VERYSTORMY Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Just wondering what are member think. http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/29/the-no-tech-school-where-screens-are-off-limits-even-at-home i am passionate about education and wonder about this. We have friends in the UK that have pretty much instigated this with their children I have to say the kids are wonderful, engaging and very advanced. Personally, I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 That's a good way to keep the electricity bill down. Not so sure it's a great idea for a modern establishment to exclude modern technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 That's a good way to keep the electricity bill down. Not so sure it's a great idea for a modern establishment to exclude modern technology. Why? It produces very high standards in IT at A level and funny enough of the parents choosing it, a lot are working in IT. For me, it is actually obvious. It forces the kids to think about things rather than just google an answer. An answer which is usually, in my experience volunteering in teaching, wrong. I think ink that kids access to IT is not beneficial and seriously inhibits their ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 At first glance sounds like a wonderful idea though too strict in a way. We didn't have phones when I was growing up but had TV and films. Just that I wasn't that interested in watching TV when I could be outside playing football, cricket, riding bikes, with mates. TV was nice to sit and relax for a bit with though before bed and I remember a lot of kids used to get into one particular program at times. Man from Uncle was one when I was at school and it gave a lot of kids into it something to talk about. Going on a nature walk as a kid would have bored me to tears and I would have been a pain in the butt to the teachers. Give me a cross country run in 2 foot of mud though and I was in my element. It's going to suit some kids and not others. I think you would have to get them in there young as kids don't miss what they've never had. I really believe that a lot of the worries, angst and even the rate of suicide and depression amongst the young is a lot to do with the 24 hour constant wanting to communicate and possible feeling on not being involved, if they're not attached or have access to some sort of mobile device. How many cases have we seen of young people committing suicide and getting depressed because of on-line bullying? Loads. It's a massive issue amongst the young, as bad as the ice and drug problems and going to get worse. There are already clinics being set up, mostly in Asian countries at the moment, specifically trying to wean kids off games and devices. Don't know how it will work as the kids get older and get friends who've had phones and gadgets all their lives though. You can't prevent them from mixing with other people the same age, otherwise it will turn into another cult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Technology is here and it's here to stay so I can't see the benefits. When I was a kid we had encyclopaedias , really no different. As for the social media side. If they've not had access to it, I'd be worried what will happen in the real world when they work in an environment that will be using it. My sons Humanities project at the moment has them all using social media as an experiment. To not have any of it can Bly be a negative in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I think this is quite a good idea up to about the age of 11 or 12. After that they would be disadvantaged I think. My grandchildren all have to have ipads from the age of 7 and this is the other extreme which I don't agree with at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 This particular school sounds a bit over the top. Although restricting some technology to encourage thinking especially at a younger age appeals to me. But I think as we get older we have to avoid thinking "well I didn't have it so it isn't necessary" because the world moves on. We were first allowed calculators at school when we were about 12 or 13 and started trigonometry, my mother was outraged because she had used a slide rule and felt that we should too, but I honestly don't think my inability to use a slide rule has hindered me in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slean Wolfhead Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 We had a Steiner school by us, and i made a lot of friends from there. The ones who had rich parents (famous rock group kids) have prospered, but they probably would have had a fairly easy steer through life anyway. Of the "normal" kids, as far as i know, none left with any decent qualifications and they have all struggled to get by in the competitive job environment post-school. A few poets, sculptors, artists and experimental musicians...they all struggle to make ends meet. I am all for original thought however. ICT as we know it now is all based on computation, decomposition and classification, all derived from logic and original thought, Computers didn't invent themselves, they are a tool....but if you haven't got the mind to see a purpose for the tool, you wouldn't have needed to invent it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 I was chatting about this to a friend in London the other day. He was very aware of the school as he had considered sending his kids there. Interestingly, he is a very senior IT person and thinks the kids will be a huge benefit for the IT industry. His reason was that they have no shortage of kids coming through with great IT skills. But, they have a huge issue with finding kids that are very imaginative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toOZ2012 Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 I was chatting about this to a friend in London the other day. He was very aware of the school as he had considered sending his kids there. Interestingly, he is a very senior IT person and thinks the kids will be a huge benefit for the IT industry. His reason was that they have no shortage of kids coming through with great IT skills. But, they have a huge issue with finding kids that are very imaginative. Very true. To quote Ken Robinson - We are educating(taking away) creativity out of our children. I think technology should be used to improve their imagination and hands on abilities. Let children think than look-up information in books or otherwise. As the saying goes - Teach how to think and not what to think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I don't understand why things have to be extreme - I think there is too much emphasis on using 'technology' without necessarily equipping young people to know how to properly use it, and I also believe it becomes a substitute for learning some pretty basic life skills; but I don't think that banning all screens is really the way to go either. High-quality TV programs can stimulate one's mind, show a different perspective, and provide a base for a child to use their own imagination - when I was young, we used to play 'Star Wars' in the playground, making up a story with roles for everyone. So, that film provided us with a stimulus to create an imaginary world, that required us to run and jump, and interact with each other - we had to have a rough plan of who was doing what so we worked together to make some fun. It's about context and I think it's also about parents taking responsibility for ensuring that their children are exposed to a range of activities, and spending time encouraging their children to do more than just sit and dumbly stare at a screen. There are some great kids' programs that encourage children to make things, to learn about wildlife and growing plants - but to really get the most out of that sort of TV program, ideally you have parents who watch it too and offer the opportunity to do some related activities. These days it's hard to that because TV is available 24/7 and often both parents are working long hours; that's a problem for which we need to find a workable solution, I feel - but 'no screens' seems to ignore the fact that intelligent use of technology is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Each to their own, but the kids cannot go through their post-school lives without technology. I have no doubt this school produces IT whizzes, because kids & teenagers will always be fascinated with things that are forbidden so they will certainly be curious. I'm the parent of a toddler and I see social media & technology generally as one of the big challenges of parenting when she's older. I think it's up to parents to show kids how to use technology, how to identify possible risks and to know when to switch it off. This school may well teach that, but it's hard to see how if they don't have access to it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Remember - the kids to get access to IT, just not until year 11 and 12. As for TV screens, personally I don't think there is any need for kids to watch TV. I have a number of friends whom don't own a television. Most are highly educated academics. Until we moved to Australia, we only had a tiny little black and white that sat in the bedroom and maybe switched on once a week. The plan with the impending digital revolution was for us to throw it in the bin and not replace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfromdublin Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Yeah fair enough. I would have no problem with someone else choosing this approach and I'd find it interesting, but I would prefer to have control over how and when to introduce technology myself. Generally I agree with their mindset regarding tech and kids, just not their approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.