ladyofthelake

My 4th grade daughter came home yesterday with a letter from school titled "Would you be interested in your child participating a in laptop computer classroom next year?"
The upshot of it is, they want us to spend $1000+ (and that's supposedly a discount price ) on a laptop for our kids to drag backwards and forwards into school each day for classwork and get totally trashed in all likelyhood.
I have 2 problems with this.
Firstly, it will cause a 'them and us' situation between the kids whose parents have more money than sense and buy one, and the kids whose parents can't afford it or who like us refuse on priciple. Secondly, what the hell is wrong with kids using a pen and paper for classwork and homework? Writing with a pen or pencil trains kids how to plan ahead and think about what they want to write. How on earth will these kids manage during written exams when they won't have the backspace or edit buttons to use?
Has anyone else had any ridiculous requests like this?

AdobePinon

It's getting more common. I'm curious to know why the school thinks your kid needs a laptop. Most educational tools, IMHO turn out to be nothing more than gimmicks. There really is no substitute for a gifted teacher who can hold your kid's attention.

bxpuser7543

I read in the SUN today kids arent even being graded on there spelling anymore,they can write like they text,you reading this Donna??????????????????????????????????????????

anotherlimey

Looks like they never have

NC Penguin

I suppose the notion of students learning good handwriting and spelling is not considered as important as learning IT skills these days.

At university level, it makes sense to me to use word processing applications to compose essays of 1000 words and upwards but at fourth grade, a laptop (or any computer) seems ridiculous.



NC Penguin

fatbrit

There's a kickback in here somewhere! Ask 'em!

ladyofthelake

The kids have more than enough computer exposure and IT skills for their age at school as it is. They are still at the stage, IMO where learning the basic skills of reading and writing are the most important. By University level, yes they should be able to use word processing applications for essays, but as you say, at this age it's ridiculous.
My daughter was going through "it's not fair " routine last night. I fully expect her to be hating the fact we are British too soon. She knows full well we won't be buying one just to keep up with the jones and to save face, like so many of her friends parents will.

ladyofthelake

There's no mention of one on the letter or Dell website. They normally shout those things from the rooftops to get you to buy all sorts of crap in aid of school funds. Dell

One interesting sentence on the letter:
Cunnigham Creek has also instituted laptop computer classrooms for the past couple of years.

Nothing like starting a bit of rivalry between schools for parents to get the check books out eh?

anotherlimey

For this price there's bound to be a kickback of some type. It looks like the school hasn't thought this through, but just jumped at the chance to get more cash.

AdobePinon

Easy to find out. Just tell them you'll be buying your notebook from another manufacturer: watch for the reaction!

Given that Dell is currently selling at least five laptops for < $1000, I don't think you'll be getting much of a deal. Of course, I'm sure the deal on the Mathematica license (to help your kid with her arithmetic) is what puts it over $1000.

fatbrit

So why specify the Dell only? Basically I would think almost any laptop would do the job. And you can certainly buy a competent, general purpose laptop for less than $1000.

One comment I'd make on computers in schools in the US is how few skills many Americans I meet actually have on computers. I'm amazed how those who presumably had computers freely available at home, school and university consider, for example, that using something as simple as tables in Word is far too advanced and try to lay out their work with the space bar instead! For all those computers, they didn't actually seem to learn very much.

Duncan Roberts

When I did my GCSE's I had to have one piece of English coursework where part of the marks were for writing it on a computer. That was one piece out of 40 or 50 coursework papers I had to write. When I did A-Levels the only thing that had to be on a computer was the work for my computing A-Level, which makes sense. At both schools there was a rule that you couldn't bring laptops to school unless you were physically or mentally disabled and you needed one. At university all my work had to be typed on a computer, except one piece which by that time I was so sick of typing I gladly wrote the old fashioned way!
Fair enough if you use a laptop to type up a project, but everyday is stupid. Not to mention that 90% of them would probably get nicked or broken in the first week!

Bob

They do it in maine, all school kids get a laptop, the schools pay for them using a grant....it's supposed to be so they can do projects on them, watch presentations on them and all that, but in reality, no one actually uses' them because the way thre set up, they can't install anything on them, they can't bring old work onto the puter, so there just paperweights that are utterly shite.

NC Penguin

Just want to relate a story about my niece and the family laptop. She was about 2.5 yo at the time when she tugged at something on a shelf above her head and the family laptop came crashing down (not on her).

The laptop was very badly damaged. There was a huge crack down the screen which makes viewing it quite difficult. The sad thing was that the laptop was only a few months old. I'm told it's usable but you can't close it flat like before.

Knowing kids, I would be surpised if they break their laptops, dropping them, dropping a drink or liquid on them, sitting on them, etc...



NC Penguin

ladyofthelake

Another valid reason for not buying into this stupid scheme.
It does say other computers that meet required specifications can also be submitted with the priciple's permission. Meet requirements?? What possible reason could a 5th grader require a laptop with those kind of specs??