Andrew- excellent article. Way back in 2012 and 2013 when I was a Lee County Commissioner, our then-Superintendent Jeff Moss reprogrammed millions of tax dollars into a large Chromebook purchase, misrepresenting his operational budget to the County Commissioners. As part of the caper, he cut a deal with the DPI to trade off teacher assistants (TA's) in Grades 2-3 to receive permission for moving their salary money around for the technology buy. He created a 1:1 laptop initiative out of thin air, all in the name of technology. Because he misrepresented his operational budget to commissioners, the schools were flat lined (no budget increases) for the next two years. He lost precious TA's permanently out of our school system- the very people who are instrumental in helping our lagging students to get back on grade level. Moreover, because he could not objectively demonstrate the merits of a 1:1 laptop program, he could not secure money for periodic technology refreshes, so many schools had insufficient Chromebooks for the number of students they had. The Supe aggravated the mistake by canceling the purchase of textbooks, meaning instructional materials were digital and often had to be accessed via the web, which many of the poorer families had no access to. Eventually, the school system quietly abandoned the 1:1 project as a dismal failure. It was a very hard lesson learned for our county. Fortunately, today, the Lee County Schools have a more technology-savvy Supe and School Board (all Republican, by the way), and student achievement and growth is on the rebound. All of this was the result of revisiting more traditional, foundational teaching methods, that compel students to apply core math skills, logic and reasoning in the classroom. Now, the movement is to remove other 'technology distractions' from the classrooms- namely cell phones and personal iPads. Technology has its place, but it should never get in the way of proven educational methods.
Thank you for this piece. As a mother of 3 CMS students and a substitute teacher in CMS - the technology issue you described is real. If a student’s device is not working - it can interrupt a lot of time. (But don’t get me started on 2 hours of ELA a day and an hour and a half of math - the devices are just the filler in those endless times).
I always describe a Kindergarten lesson I did: I read a story book (a real book) about “controlling time on a device”. (Thanks to the 20 minutes of SES), and then said, “Kids, now it’s time to take out your IPads).
As the parent of a rising kindergartner in Watauga County, I am very anxious about the impacts of 1:1 device policies. Thanks for writing about this issue and doing a deeper dive into the history of this in North Carolina. My own thoughts were recently published here: https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/the-right-balance-of-tech-for-nc-schools/
Andrew, with all due respect (and I do have great respect for you and your views), but I do not agree with the overall sense of your argument. You have chosen to fight the wrong battle, or certainly the worn enemy. Computers (in all of their many variations - laptops, tablet, etc) are not the enemy. They are devices, plain and simple. It is their use with which you have a valid argument!
There are lots of battles in this war, not just the device battle. Textbooks are expensive and misused. They are often outdated BEFORE they even reach the classroom. And choosing new ones and changing them out is expensive, frequent and disruptive. We also have failed to teach our teachers how to effectively use digital devices as well as we have not taught students how to use a device for something other than a gameboy (I know that is not entirely true, but it is more true than false).
The fact is that the digital environment is here to stay, it is not a fad. I do not know of a single business, any business, that does not use digital devices as an integral part of doing business. Whether it is chasing trucks, checking prices and inventory, getting information or communicating, every business uses a digital device of some type. In that vein, it is commonly accepted knowledge that we actually use less than half of the power of a digital device (and I do not mean voltage). And a graduate cannot get a job without some fundamental knowledge of digital operations.
Among the many challenges is that the students are often far ahead of the teachers in the use of digital devices. In fact, many adults are simply afraid of the devices resulting in misuse and misguidance. In our schools of education, the teachers teaching the teachers to be teachers have often NOT been in the classroom in more than 30 years. Today’s students are quite different than the students of 30 or even 20 years ago! They are more immature, they are less disciplined and they are influenced by a great many more outside pressures than the students of your or my day (I graduated from high school in 1962).
Then there is government intervention, always telling how and what to teach. Our founding fathers saw no role for government in education 250 years ago. But 250 years later, the government (at every level) sticks its nose into education putting burdens on educators that would have been unimaginable when I was an elementary student. That alone has upended, politicized and taken education outcomes backwards!
