools don't have many computers, and when they do the classes are fairly limited such as 1 class per week. An iPad though simply won't teach you any of those skills.....they DO have a place in primary schools (pointless for secondary imho) because there are some apps that are good fun learning apps, i wouldn't say the cost equals the benefit mind you.