iPads and going forward

[pteromum]

So in Scotland, rural borders, as at today, all children age p4, so 8ish upwards have their own iPad.

I learnt today all primary 3 have their own albeit it does remain in school.

p4 onwards take home.

lots of debates, pros and cons. Security, education, usage levels.

how is it working on a practical level with you?
as a parent, I have personally allowed some screen time.
others have not, that’s absolutely fine.
im struggling to manage the limits I imposed when this is now a mainstream thing.
im struggling against the growing evidence that they should not have screens at all.

for me, it was a case of lots of children and different stages, likes, so restricted down to a tv show favourite each.

i struggle with the constant contact. Age 8. Yes a school message monitor system, but the pressure. For example, Apple messages my daughter and says have you done your homework?
my daughter doesn’t see the message. So tomorrow Apple is cross because she “ignored” her.

the message is perfectly polite.

our school is now apparently going for a digital learning award, I’m not not sure about this.

How is everyone else finding it?

Also Borders. Mine very rarely use them at home. They're pretty locked down to just educational games/apps anyway.

@BoarBrushI had hoped so. However, we have a very tech savvy parent, and it’s not the case.

plus things like this

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr36828mg1o

I don’t personally have that parent. The school does.

I just struggle to join the movement against with the movement towards, if that makes sense.

Have they got any research that early iPad use for education improves outcomes? I don’t think I’ve seen any but some parents find the educational apps get their kids to engage better…

i’d be considering moving schools but I know that’s impossible sometimes.

apart from anything else isn’t too much screen use bad for eye development?
plenty of research on that.

Ours didnt have them that young, but our high school has ipads now and I think it's really working.

They are unusable for anything that isnt school related. My DSs only use them at home for their homework

@pteromum I would recommend joining the unplug.Scot WhatsApp group and Borders subgroup - this is what is discussed on there. You can join the whatsapp groups from the unplug.scot website.

Are you aware that SBC is fully in bed with Apple? They created a trading subsidiary , a private company (Inspire Academy) in order to enter into a commercial partnership with Apple, from which Inspire Academy makes money. The programme leader of Inspire Academy has a seat on the SBC Education sub-committee.

It is a private company that has a strategic and monetised partnership with Apple, that decides that children in the Borders (from the age of 4) should be using iPads in class. The Inspire Academy / SBC 2026 Digital
Strategy involves converting as many teachers as possible into Apple Learning Specialists , and as many schools as possible into Apple Distinguished Schools. I could go on….

My son is P5 and they just use them in class. He doesn't have homework anyway so no reason to have them at home or go on it even if they do send it.

My daughter is S2 and that's where everything is. I really like it as she can ask questions (she has situational mutism so doesn't speak in class) and can't possibly lose homework. Having all the lessons and coursework right there all the time in something she can definitely carry around is great. She does a lot of her writing and maths in jotters by choice (she doesn't really like electronics, barely goes on her phone even). I can't see schools going back from this as it must save a fortune on books and supplies so I guess it's about making sure you're in charge at home and taking the devices away if they become a problem. My son is way more screen motivated so when he starts having his ipad at home we'll just make sure it's not in his room overnight, etc.

Yes, this is sadly true. I saw the job advertised a few years ago and could not believe SBC were going ahead with it.

As an early career teacher in England, my school became a “Google school”. I wasIT lead at the time and didn’t have a choice but to implement as the decision was made, but the further I got into it and the more I k look earned and observed, I think it’s awful. Google sold it as educational, IT skills blah blah blah, but it actually honed a very niche set of IT skills that are dependent on Google products. Apple are the same. These partnerships are simply guaranteeing future customers. By offering these “easy to use” iPads/chromebooks etc, the companies prevent children from gaining actual IT skills and make them dependent on the devices they were educated with.

Glasgow city council area has them too. I think they stay in school. But spending lots on tech means that there is no budget for anything else.

Other councils are the same.

Huge waste of money and children need less screen time not more.

One set of iPads for a school.worked.perfectly with timetables sessions once or twice a week.

It's really sad actually.

Not in the Borders but my DC have had them for years, eldest is S5 and has had his since P5. They never look at the school iPad at home except for homework as they only allow the education apps which = boring (to them).

I like that all children have access to the piece of technology it's equitable, all repairs etc are dealt with by school. No need to check your own devices for compatibility etc.