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

furi0usbee said:
Can you say "Angry Birds God?" These 4 year olds will rock dem birds like no other.
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Actually Angry Birds teaches something that a lot a of people don't ever learn.
In some instances when you first launch the bird and miss you know you can't complete the level. At that point you start over and try again.

Knowing immediately that a path is wrong and starting over is a good skill.
I design computer chips. Often I will write code and the result will not be optimal. I'll throw it away and use what I leaned to make an optimal result.
Not unlike, launching a bird and restarting the level after missing the target.

Bold move though. Why not just call it what it is though? Active parent involvement and home schooling.
 
danjames99 said:
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....
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Unless you live in the Netherlands or feel they will invade your country, this won't affect you in the slightest.
 
MisterK said:
I don't want my son remembering facts because he can call those up on Google. I don't want him learning to do what calculators do or what spell-check does. I want him pursuing interests and learning how to learn (and presenting what he finds); learning how to persuade. I'd like him to learn charisma and empathy and entrepreneurship and finding excitement in challenges.
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If he's never supposed to learn anything, what challenges would there be? Or what would the purpose of charisma be if he has nothing to say? Not to mention, why learn how to learn if he's not going to learn?
 
martygras9 said:
"Under the model of individualized instruction, students will learn through iPad apps at their own pace, with teachers serving as coaches to help them reach goals and advance to subsequent levels."

I remember that math class was set up this way when I was in fifth grade. You had the students that excelled, advancing several levels ahead of the others, the average students, and then the bottom of the rung who struggling to keep up. Work at your own pace is great in theory, but it's a real confidence killer to the kids who need to be pushed to get to the next level. On the flip side, it's fantastic for the students that do excel.

There's a middle ground where "work at your own pace" and "keep up" need to meet.
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If run properly, I think go at your own pace is the way to go. While I don't think anyone should be left behind, it is a far greater travesty to keep someone from reaching their potential so they can stay with the group.

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billystlyes said:
The kids at "Android school" will always be one step ahead though...
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This will likely depend on which version of the Android school the end up in.

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danjames99 said:
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....
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Very few American children write clearly on paper today. It really doesn't matter much. 90% of the handwriting people do today is for their own consumption. People need to be able to do basic math in their head, anything they can't do in their head they can do on a calculator, there is no benefit to being able to do long division on paper.

The only possible use for that skill is doing math tests for backwards thinking instructors. Math can and should be taught using the best tools. Advanced calculators and computers allow math professors to focus on the concepts instead of the drudge work.

I can do a Taylor Series expansion by hand, who cares?
 
fredfnord said:
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.
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None of that appears to be true in this case. Perhaps they need a marketing class for the organizers.

We are trying out an "edible schoolyard" school next year for one of our kids. The potential is impressive.
 
Tiger8 said:
we have a generation that can't write a letter (but they text like crazy), and now this...
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Ya but how often we write letters vs type email ? Last i wrote was i think more than 10yrs ago.

Other thing is, its not iPad or school, its the updated content and how lucidly its thought matters. If iPad will help them understand something better (in some cases it will) its all good.

We started using Telephone with rotary dialer in 80s 90s, now we use smartphone with touch. The next generation will not know how to use rotary dialer but it doesn't mean they need to or they losing anything.
 
I am amazed at the comments. Just astonished. Please, read your posts again. Almost everyone seems so be unable to write error-free. 2 or 3 mistakes every 20 words! I don't see the actual system being very good... :rolleyes:
 
Tiger8 said:
we have a generation that can't write a letter (but they text like crazy), and now this...
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But if you ask these kids why they don't learn at school they will say it's because the lessons are boring or the subjects are not relevant to them. Education should be about engaging children. Finding that spark that's inside even the most switched off kids and igniting it so they want learn.

When I was at school many years ago we had no technology but we had two types of teachers. The ones that taught by rote and made the lessons as boring as could be. And the ones who made the lessons interesting and enjoyable. Guess which subjected I ended getting the highest marks in? Yep the subjects and lessons which were fun.

