LOL, whilst I see the point you’re making and kind of agree. If there is nothing to steal there will be no thieves, remember that.
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U.K. Minister Wants to Reduce iPad Use in Schools to Curb Bullying
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Device use at school can be some students only exposure to using computers for work. Banning that wil only further increase class divides (those who can afford the latest tech vs those who can't)
We always forget what education is for.. to educate.
Why are schools buying expensive iPads anyway??
ANY tablet would work in a school scenario, but either a 2-in-1 or better yet, a desktop setup with monitored student user accounts would be a better, more robust setup.
You could have thin clients on every classroom and students would just SSO to their account from any terminal.
Centralized accounts, security and monitoring would take care of this problem.
ANY tablet would work in a school scenario, but either a 2-in-1 or better yet, a desktop setup with monitored student user accounts would be a better, more robust setup.
You could have thin clients on every classroom and students would just SSO to their account from any terminal.
Centralized accounts, security and monitoring would take care of this problem.
Am I missing something here? Don't these kids all have mobile phones already? Take the iPads away and they'll just use their phones to bully with. Take their phones away and they'll still bully each other.
There will always be bullying. That's how kids grow up. It's part of their learning of social skills, however cruel it can be.
IMHO, the point is that once you let iPads (or any tech-device) be the communication device, it gets much harder for the teacher to react to that bullying.
Give an (lower-than?) average student of early teenage years an iPad in the classroom... of course he will try to find porn sites, send outrageous messages, and play games instead of paying attention to the boring teacher. It's cool to do that, right?
The average teacher has no idea how to stop that unwanted behaviour. He probably goes to the IT department and starts complaining there. And then what? Use Mobile Device Management? Force enrollment (DEP)? Make it the IT department's problem?
I think the usage of such devices at school is generally a good idea (21st century skills etc.), but the way they should be implemented at schools is simply not well thought out, yet.
IMHO, the point is that once you let iPads (or any tech-device) be the communication device, it gets much harder for the teacher to react to that bullying.
Give an (lower-than?) average student of early teenage years an iPad in the classroom... of course he will try to find porn sites, send outrageous messages, and play games instead of paying attention to the boring teacher. It's cool to do that, right?
The average teacher has no idea how to stop that unwanted behaviour. He probably goes to the IT department and starts complaining there. And then what? Use Mobile Device Management? Force enrollment (DEP)? Make it the IT department's problem?
I think the usage of such devices at school is generally a good idea (21st century skills etc.), but the way they should be implemented at schools is simply not well thought out, yet.
Nice thoughts, but I disagree with your statement in italics. Pre-social media, there were limited opportunities for low-risk, anonymous attacks. The most prevalent available methods for curbing bullying were the negative feedback and social stigma often received by the bully; and the guilt triggered by actually seeing the pain inflicted on the victim (sociopaths may not have experienced the later, but most casual bullies are not sociopaths). With social media, there's no risk, and typically no feedback to trigger guilt. It's a new ball game. Just instructing kids in the niceties of social behavior, in the abstract, is not going to be nearly as effective.
I agree with you, but that's why I say it exposed the trait and didn't create it. It turns out a sizeable number of humans are nasty and vicious given the chance to be so safely, without fear of reprisal. We also see this with things like piracy of music or software. Reduce the chance of being caught or punished, and the rate at which we obey the law drops precipitously.
We achieved a veneer of civilisation through collective social pressures etc, as you suggest. And now technology makes that harder.
To tackle this by removing the opportunity is, at the very least, a missed opportunity for human growth.
But how to tackle it socially is indeed a difficult problem. Can education really offer no help?
If they can use an iPad for bullying, imagine what they would do with something sharp like a pen
No, it doesn't magically get rid of all bullying in school, but it does reduce it slightly.
They never said to ban iPads, just reduce school reliance on them - which was the reason they want to do it, they just happened to mention the contribution to bullying iPads have and now that's the headline.
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They do have a desktop setup with monitored student user accounts. For the most part, iPads are used during special occasions in a few lessons. They don't replace PCs yet, thankfully, otherwise Tim Cook would be happy and the next generation wouldn't know how to use a keyboard and mouse.
They can get educational discounts or buy through organisations that supply them for a reduced cost.
There might be a good lesson in the fact that Steve Jobs did not let his own children use an iPad when it came out.
"They haven't used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home," said Jobs, when asked what his kids thought of the iPad.
As his biographer noted:
Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things. They never pulled out a phone or tablet.
