Tech for Tots?

[3113]

In case you were wondering what to buy for the next baby shower....from here:

This month two new tablets aimed at children under 10 hit the market. Last week my colleague reported on educational toy maker LeapFrog's new LeapPad, a $99, 5-inch tablet designed with 4- to 9-year-olds in mind. And Friday Amazon started taking preorders for the Vinci, a tablet aimed at little ones as young as zero months old.

Talk about the infant stages of technology!

The Vinci, which will be available later this month, is a 7-inch touch pad that lies suspended in a protective soft-cornered case that is easy for tiny hands to grip and will protect the tablet from some serious baby banging around. Like the LeapPad, it does not have Wi-Fi functionality, so parents don't have to worry about what their 2-year-old might download.

But don't be deceived by the soft baby-proof packaging; the Vinci is packing some serious power. As the company's website says: "The Vinci is not an imitation -- it is a real touch-screen Android-based product, bringing the most advanced technology to the benefit of our youngest citizens."

Maybe that explains the hefty price tag: It's selling for $389.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0153905b211c970b-800wi

 

[sr71plt]

School system-provided tablets are hitting our local schools and many of the parents are balking, saying they don't want to take the responsibility for their kid walking around with a $1,200 piece of electronic equipment--and also possibly using it for far more than checking their lessons. And many don't have wireless in their homes, which apparently is required. I get the impression the school system didn't see this coming.

 

[3113]

School system-provided tablets are hitting our local schools and many of the parents are balking, saying they don't want to take the responsibility for their kid walking around with a $1,200 piece of electronic equipment--and also possibly using it for far more than checking their lessons. And many don't have wireless in their homes, which apparently is required. I get the impression the school system didn't see this coming.

How could it cost $1,200? iPads run around $500 and there are used ones for less--that's if you want to go upscale. HP--going out of business--is selling $99 tablets. Not saying that this alleviates the parents worries about their kid handling expensive equipment--it's still more pricy and delicate than a notebook and the price comes out of the parents' pockets. Maybe there should be some sort of insurance that comes with the purchase of such a devise? Maybe provided by the school so that if the kid breaks it, it can be replaced without sending parents to the poor house?

As for wi-fi, though the parents might not have it in the home, the school and other places often do--like libraries. When it comes to ebooks those are usually on the tablet, not on-line, so the kid can read them wi-fi or not, and certain homework programs would also be downloads, so they could be on the tablet to work on, wi-fi or not. Making wi-fi required only at school or, now and then after school where available like at a library, wouldn't be so bad. And my iPad has parental controls to keep the kids from stuff that isn't homework.

The parents do have a viable grievance here as tablets are not cheap or break-proof, and there are both limits and complications to requiring them for schoolwork, but I'm not sure why it's as expensive and troubling as you make it sound.

 

[sr71plt]

$1,200 each was the price for a set up tablet that was identified by the media reports. You'll have to ask them this question if you want to argue the cost.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

$1,200 each was the price for a set up tablet that was identified by the media reports. You'll have to ask them this question if you want to argue the cost.

Tablets cost between $100-$600. They are essential in today's life with the apps and the need to submit essays and get advice from teachers.

Hey guys, we've moved a quantum leap beyond white boards and written essays.

sr, do you keep your inkwell full?

 

[PennLady]

Tablets cost between $100-$600. They are essential in today's life with the apps and the need to submit essays and get advice from teachers.

Hey guys, we've moved a quantum leap beyond white boards and written essays.

sr, do you keep your inkwell full?

I think you guys are missing the point. SR said in his local school system, the cost of the tablets was stated in the local media as $1200 -- I would guess that includes software or textbooks or what have you. I'd balk at that myself. I wouldn't want to have to lay out that kind of money, and if there's no wi-fi in places, that could make it hard for the kids. What good is it if they need online access after school and can't get it? It's all well and good if schools and libraries have it, but what if the kids can't take advantage of that outside of school hours?

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

Tablets cost between $100-$600. They are essential in today's life with the apps and the need to submit essays and get advice from teachers.

Hey guys, we've moved a quantum leap beyond white boards and written essays.

sr, do you keep your inkwell full?

The world isn't divided into people who want kids to have tablets in school and luddites who want to return to the time of inkwells. And these tablets weren't between $100-$600; they are $1,100, and something a parent must agree to pay for if lost or damaged. Otherwise, their child can't really participate in the school's academic program. That is a large amount of money, especially in times when most families don't have extra cash lying around, and if the family has more than one child.

