Screens iPads and Edtech destroying learning

[mustangbee]

My sister has just withdrawn her children from a private school as they have rolled out iPads. She cannot get both boys off them even when they are at home.
I thought I would read up on such a new way of learning and found this by Sophie Winkleman

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7V6nucKFK88

Yes I am amazed how slow the private schools are to realise tech is not the way forwards. My kids' state schools are all paper and pen based. The inside school I work in most lessons are Chromebook based. They are on screens all day and more for homework

Independent school I mean not inside

Oh and the Chromebooks and iPads that are supervised/ owned by the school have certain controls on but parents can't put parental controls on it to suit them so the kids basically have unlimited internet access within certain boundaries

I understand not wanting them in school but not being able to get them off iPads at home is very worrying. Hopefully she has a plan to address this.

My (state) secondary school was considering this but apart from obviously huge cost implications, the feedback from all staff was negative.

I do believe technology has a place in the classroom and for some children (dyslexic for example) being able to use computers over pen and paper is a game changer for their ability and enjoyment and engagement in learning. Kids need to know how to use laptops, iPads etc when they enter work. Of course there should be limits and I personally don’t think there is any need or use for mobile phones in schools - one school local to me allow phones before morning bell and at break times/lunch. It results in kids huddled over their phones on TikTok/snapchat etc not engaging with each other or choosing phone time over clubs/activities. This disengagement with the real world/face to face interaction and conversations is very worrying and that’s what the YouTube talk referring to. But that’s a whole other issue. As to withdrawing your child due to laptops being introduced I think that’s quite extreme. Or is there a specific reason the OP has not mentioned yet? You can’t hide away from technology and its uses. It’s here to stay and we should be teaching our children how to use it sensibly.

The pencil to the brain is a strong way to develop neurological pathways. I’ve written down the answer. My brain feels me writing it down. I’ve moved onto the next question but glance back. It looks wrong, I couldn’t do this on a screen- I would have clicked the Next button and never seen the answer again, I cross out the wrong answer and my brain feels this. I write the correct answer. My brain feels my hands moving and it locks in.

I am dyslexic, type set does not make it any easier, in fact it is worse.
Whatever learning inabilities there are, you do not hand over something that does not solve the root problem. We all need to learn in our own way, how to write with pen and paper.

Learning “tech” is easy and can be easily picked up in adulthood.
Learning how to read and write takes years of practice and cognitive engagement.

This. I think somehow we went (in the 1980s?) from "Most people who are good with computers are young" to "Most young people should be good with computers". But it is a lot easier to be "good with computers" if you have good maths and reasoning skills.

Also, these days, the tech is so reliable that we don't actually learn much about computers as such at school either, and nor do young people pick it up at home. Thirty-five years ago, someone entering an undergraduate STEM course had probably used and programmed a ZX Spectrum at home. Twenty-five years ago they were the only person in their home who could keep Windows 95 running. Now my colleagues who teach basic statistics tell me that they often have to explain to new students what a "file" or a "directoryfolder" is.