High school students asked to bring their own digital devices to school

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.wbay.com/story/23221438/2013/08/21/the-price-of-technology

At Denmark High School, it was registration day Wednesday. And while many of these students' parents and grandparents went to school here, times have certainly changed.

(snip)

Starting this year, every student is being asked to bring some type of portable computer device to school.

(snip)

If families can't afford devices, students can rent one...

In Denmark, the fee is $100.

And those families for whom even the $100 fee is too much?

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

1. over 10 years ago in California

My daughter was required to have a $100+ scientific calculator. Nothing shocks me any more.

[TheMightyFavog]

2. My old school requires graphing calculators per the flyer the send to everyone in the district

But only for the high school kids taking advanced algebra and calculus.

[upaloopa]

3. That's because they don't learn to do math on paper anymore.

I went back to college in my 30's and one day I got out of a math test because the younger kids didn't bring their calculators. As the old guy I was prepared to use pencil and paper.

[Tien1985]

6. We were taught to

Do math with pencils and paper. Hell, even my kid is being taught to do math with paper and pencil.

However, after a certain grade we were allowed calculators because they are faster and more consistently accurate than doing math by hand. Also, the math done on graphing calculators can't always be done on paper without reference materials or tools of some sort.

It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when people show disdain for calculators just because they weren't allowed to use them when they were in school.

It's like saying people are too reliant on copy machines. Sure we COULD all be using carbon copy paper, that would certainly encourage better penmanship, and by golly there are some young people who don't even know what a carbon copy is! But, that's kind of silly. We make tools to use them.

[upaloopa]

8. Why the complaint about the need to own a calculator?

Should you be supplied with the new tools?

[Tien1985]

10. I not sure what

You're asking?

I didn't complain about needing to own a calculator. I was required to have a graphing calculator in high school though. The expense was hard for my mom but she managed it. Despite that though, I know there were kids who couldn't afford them, and I know teachers usually made up the difference.

I think that is not a great situation to perpetuate, if we can find a better way.

[MgtPA]

4. My daughter was required to have a TI-84 graphing calculator every year since 8th grade, about $129.

[diddlysquat]

5. You can pull up a graphing calculator online now.

So if a student has a laptop, he also has a graphing calculator.

[MgtPA]

7. Except they can't use laptops (or cell phones for that matter) during tests.

[pstokely]

12. Why do you need a $100 scientific calculator when you download an app that does the same thing?

?

[Recursion]

13. TI has software that prevents using it to cheat on tests

At least in principle.

Of course the line between calculator and computer is growing fuzzier. The new TI's can put matrices in REF, solve linear systems, and do symbolic reductions. Not sure what the kids do themselves nowadays.

[onehandle]

9. In this day and age, all school kids should have computers of some sort in class.

The Los Angeles school district is planning to provide iPads to all of their students.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/26/los-angeles-school-district-ipad-scheme

If not for tebaggery, this would be more common.

[LWolf]

11. I have 3 old desktops for my 34 students (per class).

The keyboards are sticky and the space bar rarely works without stopping and slamming it. The cd/dvd drives are non-functional. 1 out of 3 headphones work.

But I've got 3 student computers.