Hellobee Boards

This seems normal for when I toured our public 4K except they don’t do recess at all we ended up not going with them which I know isn’t an option for everyone

My daughter is in the second grade, and each student uses their own chrome books a few times a week. They complement their math lessons with online math games the kids can choose themselves, and will use it to do research for projects. I believe they will also have some language arts games available as well. Each class has a Smart Board, but i'm not sure to what extent it's used.

I was really taken aback when i found out in the first week of school, they were allowed to just "surf the web" and do whatever they wanted. Like watch Peppa Pig clips. Watch music videos. WTF. I haven't heard any of it so far, so i'm wondering if it was to just get kids comfortable using the chrome books?

We came from a very digital-free private school so this is definitely very new to us. I have mixed feelings about it for sure.

Our experience in public school was unfortunately similar. It was a huge difference between pre-k to K. Smart boards in the classrooms used regularly and screen time during indoor recess. I did a lot of research into the different schools to see if it was just ours, but unfortunately it was common across the board especially during the winter. The only schools that had active indoor recess were those that had dedicated staffing for it (usually funded by the PTA). This was a huge problem for my very active LO and ultimately one of the reasons we had to switch to a different school.

So, the recess thing is a bummer. My daughter is in K this year and we had nonstop rain in September so she told me they would go to the gym if they couldn't go outside, and they have recess 2X.

The videos thing - that doesn't bother me. I honestly think this is how kids learn now. It's a bummer they're substituting recess with it, but I think the learning just happens in a more interactive way now. I wish our under-resourced Title 1 school had smartboards and all the stuff you're describing. What I saw in the classroom their first day was really depressing - old, tattered books, etc.

The SmartBoard thing seems typical. As far as I can tell from my first grader, they don't seem to be over-using it to the point where it interferes with learning. I'm a lot more bothered that twice a week, the kids have "media class" that's all about playing games. DS has mentioned Minecraft - I think that requires some kind of registration, and I can only hope the teacher is on top of making sure the kids don't put sensitive personal info out there. They know their address and DOB way before they're old enough to understand why they shouldn't give them to random people.

I also stopped by a Gifted and Talented class last spring to get an idea how they're different, and was told all the reading assignments and homework are on iPads.

I'm a high-school teacher whose district is aggressively tech based. starting from 5th grade on is one-to-one Chromebooks which I can't stand. I really think these kids need less technology and more physical movement. We're some sort of Google tester school or whatever so we're supposed to use it all the time. I'm a believer less and less everyday. I don't want my students or kids staring into a Chromebook all day. But unfortunately that is the way the world is going. They're absolutely digital natives to say the least and it's part of their school persona really
For kindergarten, I don't so much have a problem with Smart Board presentation because I think it's a very efficient, engaging and clear way to present to children. I do have a problem with a five-year-old only having 20 minutes of recess and playing games, apps on computers.
Maybe I'm in the minority but I wish schools used less technology. I know my son's public school uses a lot, especially the lazy teachers.

@kiddosc: they had a reading program in kinder (iStation) they were supposed to use at home but we almost never did. It didn’t seem like she got anything out of it, could be we weren’t using it correctly but I assume she modeled what they did in computer lab.

Thankfully though last year they just had computer lab once a week (though I do know there was other video watching). Now the district just put 1:1 iPads into k-1 (older kids already had it). I feel pretty torn about it ... she has a good teacher and I think they have good intentions, but I just hope they don’t overuse them.

So I'll respond with teacher-mama perspective. I've taught 5th & 8th mainly, so, different than the specific focus here. Everyone in my district has a SB.

- I use 5-10 minutes of video, probably 3-4 minutes a week. That adds up to, on average, 30 minute of my 270 minutes, which is 11% of my instructional time.

- I also use the smartboard for parts of most of my lessons, bc it is way better than re-writing on the WB 5x a day. It also allows me to "save" my lessons more easily, and edit/improve them next year. I've attached a screenshot of a typical lesson for me. As you'll see, it includes a video, a class discussion, partner reading, discussion of vocab and main ideas, then leveled group questions (ABCD), which we will then share/discuss/write in our notebooks.

- Videos or SB activities are a great way to "hook" the students attention, close/summarize a lesson, or switch the mode of learning. I'm a BIG believer in not having students learn in any one "mode" for more than 10 minutes, TOPS, so a brief 5 minute video provides a "chunk" of info that is different than ALL reading, or ALL worksheets, or ALL discussion, or ALL projects, etc.

