America’s tech-filled classrooms are facing a backlash against school-assigned devices

印刷用画面を開く

Posted

Category: Education/Family

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. reckoning / ˈrɛk ə nɪŋ / (n.) – a time when the serious or painful consequences of past choices must finally be faced
    Example:

    The company ignored customer complaints for years, but now they are facing a financial reckoning as sales drop.


  2. saturated / ˈsætʃ əˌreɪ tɪd / (adj.) – completely full of something that there is no room left for any more; completely filled
    Example:

    The smartphone market is so saturated with inexpensive models that it is hard for a new company to succeed.


  3. audit / ˈɔ dɪt / (v.) – to officially check the financial records, business agreements, or reports of a company or organization to ensure they are correct
    Example:

    The company will audit all its agreements and deals with other companies to see exactly where this year’s budget is going.


  4. crackdown / ˈkrækˌdaʊn / (n.) – a sudden, serious effort to make people follow rules or laws and stop behavior that is no longer allowed
    Example:

    The city’s new crackdown on speeding drivers helped make the local streets much safer.


  5. lobby / ˈlɒ bi / (v.) – to try to persuade leaders, local officials, or people in power to change a law, make a new rule, or support a specific decision
    Example:

    The residents lobbied against the construction of a factory near their homes.


Article

Read the text below.

Just a few years ago, America’s public schools were rushing to get every child a laptop. Los Angeles middle school teacher Anna Soffer remembers it well: “The idea was that technology is the future, so we need to put tech in every child’s hands.”


Now, the conversation has flipped. After pouring billions of dollars into laptops, tablets, and learning apps, many schools are facing a digital reckoning. Classrooms have become saturated with screens, and a growing number of parents, teachers, and school districts are saying it is time to scale back.


“The Chromebook is just a world of distraction,” says Soffer, who teaches sixth-grade English and history. She favors pen-and-paper assignments but is required to use laptops and online apps for certain activities. “Every day, I’m battling, ‘Who would you rather listen to, Ms. Soffer or Minecraft?'”


The Los Angeles Unified School District, where Soffer teaches, recently became the first major school district to say it will stop giving devices to its youngest students. It is part of a new screen time policy taking effect in the fall across the country’s second-largest school system.


A sweeping resolution passed last April by the Los Angeles school board requires the district to eliminate devices until second grade; set daily and weekly screen limits for all higher grades; block YouTube on school devices; and ban the use of devices at lunch and recess in elementary and middle school. The district will also audit its education technology contracts, which the teachers’ union says amount to $1.6 billion.


The Los Angeles crackdown is adding momentum to calls for reform emerging around the country. In many cases, parents lobbied a few years ago for school cellphone bans, which have now become the norm. Realizing phones weren’t the only classroom distraction, they pivoted to a new target: school-issued devices.


The campaign for change is becoming a public policy issue. At least 14 states have proposed laws to limit screen time in schools, according to Ballotpedia. The federal government issued an advisory warning that excessive screen use among youth is becoming a growing public health concern.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • The article states that the Los Angeles school board passed a resolution to eliminate digital devices until the second grade. In your opinion, what is the ideal age or school grade for a child to start using electronic devices for learning? Why do you think this is the right time? If children start using technology in school too early or too late, what problems could it cause for their future development? Discuss.
  • Under the new policy, the school district will also ban the use of devices during lunch and recess for elementary and middle school students. What activities should students be encouraged to do during their free time at school instead of looking at screens, and how might this ban change the way they interact with each other? Do you think it is fair for schools to control what students do during their free break times, or should students have the freedom to choose how they relax? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Just a few years ago, America’s public schools were rushing to give every child a laptop, but now the conversation has flipped, and many districts are scaling back. When a major policy changes so quickly, do you think it shows that leaders are open to changing their minds and learning from mistakes, or does it show that they didn’t plan carefully in the first place? How do you think this kind of quick change in school rules and leadership affects the students and the educational system? Discuss.
  • The article mentions that billions of dollars were spent on laptops, tablets, and learning apps before schools faced this “digital reckoning.” If you were a school director, would you prefer to invest limited school funds into modern technology or into traditional resources like smaller class sizes, books, and better classrooms? Discuss.