I do understand the disruptive nature of digital devices in the classroom. That fault belongs to us all. It has become human nature to chase bright shiny objects that whir, whistle, flash and entertain. We humans simply can no longer stifle ourselves. It impacts our communications, our relationships and our engagements. And, just like the age-old accusation of the military, we are often fighting the wrong battle. To throw out technology in education is to hide our heads in the sand. Change is hard, the world is moving fast and education is both personal and confusing. We have about 2 million students in this state, over 110,000 teachers in just K-12. It’s a mess and a challenge and there is no perfect answer. One size of ANYTHING does not fit all.
My son’s handwriting was atrocious until I took him off the devices. Parents need to know that there are opt out clauses in the handbooks but most never read them nor exercise the rights.
When I asked his elementary school to take him off devices in 2014, I was forced to have a sit down with the whole teaching team plus admin to make my case. I won and because he was now forced to write-his writing became good. His teachers had to print his work and I doubt it was all that painful.
That being said-the bigger issue with the 1-1 devices is not budgetary, it is that device-loaded curricula can be changed on the fly. Our kids need stable and truthful education not propaganda fed by the NGO of the moment.
Andrew, great article. I am so grateful my daughters learned to read and write, take notes, etc., way before any screens. My grandkids have always had screens, but didn't learn how to read on them. (They are 23 and 20, and both went through the CMS public schools, as did my daughters). Learning to do only sight reading is not the best way to learn... phonics works so much better. I taught kids to read years ago. Screens have a place to supplement if needed, but nothing beats learning with proper in-person, real-life teaching. Learning to write, take notes, etc., makes a big difference; it wires your brain differently.
My granddaughter finished her sophomore year at NC State in June. She did okay and has learned that online self-directed learning (i.e., watching video lectures) is NOT for her. She needs to be in class to ask the questions in person and to take written notes.
Thanks for your article. I hope you publish it in the local papers, in addition to Substack. It is time to stop spending money where it is not needed and focus on where it is.
The solution as always is to defund public schools and put parents in charge of the education of their children. The state will always make the wrong decision.
Andrew- excellent article. Way back in 2012 and 2013 when I was a Lee County Commissioner, our then-Superintendent Jeff Moss reprogrammed millions of tax dollars into a large Chromebook purchase, misrepresenting his operational budget to the County Commissioners. As part of the caper, he cut a deal with the DPI to trade off teacher assistants (TA's) in Grades 2-3 to receive permission for moving their salary money around for the technology buy. He created a 1:1 laptop initiative out of thin air, all in the name of technology. Because he misrepresented his operational budget to commissioners, the schools were flat lined (no budget increases) for the next two years. He lost precious TA's permanently out of our school system- the very people who are instrumental in helping our lagging students to get back on grade level. Moreover, because he could not objectively demonstrate the merits of a 1:1 laptop program, he could not secure money for periodic technology refreshes, so many schools had insufficient Chromebooks for the number of students they had. The Supe aggravated the mistake by canceling the purchase of textbooks, meaning instructional materials were digital and often had to be accessed via the web, which many of the poorer families had no access to. Eventually, the school system quietly abandoned the 1:1 project as a dismal failure. It was a very hard lesson learned for our county. Fortunately, today, the Lee County Schools have a more technology-savvy Supe and School Board (all Republican, by the way), and student achievement and growth is on the rebound. All of this was the result of revisiting more traditional, foundational teaching methods, that compel students to apply core math skills, logic and reasoning in the classroom. Now, the movement is to remove other 'technology distractions' from the classrooms- namely cell phones and personal iPads. Technology has its place, but it should never get in the way of proven educational methods.
Holy cow. Losing TAs for Chromebooks is a horrible trade.
Thank you for this piece. As a mother of 3 CMS students and a substitute teacher in CMS - the technology issue you described is real. If a student’s device is not working - it can interrupt a lot of time. (But don’t get me started on 2 hours of ELA a day and an hour and a half of math - the devices are just the filler in those endless times).
I always describe a Kindergarten lesson I did: I read a story book (a real book) about “controlling time on a device”. (Thanks to the 20 minutes of SES), and then said, “Kids, now it’s time to take out your IPads).
This is not the teachers’ faults.
Oh, the irony!
