Dutch Officials Set to Open 11 iPad-Only 'Steve Jobs Schools' for Children

[Gasu E.]

I wouldn't send my kids there. They get enough electronics time at home. I want a strong teacher presence to guide and help them learn not apps and games.

Which you don't get in a traditional classroom. Instead, the reality is that the teacher spends the majority of her time giving group lectures or imposing group discipline. What kids really need is that strong teacher presence, but focused on their individual development. If this Dutch approach frees the teacher to spend more time one-on-one, it will be a step in the right direction.

 

[Born Again]

Sounds like a scary cult

 

[ChrisA]

From my experience "go at your own pace" schools just make people slack off and fall below average.

Which schools have yo seen? How were they organized and where they public schools or private.

The latter makes a big difference. I know abot a private school and of cource the kids do well because (1) the parents pay a LOT of money and because of the cost stay involved and (2) they kick out the kids who a trouble makers

Neither of the above apply to public schools.

To work the teachers really have to stay on top of things and work with each kid one on one and in groups. It is labor intensive.

 

[ValSalva]

Yes, but our tight society does not allow such things without approval of Dutch government.

And do you think that will be hard to obtain in this case? It seems like your country is more progressive in so many areas.

 

[GenesisST]

Goodbye handwriting skills....

Mine are abysmal... I've used a computer since I was 12 in 1984... But I can still write well, if I take the time...

I do think that those are skills that we should still have even in this day and age. How else would you "write" your name in the snow while drunk?

 

[fredfnord]

I have to laugh when I read comments like this...

As somebody who works in the technology side of school districts, I can say with absolute certainty that this comment quoted above nailed it 100%.

It's almost as if you think that they don't have a couple of hundred studies on this kind of learning environment. It's almost as if this wasn't being designed by social scientists and experienced educators.

Yet we see something different, and to us (human beings, although apparently even more than usual in Americans), different ALWAYS MEANS DANGEROUS. Evil. Bad. Stupid. And so we judge, and say it could never work, or it could never work here because Americans are just... what, bad people? Or that even trying it makes these people bad.

It's just like the prison situation here in the US. We have decades of good scientific studies that tell us how to prevent offenders from reoffending in roughly 80% of cases. We have excellent information in exactly how to integrate them back into society so they won't end up sleeping under bridges and having to steal or stave to death. Indeed, we know how to prevent a lot of crime that we see. And the funny thing is, if you factor in all the costs to society of our current regime, it's MUCH CHEAPER to do it that way.

And indeed, there are several countries that are using these methods, to great success.

But do we? No. Because we are terrified of change. Because we would rather make up excuses about how American criminals are just worse than any other criminals in the world, and shove them in piles into overcrowded prisons and let them die because of inadequate medical care (and the occasional case of being tortured to death, thank you Sheriff Joe) than imagine for a second a way to make things better. Because better isn't familiar. Because we're scared of better, maybe even more than we're scared of worse. Because if we try something new and find out it was better, we have to admit that we were wrong about what we had before being better.

See also: health care. We HAVE to believe that we have the best health care in the world, because otherwise something DIFFERENT is also BETTER, and we were WRONG, and we can't have that.

Sometimes it's really tiring watching us Americans stab ourselves in the neck over... and over... and over...

 

[nick42983]

Well said and good comments from many others. I'm all for innovative approaches to learning, but I can't imagine that staring at a computer screen for the entire school day is healthy. There's much to be said for the benefits of tactile learning through reading physical books and handwriting, also having discussions, field trips etc. I don't think Steve Jobs's vision for education was having the iPad as a universal replacement for every other tool including the teacher. Technology can only take us so far, good teachers are very important, but having parents create a positive learning environment at home is key.

Exactly.

Would Steve Jobs, who loved calligraphy and beautifully written books have those skills be lost by a generation of zombie kids who can use an iPad but can't even write in cursive?

Handwriting is essential to young children, so the fact that they don't have notebooks makes this "school" sound like a joke.

It's not bold or forward to deprive children of that. It's a step back.

 

[TennisandMusic]

Well, why even bother? Just go all out and let the kids grade themselves. This WOULD NOT work over hear BTW. Just saying.

Oh, the irony.

 

[jozeppy26]

we have a generation that can't write a letter (but they text like crazy), and now this...

