Nancy,
I know that's one of the biggest complaints about laptops. Kids are always on MSN,
and always on MySpace, and seem to use them for a lot of inappropriate things.
Well, seriously, welcome to the technological world of kids being kids! We used to
sneak in books, magazines, and notes during class. Remember when you got caught
passing that note to that boy you liked, and you had to read it in front of the
entire class! Well, so MSN is passing that note to 6 people at a time, not just
one. AND, once the teacher catches it, it usually becomes history. ALSO, is MSN
monitored in the homes? That's a bigger problem than using it during school! Too
many parents put the computer in the 'office' and never know what their kids are
typing! IF parents taught their kids what is appropriate on MSN, then the school
wouldn't have to deal with it. My daughters have been part of laptop programs for
their 4th year now. My older daughter would never have made it through high school
as well as she did without it. She learned to take notes on her computer, to get
things done on time, to use the internet appropriately, and when it was
appropriate. She wasn't good at taking notes, but with the keyboard, it became
easier. Homework had to be done because the old excuse, "Oh, I forgot my
homework", didn't stand any more, her homework was done on her computer! She tried
to get away with some things, such as, Oh, my computer crashed, or I can't find it,
or I didn't know how to save it. But, the teachers would go in and show her where
it was, and she'd have to admit that it was her fault every! I loved that laptop.
She got away with NOTHING! Did she chat on msn during school, yup, the first time
she got caught, she learned it wasn't worth it. She also is only allowed on MSN in
our living room, that's the only place internet is allowed in my house, so can't do
anything wrong, or illegal. Does she have a MySpace page, Yup. But, I've seen it.
Do I like everything on it, Nope. BUT, is she safe on it, yes she is. I've made
sure she doesn't have anything revealing on it. Are her test scores up? I have no
idea. She's a bright student to begin with, and did very well with her testing.
Was it because of the laptop, I have no idea. But, when she started out in the
outside world, she caught on to things, right away. She's prepared, she excited,
and she's well informed. Is that because of the laptop, yes. We live in a
different world now, and technology is a big part of that. So, I think the laptop
trend is going to prove to be very successful, once it's had a chance to get going!
OK, did I ramble too much, probably. But I am tired of everyone complaining that
kids are doing wrong things on them. We did a lot of wrong things during the
school day in my time, and we didn't need a laptop to do it. With or without that
laptop, kids are going to be kids. Should we let them get away with it? Not any
more than I got away with it. Which was about never!
Raynette Schulte
Young Adult Librarian
Watertown Regional Library
Watertown, SD
rschulte@watertownsd.us
----- Original Message -----
From: Nancy Willard
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 1:21 PM
Subject: Laptop programs
I know some of you folks do not like my pessimism on this, but here is an
article on concerns about lap top programs.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06243/717868-96.stm
Saying no to school laptops
Thursday, August 31, 2006
By Jessica E. Vascellaro, The Wall Street Journal
Last summer, Shawna Adam and her sixth-grade daughter, Abby, eagerly awaited
a back-to-school perk: an Apple Computer Inc. iBook Abby was issued -- for
just $78, because of her financial need -- through Hermosa Drive Elementary
school in Fullerton, Calif.
But after school started, Ms. Adam started to worry. Abby spent class time
sending instant messages to friends and wanted to create a page on
social-networking site MySpace.com. Her standardized writing-test scores
fell, too. So Ms. Adam handed back the computer and pulled her daughter out
of the laptop program, which is this year expanding to five schools. "What
she learned was how to play games and email her friends," says Ms. Adam.
"School was one big happy gabfest."
Ms. Adam is part of a backlash against programs that equip every student in
a classroom with a computer. A few years ago, such programs, which aim to
better engage and train students by giving them round-the-clock computer
access, were introduced in schools across the country -- often with
encouragement from the large computer makers, such as Apple and Dell Inc.,
that win the contracts. But now, some parents and educators are having
second thoughts over higher-than-anticipated costs and the potential for
inappropriate use by kids. At the same time, there is a sense that the
vaunted benefits of constant computer access remain unproven. The programs
are increasingly under attack -- and in a few cases are crumbling.
Nancy
--
Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D.
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
http://csriu.org
http://cyberbully.org
nwillard@csriu.org
Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social
Cruelty, Threats, and Distress, a resource for educators, is now available
online at http://cyberbully.org.
Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Use the Internet
Safety and Responsibly. Jossey-Bass (forthcoming)
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