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You're amazing. Any chance you would ever write out what you use and how you've handled it all with specifics? ie. apple devices vs android.. what apps? etc.. It'd be a great resource for parents.
I have actually been asked this by other "real life" parents who I've helped with this issue. It's definitely something that has crossed my mind.
I volunteer with a non-profit that works to get tech into the hands of those who may not otherwise have access to it, such as low income people or single parent families, etc. It is rewarding to see how the quality of the family life improves just simply due to a simple thing like a phone or a laptop or a wireless printer. It's pretty awesome. We also teach all people - children and adults - how to build their own computers, which removes any fear or anxiety they might have had about them before. It's really sweet.
A lot of the resistance you see and hear - such as what we have read here among these posts - is really either lack of experience or lack of education. Once you correct that, a whole new world opens up.
And this is coming from a mom who resisted having the internet "piped" into her house back in the 90's. lol I was scared of the WWW for years.
I'd also like to point-out, too, that I see kids in the schools everyday (I also volunteer extensively in my kids schools) who are denied phones and tech who simply borrow friends or figure out a way to have acces in other more sneaky ways. Kids are kids. They are smart. If they want something bad enough they will figure out how to get their hands on it. I think it's better if you are involved in the kids lives, not an object for them to overcome or seen as some barrier.
At my youngest son's middle school, they are giving the kids ipads. These same ipads have been used in other schools, where kids figure out quite easily how to bypass the weak security settings that the school puts on their to limit access and they go off and do what they want anyway. And parents have no control over this aside from not sending their kid to public school.
Last edited by haggardhouseelf; 10-20-2013 at 10:13 AM..
At my youngest son's middle school, they are giving the kids ipads. These same ipads have been used in other schools, where kids figure out quite easily how to bypass the weak security settings that the school puts on their to limit access and they go off and do what they want anyway. And parents have no control over this aside from not sending their kid to public school.
Actually at my kids' school they have a form you can fill out if you do NOT want your child using their computers/internet/technology. I know as these kids have to go to the corner of the room at a table away from everyone else or go to the library to use the encyclopedias/books for research if time permits.
But I agree with you. My daughter has friends whose parents don't allow them smartphones and they bug my daughter on the bus to use hers. I know one kid who is an instagram fanatic and uses all her friends' phones to keep it updated while her mom goes around saying, "MY kid doesn't have a smartphone nor does she do anything like facebook and instagram etc." (I don't know this mom but a friend of mine does and I told her she should tell her but she won't.)
Actually at my kids' school they have a form you can fill out if you do NOT want your child using their computers/internet/technology. I know as these kids have to go to the corner of the room at a table away from everyone else or go to the library to use the encyclopedias/books for research if time permits.
But I agree with you. My daughter has friends whose parents don't allow them smartphones and they bug my daughter on the bus to use hers. I know one kid who is an instagram fanatic and uses all her friends' phones to keep it updated while her mom goes around saying, "MY kid doesn't have a smartphone nor does she do anything like facebook and instagram etc." (I don't know this mom but a friend of mine does and I told her she should tell her but she won't.)
It is a frustrating situation, because it creates conflict between the schools and the parents/families. I support parents who choose not to allow their children to have access to technology - it's their kid, their choice, you know? At school, though, at least in our experience, the rules are so lenient and the kids are allowed to have their phones or other devices with them. At our elementary school, every other Friday (if the kids met their goals for that week and didn't have any behavior problems) they would do "snuggle downs" as a reward for the kids. I volunteered to help the teachers maintain some sort of order during these events, and basically what would happen is kids would come to school in PJ's armed with their electronic gadgets and smartphones and play video games for most of the day (usually the last half of the day or they would schedule it on a shortened school day like an early release day or something). I thought it was pretty ridiculous, but I choose to allow my kids to go to public schools so I just had to suck it up and go with the flow. You could always tell the kids that weren't allowed to have phones or play games because they didn't really know how to use the techie stuff. They seemed kind of lost but also were very eager to borrow their friends stuff.
It is nearly impossible to shelter our kids from things like this. Even during the computer lab times, kids have figured out how to get around the school's firewall and check facebook and whatnot.
I have also seen situations where a boy and a girl "go out" and one allows the other to use their phone for the day or they share as a way of expressing their being a couple.