While selling millions of Apple devices that have changed society in ways that many abhor, Jobs made sure that none of his own kids became addicted to such devices.
Smart CEO. Smart parent. Dealt electronic drugs but kept them from his own kids.
"They haven't used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home," said Jobs, when asked what his kids thought of the iPad.
As his biographer noted:
Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things. They never pulled out a phone or tablet.
While selling millions of Apple devices that have changed society in ways that many abhor, Jobs made sure that none of his own kids became addicted to such devices.
Smart CEO. Smart parent. Dealt electronic drugs but kept them from his own kids.
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From what I've seen, most 1:1 programs are a crapshoot. The schools "integrate" iPads and MacBooks and whatever else so that they can look good and modern to the public and future students.
There hasn't been the software to really make all of this technology usable and effective in the classroom. The iPads are never REALLY integrated. They're handed to teachers and students and told "Hey here's technology for you to use... for.. something? What will you use this for? Well you'll figure it out!" (Not kidding about this either. Teachers now have students take notes on iPads that don't have keyboard accessories like the iPad Pro keyboard over. Technology! In the classroom!!!!!)
And sadly, iOS never gained the granularity and control that school admins could enforce via active directory. Even XServe/Mac OS X Server and OpenDirectory used to provide more control than configurator and profiles do today. Apple really, really needs to start relinquishing its control over iOS and what people can/can't do with it in order to address this. Education needs open, malleable systems.
These programs are usually poorly managed messes by schools that are too poor to actually have the supports to make this tech effective. And I have had this discussion with several school admins, in which I suggested that they keep and create both open and classroom labs as 1:1 programs won't ever replace that.
Further, just one anecdote: At my high school, we used to have four levels of programming courses, taught in a computer lab. Today, all of the students have either iPads or MacBook Airs and there is one "programming" course on HTML offered. This is partially due to low class registration. The students now have easier access to tech than me and my peers did, yet they seem to be less interested in actual tech/computery subjects. Think about that for a minute or two, then ask yourself what the hell is going on?
Make jokes about plowing fields and whatever, but this technology is not helping anyone.
Unreal! The problem here is bullying, not the iPad, in stead of banning the finest learning tool in the history of the world, why not sort out the bullying problem but dealing with the tiny minority that are bullying instead of punishing the well behaved students.
I think that schools should strike balance between modern technology and old school teaching techniques.
Children should use both tablets/desktops as well as books, notebooks and pens. Only then can we be sure that children will be able to write both with pen and keyboard. Handwriting has been crucial skill for millenias and we should not dismiss it so easily. It's always better to know more than less.
On the other hand, these school tablets should be locked just to school apps. All other priviliges should be unavailable for students. You won't tell me that <10 years old kids can outsmart software engineers. If iPads are vulnerable to exploitation, use other tablets. I'll also add, that if schools wish to be so modern, teacher should have large monitors on their desks with ability to monitor each and every tablet in classroom and ability to take direct control. This is large enough market to make manufacturers create software necessary to do this.
I'd also question values of tablet computer in a classroom. If it's just for reading books, it does nothing that regular book wouldn't. If it's for doing exercises, than how can student review his work at home? Do we assume that every student has tablet computer at home and has right OS and app necessary to do that?
Regular desktops and notebooks have much higher value. I've always argued that schools should teach students programming as early as possible. Programming encourages and teaches problem solving which then applies to everything in life. On the other hand, I'm glad for the way things are - we all can be sure we'll keep our jobs. Kids taught programming as soon as they learn reading and writing would be vastly more intelligernt than older generations.
Children should use both tablets/desktops as well as books, notebooks and pens. Only then can we be sure that children will be able to write both with pen and keyboard. Handwriting has been crucial skill for millenias and we should not dismiss it so easily. It's always better to know more than less.
On the other hand, these school tablets should be locked just to school apps. All other priviliges should be unavailable for students. You won't tell me that <10 years old kids can outsmart software engineers. If iPads are vulnerable to exploitation, use other tablets. I'll also add, that if schools wish to be so modern, teacher should have large monitors on their desks with ability to monitor each and every tablet in classroom and ability to take direct control. This is large enough market to make manufacturers create software necessary to do this.
I'd also question values of tablet computer in a classroom. If it's just for reading books, it does nothing that regular book wouldn't. If it's for doing exercises, than how can student review his work at home? Do we assume that every student has tablet computer at home and has right OS and app necessary to do that?