Writing a letter is not in any way difficult. The next generation is always smarter, quicker, better than the prior generation. I bet your parents complained about how you won't know how to work a slide rule. Come on

 

[SmoMo]

Where?

so WHERE EXACTLY are you anyway? Why would you just say 'over here' and not specify where you are, are you just in the centre?

Well, why even bother? Just go all out and let the kids grade themselves. This WOULD NOT work over hear BTW. Just saying.

 

[DrMotownMac]

Hmm, let's see...a school where kids sit and play on their iPads all day, learning whatever interests them at their own pace. Kind of like an electronic free-for-all with "facilitators" or, perhaps, "proctors" instead of teachers.

One thing is certain: As expensive as iPads are, the school should be MUCH less expensive to operate than a traditional school. I think proctors would cost less money than actual teachers. Here in the USA, I don't think the teacher unions would be crazy about this kind of idea. They'd have to agree that a $500-$800 tablet could teach children more effectively than a $65,000/year employee (not including health care, pension, etc.). Those iPads don't seem so pricey after all.

Of course, it sure would be fun to put it to the test in a real school, perhaps in an impoverished American city like, um, let's say DETROIT (my hometown). Let half of the kids learn from iPads and the other half learn from Detroit public school teachers. Start them out at age 4 (pre-k) and by the time they're 12 (middle school), give them a standardized test, complete with an essay section. Knowing the Detroit public school system, where less than 25% of incoming 9th graders actually graduate high school, I would bet the bank on the iPad kids. After all, how much worse could the kids actually get?

It does seem like an insane idea, but the only way to improve the educational system (which I think we all agree needs a lot of improvement) is to try out new systems and put them to the test. I guess there would have to be a lot of parents who don't mind their kids being guinea pigs.

 

[TMay]

No No No No No NO! This is all wrong! DX

Children need structured education to keep them focused. Where the UK (and US) system currently fails is that students have no respect for teachers (and likewise, many teachers revere themselves as gods) AND the way they learn is too document based.

As a developer of educational games (not the kind that require a CPU) I think this is a terrible idea. We have a responsibility to teach children in a way that will see them do well, not as dictated by the vision of a druggie billionaire.

Sounds like you are fully behind a production line of worker bees. That's what the current educational structure is all about, to crush any creativity or independent thought process.

I'm 100% behind this program if the parents are involved, and it sounds like they will be.

 

[Dave00]

It's an interesting idea. The important thing that most of the critics here seem to be missing is that there is a monitoring and goal-directed element involved. It's not just give them an iPad, let them do what they want, and hope for the best. The apps are restricted, and what is done with them is recorded and reported on. The success or failure depends largely on the investment of the parents and teachers. I remember vividly in high school, we had to turn in our notebooks in History - one kid hadn't done anything in the class, so he turned in his Spanish notebook and got a B on it.

As for those lamenting that kids won't learn handwriting, you seem to have missed the number of apps available for learning how to identify and write letters. Yes, pencil and paper is going to be needed at some point as well, but kids want to do this on their own, as any parent of a preschooler will tell you.

Dave

 

[Chupa Chupa]

There will be no blackboards, chalk or classrooms, homeroom teachers, formal classes, lesson plans, seating charts, pens, teachers teaching from the front of the room, schedules, parent-teacher meetings, grades, recess bells, fixed school days and school vacations. If a child would rather play on his or her iPad instead of learning, it'll be okay.

Sounds a lot like some big U.S. city school systems… but with iPhones instead.

 

[ChrisA]

Which you don't get in a traditional classroom. Instead, the reality is that the teacher spends the majority of her time giving group lectures or imposing group discipline. What kids really need is that strong teacher presence, but focused on their individual development. If this Dutch approach frees the teacher to spend more time one-on-one, it will be a step in the right direction.

Yes. That is one of the first things I learned. At first it seems counter intuitive but if you give the students independent work it frees the teacher from having to stand in the front and now can walk around the room doing something individually at each students's level. The ones who finish quickly you can have then do more advanced work, give more direct and to the point help to the slower ones and so on.

Sothe actually get MORE "teacher time" if they have meaningful independent work.

What REALLY matters here is the quality of the materials on the iPad. The iPad is not different from a print sheet of paper. Poor quality materials on a printed sheet is poor. it is not if the page is made of glass r paper it is what is on the page.