At our middle school I don't know if we have the option to opt-out from the ipads, but even if we do, they also have macbooks the kids check out while they have their library time and sometimes other times as well, and I see the kids playing online games during those times. We were never notified of the macbooks, it's just something the school has available to the kids. It's pretty much unavoidable in public schools. Our teachers have had a lot of days this year already where they have been off training, learning how to use the new curriculum and also learning how to use the new whiteboard technology at the schools... and whenever there are substitutes in the classrooms the kids are generally told they can check out a macbook to "study" which basically means the kids will goof off. They are kids - if you don't give them something to do that is more productive, they will goof off. What else are they supposed to do?
I remember in the third grade, my son was about to take a math test, and the teacher said he needed to bring his cellphone or something that had a calculator on it. I asked why they were allowed to have a calculator for a math test, and she responded to me as if I was this cruel horrible parent... she was like, "ALL the other kids are going to have access to their phones or a calculator - do you want your son to be the only one without access?" Like I was some horrible parent for wanting my son to do his own math and work it out without help.
It is a frustrating situation, because it creates conflict between the schools and the parents/families. I support parents who choose not to allow their children to have access to technology - it's their kid, their choice, you know? At school, though, at least in our experience, the rules are so lenient and the kids are allowed to have their phones or other devices with them. At our elementary school, every other Friday (if the kids met their goals for that week and didn't have any behavior problems) they would do "snuggle downs" as a reward for the kids. I volunteered to help the teachers maintain some sort of order during these events, and basically what would happen is kids would come to school in PJ's armed with their electronic gadgets and smartphones and play video games for most of the day (usually the last half of the day or they would schedule it on a shortened school day like an early release day or something). I thought it was pretty ridiculous, but I choose to allow my kids to go to public schools so I just had to suck it up and go with the flow. You could always tell the kids that weren't allowed to have phones or play games because they didn't really know how to use the techie stuff. They seemed kind of lost but also were very eager to borrow their friends stuff.
It is nearly impossible to shelter our kids from things like this. Even during the computer lab times, kids have figured out how to get around the school's firewall and check facebook and whatnot.
I have also seen situations where a boy and a girl "go out" and one allows the other to use their phone for the day or they share as a way of expressing their being a couple.
At our middle school I don't know if we have the option to opt-out from the ipads, but even if we do, they also have macbooks the kids check out while they have their library time and sometimes other times as well, and I see the kids playing online games during those times. We were never notified of the macbooks, it's just something the school has available to the kids. It's pretty much unavoidable in public schools. Our teachers have had a lot of days this year already where they have been off training, learning how to use the new curriculum and also learning how to use the new whiteboard technology at the schools... and whenever there are substitutes in the classrooms the kids are generally told they can check out a macbook to "study" which basically means the kids will goof off. They are kids - if you don't give them something to do that is more productive, they will goof off. What else are they supposed to do?
I remember in the third grade, my son was about to take a math test, and the teacher said he needed to bring his cellphone or something that had a calculator on it. I asked why they were allowed to have a calculator for a math test, and she responded to me as if I was this cruel horrible parent... she was like, "ALL the other kids are going to have access to their phones or a calculator - do you want your son to be the only one without access?" Like I was some horrible parent for wanting my son to do his own math and work it out without help.
At both the elementary and middle schools you need your student id number and password to access any ipads, computers or laptops. So the kids that don't have access will be blocked from even signing on if their parents don't want them to have access. They really do try to respect their parents wishes when they can.
At both the elementary and middle schools you need your student id number and password to access any ipads, computers or laptops. So the kids that don't have access will be blocked from even signing on if their parents don't want them to have access. They really do try to respect their parents wishes when they can.
That's great that they do that at your school. I wonder how many students will let their friends sign in with their info? The kids do this in the lunch line, too. I kept seeing two lunches pop up back when my son was buying a hot lunch at school. When I asked him about it, he explained that there was a boy who didn't ever have lunch money, so my son was letting him use his number. I thought it was sweet, but still...
That's great that they do that at your school. I wonder how many students will let their friends sign in with their info? The kids do this in the lunch line, too. I kept seeing two lunches pop up back when my son was buying a hot lunch at school. When I asked him about it, he explained that there was a boy who didn't ever have lunch money, so my son was letting him use his number. I thought it was sweet, but still...
Oh by no means I was saying it is a failsafe method. But that the school really tries hard to respect the parent's wishes when they can. But as you said, determined kids will get it somehow and someway.
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