U.K. Minister Wants to Reduce iPad Use in Schools to Curb Bullying

[MacRumors]

Schools in the U.K. should reduce the use of iPads during lessons because some children are using them to bully and harass others, according to a government minister (via The Telegraph).

Edward Timpson, the Minister for Children and Families, claimed a number of schools were letting children spend too much time using iPads and said that headteachers should use their powers to confiscate them if they are being used "inappropriately".

Timpson told peers on the House of Lords Communications Committee:

"A problem in a number of schools which we've sought to address is the iPad or the tablet coming into schools and it forming far too much of the school day's activities of children and it being used inappropriately for some of the bullying and harassment that we know sadly goes on the back of it.

"That's why we've strengthen the powers of headteachers to confiscate and remove material and so on."

Timpson argued for a "technology balance" to ensure that teachers still interact with pupils and avoid a "battleground" between children and their tablets.

"Children will be spending more of their life living through a tablet. It is the direction we now know is going to be taking hold for the foreseeable future and we have to respond to that," he said.

Over 90 percent of U.K. teenagers have mobile phones, according to The Telegraph. Meanwhile, a study by the London School of Economics found that an outright ban on the devices in schools saw test scores rise by an average 6 percent.

In England, there is no government policy on the use of mobile phones in schools, which are left to set any restrictions themselves.

Article Link: U.K. Minister Wants to Reduce iPad Use in Schools to Curb Bullying

 

[Xgm541]

It doesnt specify how they're used for bullying.

Do kids take them and hit others with I pads?

 

[HarryT]

Christ this is ridiculous.

 

[djcerla]

In related news, Danish Minister wants to increase scarf use in schools to curb flu.

 

[apolloa]

iPads and laptops should be banned period! Make children use those ancient skills like reading a book and handwriting.... just my opinion...

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

People hitting others with rulers. Solution: ban rulers. People stabbing others with pencils. Solution: ban pencils. People hitting others with elbows. Solution: ban people. People waiting at certain times outside schools to beat up others. Solution: ban time pieces. Solution to everything: ban humans. Addressing the causes of bullying? What do you think we are!?

 

[John V Keogh]

The iPads make it easier to report bullying too, with a screenshot. The bullies are the problem here.

 

[apolloa]

It doesnt specify how they're used for bullying.

Do kids take them and hit others with I pads?

More likely mass messaging people humiliating one person, using swearing and insults about anything they can think off and insulting videos, cyber bullying you know? It's been covered enough in the media.. and seeing as some children have killed themselves over it it's hardly 'ridiculous' Mr HarryT...
[doublepost=1480510970][/doublepost]

People hitting others with rulers. Solution: ban rulers. People stabbing others with pencils. Solution: ban pencils. People hitting others with elbows. Solution: ban people. People waiting at certain times outside schools to beat up others. Solution: ban time pieces. Solution to everything: ban humans.

Can we just ban you instead?

 

[masteroflondon]

iPads and laptops should be banned period! Make children use those ancient skills like reading a book and handwriting.... just my opinion...

Yes, teach them how to plow fields and make fire with two sticks, just the skills they will need when they grow up.
[doublepost=1480511117][/doublepost]

People hitting others with rulers. Solution: ban rulers. People stabbing others with pencils. Solution: ban pencils. People hitting others with elbows. Solution: ban people. People waiting at certain times outside schools to beat up others. Solution: ban time pieces. Solution to everything: ban humans. Addressing the causes of bullying? What do you think we are!?

You forgot we'll also need to ban words, pointing, laughing. Pencils will have to be banned for writing nasty notes, not just poking.

 

[apolloa]

Yes, teach them how to plow fields and make fire with two sticks, just the skills they will need when they grow up.

What backward thinking do you have? And farming grows food that you stuff yourself with everyday..
Children can use tablets at home, no reason they can't use computers when required but hand writing should not be dumped in favour of a frigging screen keyboard! And you also remember more if you read something of paper.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/

But perhaps you want a world of people that don't interactive with anyone unless through a tablet or phone, they literally don't talk to you face to face and they don't remember things, that's sounds like a wonderful social society..