Regular desktops and notebooks have much higher value. I've always argued that schools should teach students programming as early as possible. Programming encourages and teaches problem solving which then applies to everything in life. On the other hand, I'm glad for the way things are - we all can be sure we'll keep our jobs. Kids taught programming as soon as they learn reading and writing would be vastly more intelligernt than older generations.
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good job ministers. Blame the tool, not the root of the issue or bullying. Take away the iPads, then take away phones, then take away pencils and pens so they can't do any writing because timmy is poking out philips eye with a HB. Kids will use slingshots or words...
Taking away the tool and not educating kids is not education
Taking away the tool and not educating kids is not education
I miss the old days, when bullying meant whenever they were bored, the 7th graders down the street would drive their dads truck into the park, jump out, beat the 3rd & 4th graders with baseball bats until we were bloody, then race off again laughing at us. Bullying it took a dentist and a lifetime of therapists to sort out.
Considering the world, and the lives today's offspring are being thrust into, all because of their parents own selfish primal desires, the ultimate act of bullying is having kids in the first place.
If you truly love your kids, leave them where they are, and don't have them.
Considering the world, and the lives today's offspring are being thrust into, all because of their parents own selfish primal desires, the ultimate act of bullying is having kids in the first place.
If you truly love your kids, leave them where they are, and don't have them.
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.Mate, quick fact check for you, none of these people were in school 10-15 years ago
Eh... hello, Tim..?
The iPad, when used correctly, CAN be a good learning tool.
BUT, the iPad can also be a very easy to use and difficult to manage bully-ing tool.
The question is: is the iPad making bully-ing too easy?
Should Apple create the ePad (i.e. Educational iPad akin eMac of yesteryear):
An iPad locked down by default, and can only be used in "whitelisting" mode, managed by the teacher?
Adding emphasis doesn’t change what your sentence says.
I know what you meant to say; which is that 10-15 years ago when you were in school, and also at the time Jobs et al were in school. What you said however is that you, Gates, Ellison, Brin etc all left school in 2006.
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He also tried to cure his pancreatic cancer with a special magic diet rather than medicine.
I think more worrying is the fact that here in the UK we have 7 year olds with damn iPhones and other 7 year olds wanting them as Christmas presents! All of my neighbours children of that age have them. It's horrifying. Apple has created a monster with these. In terms of phone / signal safety, i've always regarded mobile phones as a over 18 / adult product. Certainly not for little children. What a crazy world huh?
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In all fairness, Steve did the right thing exploring cancer cure. I've studied nutrition for 20 years, am a qualified Nutritionalist and I can tell you that medicine 'Chemotherapy' has a 3% success rate. It also causes long term irreparable damage to that 3% including eye failure. It's used because big pharma makes so much money from it!
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In all fairness, Steve did the right thing exploring cancer cure. I've studied nutrition for 20 years, am a qualified Nutritionalist and I can tell you that medicine 'Chemotherapy' has a 3% success rate. It also causes long term irreparable damage to that 3% including eye failure. It's used because big pharma makes so much money from it!
Yeah mate, studying nutrition doesn't make you an oncologist, it makes you someone who knows an awful lot about diet planning. So don't be too offended if I say that you aren't speaking from a position of authority.
Firstly "cancer" is not a single disease, no more than "virus" is, and chemotherapy is an extreme example of the treatments used, which can cause a 2-3% increase in survival rates (not the same as a success rate). Surgical intervention is also a common practice, removing the worst of the tumorous tissue if possible, or allowing the body to function around it in serious cases.
In the incidence of pancreatic cancer, the ten year survival rate is only 1% (in England and Wales), and fewer than 3% will survive even three years. In those circumstances, I would say fighting for a 2-3% increase in your chance of survival is incredibly worthwhile.
Meanwhile there exists no evidence for potential benefits to dietary changes or supplements in the cases of cancer treatments. There is however, plenty of advice about what to avoid so that the peer reviewed, clinically approved and most importantly, proven to work treatments aren't hindered by the fish oil and vitamin D the patient is casually overdosing on.
Yeah, big pharma are by no means perfect, but they are a damn sight better for treatment than changing your diet. Steve lived for seven years with his cancer diagnosis, he was (in so many ways) already within the 1% - something which I'm sure was nothing to do with being able to afford to secretly fly to Basel for cutting edge radiology.
Any cancer is a horrific and heartbreaking disease, please don't spread misinformation based on your 20 years as a "Nutritionalist". Incidently, is the word not nutritionist? Or is it one of those titles which is just different enough, like being a osteopractor?
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