Are Paulwell's tablets the right prescription?

[Islandman]

BY KAMINA JOHNSON SMITH
Monday, May 06, 2013




THE announcement was exciting and made with much fanfare. It is now being supported on radio by JIS skits in time allowed for Government broadcasts, with a young man and woman talking about how they wish they could go back to high school to get some of this "niceness", which was never around when they were there.
* Eight hundred and fifty million dollars.
* Twenty thousand tablets.
* Thirty schools among the lowest performing institutions.
* Five early childhood institutions; five primary schools; 10 junior high schools; 10 high schools.
* Distribution to all students and teachers in the selected schools.
* All tablets loaded with age-appropriate games and apps, software and textbooks, plus tracking devices.
What's not to love, right?
Until we look at the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) identification of the problems of the lowest performing schools.
In the majority of the lowest performing schools, the NEI often diagnoses problems with leadership, lack of accountability, challenges with teachers, students learning at levels below their actual placement, and more often than not, significant problems with discipline.
There is also likely to be a higher level of undiagnosed learning challenges, and mixed levels of abilities within classes. Dropping 20,000 homogenous tablets with standard software in that mix certainly cannot correct those issues or allow the institutions to leapfrog.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz2SWNt0Jpe

[Islandman]

I had some of these thoughts when I heard about this, but I would think that the value they provide will depend on what program they put in place to make use of them.

One would hope that some of the funds provided has been set aside for implementation, and it is not just spent all on the equipment. You never know with govt though.

[Assasin]

you know how I feel about kids and technology. This can be good but it has to be used in the right way and for the right purpose.

I am still convince though that our basic problem start from the home and that that basic academics must be instilled in kids from a young age. I hope the schools will find useful apps and help the kids with their academics in the process.

[Islandman]

Yes so much research is showing that that early childhood education is the critical foundation. When students fall behind in reading and basic maths at that age it becomes a very difficult task to catch up in all areas later.

The home problem is a very hard one to do much about though. You can take some children out of the environment but not all of them, and you can't stop people from having children they cannot take care of.

When people are barely surviving day to day it is hard to get them to think about the longer term . For them the long term is what we going to eat this week!

[Assasin]

"The home problem is a very hard one to do much about though"
Many homes with two parents or middle income parents with children do well not because they are rich but because they spend time with their kids and encourage them to do heavy lifting.

We have to do something about it. I don't know what you do with a kid at ten year old coming to class and the only thing they know is "dutty wine" and gun tunes, smoking herb and hustling.

We either have to teach the parents are have the wider community work with them including the church. Make them better prepared to go to school.

"When people are barely surviving day to day it is hard to get them to think about the longer term . For them the long term is what we going to eat this week"

Really don't really buy that know how my grandmother took in so many children from different background and encouraged them. You see I think that is what we sell the children them. To be poor is not a crime and we have to have nothing in our pocket and look towards tomorrow. That is what I believe I-man. We have to be proud even when we have nothing.

[Willi]

If dem a juk down and stab people for smartphones, what dem going to do to skoolers with kris tablets?

Disaster waiting to happen.

[Willi]

Any solution will by definition be low tech in our case.

Grand waste of time. We need brains not silicon chips...real intelligence, not the artificial stuff.

[Don1]

Paulwell should be told that the issue here is NOT about the technology...it's about the Apps...the Applications

The tablets should be tied to some REQUIRED objectives...driven by an installed app with an agreed, measurable outcome....with the penalty of loss of the device or a payback for it if there is a failure. So the applications/rewards/penalties should be decided first...not the machine or the technology

For example this would be perfect for a CAD module or contest...with the student receiving the machine only after meeting some prerequisites and agreeing to the prescription set by the targeted outcome

Otherwise it's a waste of resources....a boondoggle putting the cart before the horse

Politicians generally don't make good education policymakers... this will most likely be the case here unfortunately

[Assasin]

rasss man. Just as mi right you off you make a very good post. LOL

[Don1]

My posts are generally excellent... so a write off is not indicated

[Islandman]

But your grandmother is not the norm though.

It is very rare for a parent, worse a single parent, who has no skills and has never worked in a job or for themselves to pass on a good work ethic to their children. Somebody else in their life going to have to do that. Maybe that person is in church or at school or coach their football team. But govt alone cannot do that.

We not really disagreeing much. Your grandmother was a part of the community and made a difference in lives where maybe the parents were lacking. I am saying we need more of that as I don't think the parents alone can do it either in many cases as they are not equipped.

[Assasin]

"My posts are generally excellent"

When you read them. LOL

[Don1]

"My posts are generally excellent"

When you read them. LOL

Yes...and I do read all of them

Ergo...they are excellent

Dats what we call logic yuteman...get familiar

Now dats settled...riggle mi dis...

Do you strive for excellence in your posts?? Careful now

[Assasin]

most of the time I am doing 3 things while posting so I hardly worry about grammar etc. Rum bar it name.

[Don1]

most of the time I am doing 3 things while posting so I hardly worry about grammar etc. Rum bar it name.

that's not the question to be answered nor is it even an adequate excuse...I venture everyone is multi-tasking...dats di nature of modern livity

now...ansa di riggle pls