And as for farming it would be nice if children knew milk comes from cows as opposed to the supermarket..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodandd...-come-from-One-in-three-youths-dont-know.html

 

[TMRJIJ]

Dang. Bullies are using iPads as weapons. Savage!

 

[Robert.Walter]

Minister probably uses a flip phone.

 

[masteroflondon]

What backward thinking do you have? And farming grows food that you stuff yourself with everyday..
Children can use tablets at home, no reason they can't use computers when required but hand writing should not be dumped in favour of a frigging screen keyboard! And you also remember more if you read something of paper.

But perhaps you want a world of people that don't interactive with anyone unless through a tablet or phone, they literally don't talk to you face to face and they don't remember things, that's sounds like a wonderful social society..

And as for farming it would be nice if children knew milk comes from cows as opposed to the supermarket..

You said 'laptops should be banned period'. Makes them hard to use 'when required'. I did't say ban hand writing. Actually, I kind of did, but it was sarcasm.

Not all kids have tablets and computers at home, schooling in these fundamental tools of modern society is essential.

I think we should have pencils and computers, know about milk and social media.

And above all how to behave properly and with mutual respect, kindness and tolerance to one another regardless of what tools we are using. Social media has exposed a side of human behaviour, not created it. Schools should show how to exemplify proper behaviour regardless of the power or anonymity new technology offers.

 

[apolloa]

Hmm well I can see where this usual MacRumors members level of intellect and maturity is going...
You all may as well go and flush it, make sure it's totally gone.

 

[Mr. Dee]

These devices like the iPad are doing nothing more than turning children into dumbed downed spoiled brats. Confiscate and let them learn to solve mathematical problems, read a book and learn to write a decent composition using pen and paper. If they want to use a computer, sit them in front of one where you know you can easily manage. The iPads problem is, it was never designed as a multi-user device, its a personal device. iOS still doesn't have multi-user support yet. Apple I believe recently added support, but it still does not go the extra mile.

Finally, these are luxury devices, if the parents can't even afford them, don't get them hooked on using it at school then go home with temper tantrums to their parents balling for one. Sometimes, I feel these things are solutions looking for a problem. 10 to 15 years ago, when I was in school, when Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Surgey Brin, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg were in school, they had to do without Tablets. They still ended being intelligent, successful people.

Here in Jamaica, the Tablets in schools program has turned out to be a disaster. Students immediately circumvented the security restrictions and started going on social media, downloading adult content.

Nothing beats the good old pen and paper. When they want a Tablet, let them go earn their own money and buy one.

 

[apolloa]

You said 'laptops should be banned period'. Makes them hard to use 'when required'. I did't say ban hand writing. Actually, I kind of did, but it was sarcasm.

Not all kids have tablets and computers at home, schooling in these fundamental tools of modern society is essential.

I think we should have pencils and computers, know about milk and social media.

And above all how to behave properly and with mutual respect, kindness and tolerance to one another regardless of what tools we are using. Social media has exposed a side of human behaviour, not created it. Schools should show how to exemplify proper behaviour regardless of the power or anonymity new technology offers.

Yeah that sarcasm came across soooo well.....

And fine, your points are valid, let me know when it happens... because it won't, hence the problem and I meant personal laptops be banned. Their is a loooonnngggggg history of schools utterly failing to act on bullying. So no action is taken and children kill themselves, and the teachers are shocked then proclaim they aren't social workers etc.
So that's why it's easier to ban them, plus it's less distractions and they can learn more.
Plus parents are useless and don't want to know, and if another parent takes action they get a visit from the Police..

If parents did their jobs properly and stopped expecting everyone else to do it, it would be a better world I think. Not saying all parents of course, but their is far too much cotton wool these days I think.

 

[amirite]

Sigh. The problem is when technology used to move at a slower pace, schools could teach children specific skills with specific tools which would be reliably useful into adulthood.

Now technology is moving much faster and these institutions aren't able to keep up.

When I was in school we spent a lot of time learning how to use MS Office 95 because "that's what your employer will use when you're older".