I keep wondering what the teachers think of all of this, and if the district has really thought this program through. Assuming the wifi is always on in school, and assuming students can have their tablets out during class, how are the teachers to stop their students from checking their email, reading sports sections of newspapers, doing homework for other classes, etc? I assume they'll block ESPN and a host of other sites, but kids are smart; there are ways around those blocks. I mean, I'm an adult and even I start to surf the web or do other work when I'm on a boring call or in a dull meeting. I had college kids looking at porn in my class, for goodness sake, and who knows how many others were checking their email while supposedly taking notes. There's a reason so many schools and instructors prohibit the use of laptops and phones in their classes. They are huge temptations to not pay attention, and I'm not convinced that more technology leads to better learning. God knows powerpoint, when used by incompetent instructors, is more a detriment than a benefit.

And if students can't have them out during class, then what's the point of the tablet? If a child comes from a home with wifi at home, then presumably, there is a computer there for them to use; no need for the tablet. If a child doesn't come from a home with wifi, then this thing is pretty much useless, especially if the child is involved in extra-curicular activities (which probably occur during the only hours the school library is open) or has a job.

Finally, education spending is all about the tradeoffs; there's no bottomless pit of money, especially now. I don't know much about Charlottesville's schools, but I wonder if $1,100 per student on a tablet is really the best way to spend money. According to an article (here), the cost of the program is $2.4 million. Maybe tablets are the best way to spend that money, but if I were a parent in that district, I'd be a bit miffed.


As for 3113's post... um, no, the kidlet won't be getting one of those anytime soon. However, I have found that if I can't find my iPhone and I've turned the ringer off, all I have to do is put the kidlet down and let her wander. She'll find it in under five minutes. Shiny screens are like toddler homing beacons.


ETA: And as for tablets being "essential"... maybe, but they're so easy my grandmother learned how to use one in a day. I don't think kids need an adult to teach them how to use technology; it's usually the other way around. If you want to teach a kid something about technology that is useful, teach them some basic programming skills so they can fix their own problems and not be helpless.

 

[lovecraft68]

This will just lead to more dumbing down of the next generation. As it is without technology these kids are all but drooling idiots.

They cannot make change, they cannot remember phone numbers because they are all in their cell. They do not remember how to get anywhere because the gps tells them how.

Their idea of research is typing in something on google and copy and pasting material they find there. Their social skills are dwindling because they talk via texting and facebook.

So lets start getting them dumber even younger now. The computer and internet simply give answers. They are not being taught to learn, think, figure things out for themselves. They are being raised with no ability to reason.

The good news for people our age is we can rule the world in the event of a power out age. With our uncanny ability to do math problems in our head and remember how to actually "do" something not read about it.

 

[LettersFromTatyana]

This will just lead to more dumbing down of the next generation. As it is without technology these kids are all but drooling idiots.

They cannot make change, they cannot remember phone numbers because they are all in their cell. They do not remember how to get anywhere because the gps tells them how.

I can't remember phone numbers. I know my own and my parents', but couldn't tell you my husband's. I'm terrible with directions, and rely on my GPS to get anywhere outside my town. If my memory only holds X amount, I'd rather remember more useful things than phone numbers and directions.

I must have missed how that makes me dumb, or rather, reflects my lack of intelligence. Apparently, my success to date has been a fluke.

Come on, LC. Don't be an old man, sitting on your porch rocker and shaking your cane at the punk kids, running your mouth off.

Their idea of research is typing in something on google and copy and pasting material they find there. Their social skills are dwindling because they talk via texting and facebook.

So lets start getting them dumber even younger now. The computer and internet simply give answers. They are not being taught to learn, think, figure things out for themselves. They are being raised with no ability to reason.

Google scholar has made my research infinitely better. Instructors need to teach students how they can leverage technology, not how to fall back on it. If anything, technology requires more independent thought, since you have to process so much more information. This statement is more a reflection of how you don't know how to use technology than anything else.

The good news for people our age is we can rule the world in the event of a power out age. With our uncanny ability to do math problems in our head and remember how to actually "do" something not read about it.

I can do matrix algebra in my head, thanks. I can also build a fire, grow and can and pickle my own food, change my oil, do some rather advanced road bike maintenance, go to Home Depot and buy everything I need to build shelving units from scratch, then go home and build them using my power tools, clean almost everything in my house with nothing more than vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda and borax, etc.