As the parent of a rising kindergartner in Watauga County, I am very anxious about the impacts of 1:1 device policies. Thanks for writing about this issue and doing a deeper dive into the history of this in North Carolina. My own thoughts were recently published here: https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/the-right-balance-of-tech-for-nc-schools/
Your piece is excellent!
Andrew, with all due respect (and I do have great respect for you and your views), but I do not agree with the overall sense of your argument. You have chosen to fight the wrong battle, or certainly the worn enemy. Computers (in all of their many variations - laptops, tablet, etc) are not the enemy. They are devices, plain and simple. It is their use with which you have a valid argument!
There are lots of battles in this war, not just the device battle. Textbooks are expensive and misused. They are often outdated BEFORE they even reach the classroom. And choosing new ones and changing them out is expensive, frequent and disruptive. We also have failed to teach our teachers how to effectively use digital devices as well as we have not taught students how to use a device for something other than a gameboy (I know that is not entirely true, but it is more true than false).
The fact is that the digital environment is here to stay, it is not a fad. I do not know of a single business, any business, that does not use digital devices as an integral part of doing business. Whether it is chasing trucks, checking prices and inventory, getting information or communicating, every business uses a digital device of some type. In that vein, it is commonly accepted knowledge that we actually use less than half of the power of a digital device (and I do not mean voltage). And a graduate cannot get a job without some fundamental knowledge of digital operations.
Among the many challenges is that the students are often far ahead of the teachers in the use of digital devices. In fact, many adults are simply afraid of the devices resulting in misuse and misguidance. In our schools of education, the teachers teaching the teachers to be teachers have often NOT been in the classroom in more than 30 years. Today’s students are quite different than the students of 30 or even 20 years ago! They are more immature, they are less disciplined and they are influenced by a great many more outside pressures than the students of your or my day (I graduated from high school in 1962).
Then there is government intervention, always telling how and what to teach. Our founding fathers saw no role for government in education 250 years ago. But 250 years later, the government (at every level) sticks its nose into education putting burdens on educators that would have been unimaginable when I was an elementary student. That alone has upended, politicized and taken education outcomes backwards!
I do understand the disruptive nature of digital devices in the classroom. That fault belongs to us all. It has become human nature to chase bright shiny objects that whir, whistle, flash and entertain. We humans simply can no longer stifle ourselves. It impacts our communications, our relationships and our engagements. And, just like the age-old accusation of the military, we are often fighting the wrong battle. To throw out technology in education is to hide our heads in the sand. Change is hard, the world is moving fast and education is both personal and confusing. We have about 2 million students in this state, over 110,000 teachers in just K-12. It’s a mess and a challenge and there is no perfect answer. One size of ANYTHING does not fit all.
Craig Horn, former Legislator
Valid points! Thanks so much for sharing.
My blood boils over all of it.
My son’s handwriting was atrocious until I took him off the devices. Parents need to know that there are opt out clauses in the handbooks but most never read them nor exercise the rights.
When I asked his elementary school to take him off devices in 2014, I was forced to have a sit down with the whole teaching team plus admin to make my case. I won and because he was now forced to write-his writing became good. His teachers had to print his work and I doubt it was all that painful.
That being said-the bigger issue with the 1-1 devices is not budgetary, it is that device-loaded curricula can be changed on the fly. Our kids need stable and truthful education not propaganda fed by the NGO of the moment.
Andrew, great article. I am so grateful my daughters learned to read and write, take notes, etc., way before any screens. My grandkids have always had screens, but didn't learn how to read on them. (They are 23 and 20, and both went through the CMS public schools, as did my daughters). Learning to do only sight reading is not the best way to learn... phonics works so much better. I taught kids to read years ago. Screens have a place to supplement if needed, but nothing beats learning with proper in-person, real-life teaching. Learning to write, take notes, etc., makes a big difference; it wires your brain differently.
My granddaughter finished her sophomore year at NC State in June. She did okay and has learned that online self-directed learning (i.e., watching video lectures) is NOT for her. She needs to be in class to ask the questions in person and to take written notes.
Thanks for your article. I hope you publish it in the local papers, in addition to Substack. It is time to stop spending money where it is not needed and focus on where it is.
The solution as always is to defund public schools and put parents in charge of the education of their children. The state will always make the wrong decision.