- SBs can be used interactively. I often have drag-and-drop activities where they come up and touch the SB themselves, and during videos, my students always have a prompt to think or write about, and they are held accountable for that.

- Sometimes, the videos are just REALLY good, and a great way to explain the info in a way that I might not be able to do perfectly 5x a day. To me, it's like how adults might share a link or an infographic to communicate their point - if there is a good resource out there, why not share it?

- I can't copy in color & I have a copy limit for paper. So, the smart-board helps me save paper or show things in color.

- I use my SB for my document camera which is SUCH a helpful tool, and all it does it does is show the kids what I'm writing in my notebook or annotating on the paper. So, simple, low-tech, but it is shown on a screen.

Now, granted, real discussion, reading, projects, etc are SO important and should take precedence, for SURE. I don't like how much screentime there is overall for kids, ESPECIALLY screen-based testing.... research shows that students comprehend more when reading paper vs. reading on a screen! So, I hear and understand the concerns. My kid definitely will be the one that needs much more physical activity than most, and at age 2 I'm already worried about dwindling recess and increasing screens.

Also, lastly, I think the screens are reflective of how education has changed in the last decade or so. There a big push to personalize/differentiate instruction, and to use more tech. With the 1:1 concept, I think some schools believe it will help get students "college and career ready" and promote "STEM." (I don't agree, but whatever.)

Former primary teacher here - sounds fairly normal to me. Not having recess stinks though for everyone.

From my experience in both under-privileged and very wealthy districts, teachers just can't win. My first school (predominantly low-income) was BEGGING for these kind of things. I used the overhead projector.

In the "wealthy" school district, teachers were constantly getting complaints for less technology, more technology, more traditional methods, less traditional methods. We'd hear "We pay for all of this technology so we better see it!" and "The kids are too reliant on it. Use less." You literally could not please everyone. And that's okay! It would be impossible for a teacher to cater to every parent. Some parents click with certain teaching styles better than others.

But 99% of the teaching I saw was sincere and intentional. These people work their butts off. At least in my district, we were observed like crazy and it would not fly to be doing something irrelevant (in most cases). The technology we have available is so good and can be tailored to so many levels and types of learners. Except for extreme outliers, the teachers are probably doing the very best they can with what they're given.

As a foreign language teacher I think short videos are very valuable. I want my students to hear a variety of native speakers. I’m sure I could find audio-only resources but the video aspect gives students context. I use short videos as a jumping off point to start a lesson or as a review. I’m talking like a minute or two minutes most of the time.

Hmm, this has not been our experience thus far in Kindergarten. He was very excited to tell me about the movie they got to watch half of one day when the power went out in the school and they were all in the gym (generator). But no other videos being used yet. The kids will also play in the rain for recess if talk not absolutely pouring.

@Anagram: One thing I think to consider is how hard we are on teachers compared to other countries. At least in my experience, teachers were not trusted by parents and administration to use their judgement. We were constantly criticized...classroom teachers specifically. Even in the best-performing district in our area, we were always belittled. It’s impossible to live up to everyone’s standards and coupled with ridiculously low pay it creates high-turnover and extreme exhaustion. The mental toll put on teachers is horrible. I teach ESL online PT and am a SAHM now. Classroom teaching was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.

All that to say, I think we need to give everyone a break...kids, moms, dads, teachers, administration. We are all just doing our best. Perhaps micro managing everything is what creates such high-stress for everyone. It’s a vicious cycle. Learning should be fun and our focus should be on children’s growth and happiness.

So much to say on this topic...but so little time. @annem1990: Thanks for that! We are in this together. Private schools show no advantages when adjusted for socioeconomic factors.

Also, Project Lead the Way videos are generally under 2 minutes but is captivating (which is probably why your child mentioned it).

Because kids have so much access to screen time at home with parents, I find there is a recent shift where students prefer conversation and PE to computers in their free time now. When computers were not mainstream, they wanted computers in their free time.

This is my first year with a Makerspace and it has been phenomenal reward/play/creation time for 4th graders. Really, technology fluency is the move toward designing and creating solutions with computers as just a tool/resource as necessary to complete projects. It's not about the tech...it's about what we do with it. Consuming appropriate educational videos is Level 1 use of tech.... it's a start, not the finish line.

@meganmp: that autonomy to spend and choose what you have decided is best for kids is ideal! I am fortunate to have some of the freedom you have and I look forward to continue to push the boundaries on the rest.