And almost all of that knowledge came from the internet. I know how to do plenty because I read about it. And when I run into a problem, I google it.

Now, off to use google to figure out why my bread isn't rising as much as it should.

 

[lovecraft68]

I can't remember phone numbers. I know my own and my parents', but couldn't tell you my husband's. I'm terrible with directions, and rely on my GPS to get anywhere outside my town. If my memory only holds X amount, I'd rather remember more useful things than phone numbers and directions.

I must have missed how that makes me dumb, or rather, reflects my lack of intelligence. Apparently, my success to date has been a fluke.

Come on, LC. Don't be an old man, sitting on your porch rocker and shaking your cane at the punk kids, running your mouth off.



Google scholar has made my research infinitely better. Instructors need to teach students how they can leverage technology, not how to fall back on it. If anything, technology requires more independent thought, since you have to process so much more information. This statement is more a reflection of how you don't know how to use technology than anything else.



I can do matrix algebra in my head, thanks. I can also build a fire, grow and can and pickle my own food, change my oil, do some rather advanced road bike maintenance, go to Home Depot and buy everything I need to build shelving units from scratch, then go home and build them using my power tools, clean almost everything in my house with nothing more than vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda and borax, etc.

And almost all of that knowledge came from the internet. I know how to do plenty because I read about it. And when I run into a problem, I google it.

Now, off to use google to figure out why my bread isn't rising as much as it should.

Not sure how old you are-I am guessing late 20's for some reason- go to a local highschool, listen to the average kid there-there will always be above average- and tell me that they are not getting dumber. Seriously.

Also perhaps you are just one of the brighter bulbs in the house. It's not really all the kids fault of course, many teachers are letting the PC do the teaching while they surf the net themselves. Also all the little kiddies now have ADD! and have a hard time in school yet surf the net for hours.

For many reasons the net is not the gist it is all made out to be. Seeing this is not the GB I will refrain from spouting the theory that it has singlehandedly destroyed the job market and economy.

Now if you will excuse me I am going to make use of its one gift to humanity and go watch some porn!

 

[3113]

I really didn't mean for this to turn into a discussion of some local school's stupid decision to get parent to pay $1200 for tablets, and I'm sorry I even responded and caused the cascade as that news story would seem to be totally irrelevant as to whether parents should buy a touch tablet for their tot and if so whether it will do the tot any good.

I'm really interested in what folks think of the original article and only the original article. Can we try and ignore the thread-jack and go back to that?

 

[JackLuis]

Does it talk, Vinci, I mean? Does it need ear phones? If it is for young ones it should talk, sing, play, the visual stimulus is not nearly as effective without sound effects.

Can it teach a kid to talk?

Could it be an extension of the Artificial Intelligence being secretly built by the Dark Lords, broadcasting by wi-fi to propagandize, er educate our young citizens, while Mom and Dad are out looking for work?

Could it become the Friend some children seem to imagine having, and lead a troubled youth to a richer and better life?

Technology is fascinating.

 

[PennLady]

I can't say I'm surprised at the development of the product mentioned in the OP. My 7yo has been making his own spreadsheets for probably two years, and my 3yo loves to play with my mom's iPad and iPod. I've also read a few articles over the last couple of years about how people give kids their iPod, iPad, iPhone to young kids to play with; I've even handed my "old" cell phone phone over to give my little one something to play with.

Technology is like any other tool. It needs to be taught. Critical reasoning hasn't been destroyed by the web, and I don't think the web single-handedly destroyed the economy.

LfT makes a good point -- with so much info out there, when a person researches, they'll need more reasoning and logic skills to get through it.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

In a way, there was no threadjack. Schools have long issued lists of required items, such as sports equipment/ clothes and things like expensive HP scientific calculators. Parents have always quibbled at the cost.

I can remember in High School using the computer room, full of PCs, where the teacher knew more about the subject than us students. The speed technology is progressing is leaving both teachers and parents struggling to keep up to speed.

Surely LtF is closer to the mark than LC. GPS is a quantum leap from scrabbling to read a printed map whilst driving: what's the point of wasting brain space trying to be a human phone directory?

Technological advance is not 'dumbing down' but freeing the next generation (excluding the older neanderthals - including me) to go further in understanding the world. Worrying about power outages is on the same level as worrying about storms that destroy the harvest.