They are trying a large scale experiment in Los Angeles starting next year using tens of thousands of iPads. We will have good data in a couple years. No need to speculate when you have dat. but my guess is that it will take a could years before the results are published in the peer reviewed literature.

 

[Earendil]

Well, why even bother? Just go all out and let the kids grade themselves. This WOULD NOT work over hear BTW. Just saying.

I'm not sure where "over here" is, but it would work in America, and already is. I'm 28 and graduated from uni with a degree in computer science. I was home schooled for all education prior to that. I did not have grades, only completion of work. As a decent bullsh*tter I could fake the completion of work if I desired, especially in HS. However I did not, why? Because the value in my day to day education was not in getting a grade, it was in becoming more educated. The more I knew and better educated I was, the easier college and the rest of my life would be. That lesson was taught to me at an early age. I nor my three siblings are particularly smart. I barely graduated as high level math (calc2) and my electronics class kicked my butt. My siblings graduated in graphic design, sociology, and CS (same as me). And do you know what taught us? The Internet to a large degree, because my parents could only pass on so much knowledge. But they were good about facilitating as much as they could. I would have LOVED to have trained educators with a larger budget at my disposal to fill in the gaps I couldn't do on my own. But based on what I've seen of my peers, I wouldn't trade my education for anything.

And they will never be able to write legibly on paper or do math, likewise?

Great. This will be the generation in charge of my life when I'm old and fall and break my hip....

Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but I'm 28. When I was in college few people used paper except to take quizzes. All notes and most homework was electronic or printed. And Math scores in the US have been dismal for decades. Times have already changed. Integrating technology at this point is just adding purpose built hardware/software to the mix that students have already adopted.

we have a generation that can't write a letter (but they text like crazy), and now this...

And the value of writing a letter to anyone but my grandma is what, exactly? Honest question, because in today's would there is so little reason to practice ones handwriting that it would have to be a task that I carve hours out of my week to stay practiced with. How valuable is that skill compared to the other ways I can spend my free time?

 

[xdxdaustin]

we have a generation that can't write a letter (but they text like crazy), and now this...

Because we don't need to. You didn't ever learn to send a telegram did you? Same thing. Pointless.

 

[Orlandoech]

we have a generation that can't write a letter (but they text like crazy), and now this...

Yup, I remember when multiplayer gaming meant friends coming over to play Golden Eye, now they wont leave their room lol.

 

[ablashek]

this has got disaster written all over it...

its great they are trying new things, but sometimes ideas on paper doen't translate well into real life especially if you don't take into account the diversity of a sample group of students and their behaviour.

 

[Macist]

IT in schools has been around for almost 30 years now. When is it going to help children become better educated or become more self-sufficient learners?

I'm stunned by the semi-literacy and lackadaisical demeanour of 15-21 year olds I've had on work experience (UK).

I'd sooner give them fountain pens and books to be honest.

 

[jmgregory1]

Like so many things in life, there will be some (a minority for sure) children who flourish in a setting like this and many others who will suffer.

It reminds me of liquid or grapefruit diets. It's possible children can access all they need to "learn" on an iPad, but it's not going to be a good, balanced, education. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

 

[69650]

Really nice to see some innovative forward thinking in education. Well done the Dutch. Shame our backward looking UK government can't think of something like this. All the studies show that when education is fun kids learn more and develop quicker. The iPad is ideal for that.

 

[TouchMint.com]

All for the innovation but chance of the lack of social skills scares me. I know a few kids that were given a smart phone from birth to "entertain" while they are good with a phone they weren’t talking by 3 and def dont like interacting with anyone.

 

[snberk103]

Well said and good comments from many others. I'm all for innovative approaches to learning, but I can't imagine that staring at a computer screen for the entire school day is healthy. ....

The full article makes it clear that there are all the other 'normal' school activities as well, including phys ed, etc. etc.

Because we don't need to. You don't never learned to send a telegram did you? Same thing. Pointless.

Hey! I learned how to use a Telex machine in the early 1980s. A skill that I never did manage to leverage into a career, though... I have to admit.

Before that I learned how to use a card punch machine. Another skill I was never able to leverage.

 

[billystlyes]

The kids at "Android school" will always be one step ahead though...