Amazon makes big Kindle push in U.S. schools

[obsessed2]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

A local school district did exactly that-



http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-d...school_te.html

It's not like we're in dire financial straits here in NJ or anything....

Wow! NJ Teachers Union Gone Wild, Round 2? Look at all the smiles on those faces. While I certainly support the use of technology to eventually replace textbooks, putting iPads in the hands of every student is just asking for trouble.


$69 Kindles are a much more cost effective solution. They are also easier on the pocketbooks of taxpayers.


iPad Academy? Come on.

[kevinp]

A few years back we bought new Dell laptops at my school. What should've been around $600 ended up being over $1,000. To get in on the contract, we had to buy the laptops AND the deluxe leather bags AND a cable lock AND a surge suppressor (for a laptop?) AND Norton Anti-Virus AND a Dell brand mouse. Maybe a few other things in there, I don't remember.

[obsessed2]

Originally Posted by kevinp

A few years back we bought new Dell laptops at my school. What should've been around $600 ended up being over $1,000. To get in on the contract, we had to buy the laptops AND the deluxe leather bags AND a cable lock AND a surge suppressor (for a laptop?) AND Norton Anti-Virus AND a Dell brand mouse. Maybe a few other things in there, I don't remember.

It really is a racket. Another great example:


http://virginiabeach.wtkr.com/news/n...100-easy-steps



Is it any wonder why our teachers are underpaid?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by obsessed2

It really is a racket. Another great example:

Is it any wonder why our teachers are underpaid?

Come on! The digital divide is a national disgrace, haven't you heard?
It is more important to get the kids using all the latest tech than teaching mundane stuff like reading and math...

[frahse]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

A local school district did exactly that-

http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-d...school_te.html

It's not like we're in dire financial straits here in NJ or anything....

I started to make a comment but caution won out. (It would have been a race among the moderators to hand me a "black card."

[david_e]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Come on! The digital divide is a national disgrace, haven't you heard?
It is more important to get the kids using all the latest tech than teaching mundane stuff like reading and math...

Perhaps, if they were engaged in a manner they are familiar with and enjoy using, those basic subjects wouldn't be such a struggle.

[david_e]

Originally Posted by obsessed2

...$69 Kindles are a much more cost effective solution. They are also easier on the pocketbooks of taxpayers...

Yes, but text books aren't just text, there are pics, charts, and graphs, too. You aren't going to stimulate anyone's mind with grayscale.

Also, some children learn and retain information better when they hear it, not read it. Text to speech can help more students than just the sight impaired.

Some things cost more because they provide more value. If their parents, communities, and the education system hadn't failed them, more people would realize this. You don't scrimp when it comes to education.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by david_e

Perhaps, if they were engaged in a manner they are familiar with and enjoy using, those basic subjects wouldn't be such a struggle.

The thing is, the educational establishmennt has been experimenting with all sorts of techie manners that "are familiar, etc" for decades with zero long-term gains to show for the billions of bucks thrown at the problem.

In the meantime, there is a whole range of schools that teach basics through the old-fashioned engagement method of human to human interaction, with measurable effectiveness.

I'd be more sympathetic to the educational use of tech toys in *public* schools if those same schools weren't constantly decrying the need for more money to hire more teachers and if the ratio of supervisors to actual educators were lower.

[ApK]

Regarding the ADA challenges mentioned earlier, if I recall what I read on this forum correctly, the issue previously was that the books they were going to use were ONLY available as ebooks, not print.
As long as the disabled folk have access to print editions, there should not be an issue, right?

Originally Posted by david_e

You aren't going to stimulate anyone's mind with grayscale.

I hope that was ironic. I mean, why would a forum full of READERS think that plain old b&w text could possibly be mentally stimulating...

[fjtorres]

Hmm, it appears that allowing students to use school-owned iPads did result in an advanced educational experience:
http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2...ys-no#comments

[JSWolf]

A 6" eink reader is a very bad idea for school books. It's just not going to work. Plastic based or not.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

A 6" eink reader is a very bad idea for school books. It's just not going to work. Plastic based or not.

Good thing, then, that the Amazon educational push includes the Fire Tablets, especially the 9-incher.