2287: And the Oscar Goes to... Prison

[Michael's Servant]

with Marcia Belsky – Marcia on My Name Is Keith; mass shootings; lottery tricks; Oscar Pistorius ruled a murderer; being allergic to Wi-Fi; Jaden Smith, prophet

Guest:
Marcia Belsky


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[starscream]

Marcia just used the gun defense for technology in school. "Kids are gonna find ways to fuck off no matter what they're given."

[thirteen]

Originally Posted by starscream

Marcia just used the gun defense for technology in school. "Kids are gonna find ways to fuck off no matter what they're given."

Sure, because guns = wifi

[GreeningOA]

Many school districts are adopting one-to-one programs with computers. These schools are issuing laptops to every student.

The teacher has a site with the sylabus and homework assignments, etc. Work is handed in electronically. Text books are online.

It is becoming normal for this to be starting as early as 5th grade.

I hope that within a few years heavy bookbags of books and binders will be a thing of the past.

[starscream]

Originally Posted by thirteen

Sure, because guns = wifi

I do get headaches around guns.

But earlier in the show, according to her, guns did equal marijuana.

[Scumhook]

I would totally play shake the Jew with Marcia.

Great ep. Especially given that the guest is a feminist Jew...

[DaveNJ]

Originally Posted by GreeningOA

Many school districts are adopting one-to-one programs with computers. These schools are issuing laptops to every student.

The teacher has a site with the sylabus and homework assignments, etc. Work is handed in electronically. Text books are online.

It is becoming normal for this to be starting as early as 5th grade.

I hope that within a few years heavy bookbags of books and binders will be a thing of the past.

The Los Angeles Unified School District famously tried this with the iPad, and it was a boondoggle. They're currently in the process of suing Apple for a host of things relating to the program.

As for NYC, cell phones are explicitly banned during school hours, and every NYC teacher I know loves this. Students caught with phones are immediately in serious trouble, which helps prevent a lot of issues, not least of which include cheating, bullying, sexting and violence. I know I hated phones in class when I was teaching. Honestly, adults can't manage to use phones responsibly and avoid distraction with them. Why would we expect kids to be able to?

Heavy bookbags have worked for hundreds of years. I'm not sure why we're so excited to throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Technology can add value in certain cases, but I'm deeply skeptical of its value add in a school setting. I've seen very little evidence of practical, scalable use of technology in a way that works over a long time frame.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by DaveNJ

Technology can add value in certain cases, but I'm deeply skeptical of its value add in a school setting. I've seen very little evidence of practical, scalable use of technology in a way that works over a long time frame.

why would we not want our children to be comfortable using technology from an early age in institutional settings like school? feels like that would build good habits and help distinguish personal tech objects from professional ones and how you treat them.

as for that long time frame, in research terms i think the /whole/ time we've had computers in the classroom isn't even long enough for super meaningful long time frame statistics. certainly not iPads that we've only had, like, 5 years. the tech is moving hella fast, man. don't' let that you discourage from trying things with it. by the time you get that long term research data on it your info and your device will be obsolete.

[DaveNJ]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

why would we not want our children to be comfortable using technology from an early age in institutional settings like school? feels like that would build good habits and help distinguish personal tech objects from professional ones and how you treat them.

as for that long time frame, in research terms i think the /whole/ time we've had computers in the classroom isn't even long enough for super meaningful long time frame statistics. certainly not iPads that we've only had, like, 5 years. the tech is moving hella fast, man. don't' let that you discourage from trying things with it. by the time you get that long term research data on it your info and your device will be obsolete.

Sparrow, there's not a difference between personal and professional tech. Tech is tech. A device that can access Facebook or play games is a device is a device.

Why do you feel like this would build good habits? How would that even work? As a teacher, I can't see everything on every student's screen at a given time, so how do you even moderate habits?

As for "trying things", pitch real, practical applications, not vague genuflection at the altar of Steve Jobs. When tech programs like that of the Los Angeles Unified School District go wrong, real money that could go to specific problems does not get allocated. That district is in the hock for billions on old iPads that don't even add value while kids go to school hungry.

I've seen every sort of pitch for educational technology in my days training to be a teacher and then in the classroom. I'm not sold. There are material deficiencies in our society and in our educational structure that are so far ahead in line than giving kids the opportunity to fuck around on a gen 1 iPad while their stomach is empty.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by DaveNJ

There are material deficiencies in our society and in our educational structure that are so far ahead in line than giving kids the opportunity to fuck around on a gen 1 iPad while their stomach is empty.

we can work on more than one thing in tandem. and budgets don't work by taking from Peter and giving to Paul. it's not like they can turn a tech program down or in for food programming.

i don't know jack about the tech universe, but i imagine y'all aren't so retarded as to not be able to come up with solutions. throwing your hands up is not how we're going to grow kids who can build a warp core.