It's a different world now. We are surrounded by technology. Teachers can harness this to engage our kids like never before. Make the subjects come to life literally. IMO that can only be a good thing and I would happily send my kids to a school like this.
 
Wow

What a terrible idea. Let kids play all day and decide what and if they learn?

OK then. They'll be well versed in all kinds of porn, drugs, social networks, and video games. They wont have a clue about history, science, math, business, sociology, etc.
 
This sounds a lot better than the American education system of digesting textbooks and then vomiting them out on a test just to get a grade. As a high school student myself, 80% of what I learn is just history and crap that I don't care about and will never use in real life. The ideal education would be learning and doing what I want to do from someone who is actually a professional in the field. I understand that there's English and math that everyone has to know, but this whole teachers, textbooks, and tests system is really not doing anyone any good.
This iPad school sounds like a step in the right direction to me, especially because tech is my only real interest.
 
A few of the biggest driving forces in my life were my teachers -- it's sad that these kids won't get the same positive figures outside their parents. Also, I think this type of education would limit these kids socially. It was hard enough for me to be outgoing growing up (I'm a shy person at heart) so for these kids to have limited interaction with others, especially other kids their age, is not a good thing.
 
mattopotamus said:
could not agree more. There is a point where trying to be "too forward" thinking is actually backtracking....and this is it.
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I think what this article on Macrumors doesn't point out clearly, is that this is more of an experiment to see if it actually works. And if it doesn't work: what must they change to make this work, should they go back to the 'old fashioned way'?

It also forgets to mention that the Dutch inspection of education is paying extra attention to these schools, to make sure pupils don't fall behind compared to other schools.

I think this is a good thing to idea: see how tablets (in this case the iPad) can help to educate people. I think they are too free in the idea that kids can just do whatever they want, but they need to start somewhere, right?
Luckily, the inspection service will very strictly monitor these schools.
 
I'm a primary school teacher myself (UK) and am starting at a brand new school this September.

We are also giving every child their own ipad and focusing specifically on their own learning and what interests them.

Schools using iPads, even 1:1 as this idea and my own school are doing is far from brand new and unique though.

I would say that "no pens" and "can choose to play on ipad instead of learning" is rather too far though, but this could well be the reporters misunderstanding self initiated learning and appropriate child centered pedagogy.
 
Shaun said:
But if you ask these kids why they don't learn at school they will say it's because the lessons are boring or the subjects are not relevant to them. Education should be about engaging children. Finding that spark that's inside even the most switched off kids and igniting it so they want learn.

When I was at school many years ago we had no technology but we had two types of teachers. The ones that taught by rote and made the lessons as boring as could be. And the ones who made the lessons interesting and enjoyable. Guess which subjected I ended getting the highest marks in? Yep the subjects and lessons which were fun.

It's a different world now. We are surrounded by technology. Teachers can harness this to engage our kids like never before. Make the subjects come to life literally. IMO that can only be a good thing and I would happily send my kids to a school like this.
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Education is about engaging, yes, it's also about decipline. I hated history, I hated biology, but I knew I had to get good grades in them to get to college. I don't remember anything I learned in those classes, but I do remember how it was one of the first 'hurdles' I had to overcome as highschool student.
 
Theres already some private schools that do this minus the ipad part. It can work if its done right.
 
That would NOT work in the US, but maybe there. They'd have to switch to something else once they take programming class, unfortunately.
 
I like this. The only reason I didn't do well in school is because I wasn't interested in anything they were teaching, when I got to collage I got honour role and learned a ton because it's what I wanted to learn.

Im surprised its taken this long to get to this spot in education.
 
wovel said:
If run properly, I think go at your own pace is the way to go. While I don't think anyone should be left behind, it is a far greater travesty to keep someone from reaching their potential so they can stay with the group.
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I think the problem that the majority of the commenters and myself are having initially is that we're forcing ourselves to think in a "one size fits all" mentality. Everyone learns differently and people excel with different stimuli. Ultimately, what it will come down to is choice. If schools in the US were to adopt this, it would be a CHOICE to go to that school similar to public schools, privates schools, Montessori education, etc.
 
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