Well, I'm my employer. And the jobs I do and the sector I work in didn't exist when I was born.

We need to teach people how to think critically and how to learn for themselves and keep up. We don't need to waste the majority of school time teaching kids how to write with pencil and paper like its 1950.

People will not be regularly writing on paper in 15 years. I'm not even sure when I last did.

 

[masteroflondon]

Yeah that sarcasm came across soooo well.....

And fine, your points are valid, let me know when it happens... because it won't, hence the problem and I meant personal laptops be banned. Their is a loooonnngggggg history of schools utterly failing to act on bullying. So no action is taken and children kill themselves, and the teachers are shocked then proclaim they aren't social workers etc.
So that's why it's easier to ban them, plus it's less distractions and they can learn more.
Plus parents are useless and don't want to know, and if another parent takes action they get a visit from the Police..

If parents did their jobs properly and stopped expecting everyone else to do it, it would be a better world I think. Not saying all parents of course, but their is far too much cotton wool these days I think.

It would be easier to ban them, but you've not got rid of the underlying problem. Plus the kids have their own which they can use out of school, so even this specific manifestation of the problem remains.

As you say, schools have always failed on this, I'd like them to genuinely tackle it and not let them run off after another scapegoat to look like they are doing something.

And I also agree on the parents and cotton wool.

It's just that I think the problem is the attitudes and respect, and I think it's better to teach that directly, as everything else falls in to place by itself.

 

[BornAgainMac]

The use of the word "Bullying" doesn't fit.

 

[Cineplex]

Technology in the classroom had the best balance in the 90's when computers were used as tools to complete specific tasks. For example an English class making videos for a poetry exercise on a Power Mac 6400 with AVID Cinema. Dropping cursive writing instruction was a failure right up there with common core. Schools are a mess and the young teachers are mostly bozos. They spend more time beating diversity and transgender bathrooms in elementary schools that actually learning. It is no surprise that US schools are a joke. Nice to see U.K. Schools are just as bad. If you went to school pre 2000 you got a much better education than what is being pettled today.

 

[amirite]

As far as bullying goes, schools don't do **** about it anyway. How about tackling that issue instead of shifting the blame to social media or video games or TV or rock music or whatever.

At the end of the day people will always have the potential to be cruel to each other. Why don't we try teaching kids basic empathy and social skills, how to think for and express themselves, how to be good people, and so on, instead of locking them up in a prison-like environment five days a week and expecting them not to act out?

How about more "alternative" education systems like Waldorf which have better outcome measures than traditional systems.

 

[masteroflondon]

Sigh. The problem is when technology used to move at a slower pace, schools could teach children specific skills with specific tools which would be reliably useful into adulthood.

Now technology is moving much faster and these institutions aren't able to keep up.

When I was in school we spent a lot of time learning how to use MS Office 95 because "that's what your employer will use when you're older".

Well, I'm my employer. And the jobs I do and the sector I work in didn't exist when I was born.

We need to teach people how to think critically and how to learn for themselves and keep up. We don't need to waste the majority of school time teaching kids how to write with pencil and paper like its 1950.

People will not be regularly writing on paper in 15 years. I'm not even sure when I last did.

Critical thinking should absolutely be a priority. I think it used to be taught. Logic was taught a very long time ago, I think.

As for writing, I also don't know when I last did it.

 

[Boatboy24]

I'm just going to spout some craziness here, but what if we simply crack down on bullying?

I agree there should be a balance between human interaction and technology, but blaming bullying on an iPad is simply ridiculous. Let's face it, bullying was going on for eons before the iPad.

 

[TMRJIJ]

The devices are not the problem. It's the teachers and parents that aren't doing their jobs correctly.

 

[Abazigal]

I feel banning iPads won't solve the problem. Yes, it solves the problem of bullying cases involving iPads within school grounds, but then, you are simply kicking the can down the road, because then students never learn how to use these devices appropriately or the right way to interact with their peers online.

Kids will still resort to cyberbullying using smartphones after school, but I guess then the schools can just say "It happened after school hours outside of school. Not my problem..."