Jump to content

Menu

The place of The Screen in education


Recommended Posts

In my 12+ years of homeschooling my children, I feel like I've witnessed a shift from print-based learning to screen-based learning. Not just in the world in general, but in home education specifically. Technology has made instruction by excellent teachers available to all. The potential is enormous! And yet . . .

I personally have been thinking about if/how much screens should be limited in education. My younger siblings, who probably could be termed Millennials, are beginning to homeschool their own children. Despite growing up in the homeschool culture, and believing in the value of home education, every single one of them is looking for a video-based program that will allow them to be as detached from the process as possible. Frankly, this is rather alarming to their "CM/Classical" older sister.

And this trend seems widespread among the newer homeschoolers, from what I can see. (They're looking for either screens or co-ops.) Is this a good thing? Will this new generation produce the brightest students in the history of home education? Or will they have vision problems, the attention span of gnats, and be unable to learn from printed material? (I'm talking mainly about prepubescent students here; grade schoolers.)

Is it important to be able to learn from printed material? Will it be in 12 years? Fodder for discussion . . .

I'm not even sure a lot of these young parents would be willing to wade through a book on education such as The WTM.

One of the reasons I am looking for discussion on this is that I'm trying to figure out how to best advise the newbies who come for help. I don't want to be a crotchety, oldschool luddite who thinks everyone must do it like I did. I KNOW homeschooling is a huge responsibility and it can be really tough to add it on top of homemaking, mothering, wifehood, and for some people, employment or illness.

And yet, I'm concerned. 

One of my siblings is already using Abeka's video program for her first-grader. I overheard her raving about it to someone and she said it "only" took five hours a day. I felt so sad.

Lots more I could say, but I'm having a hard time putting thoughts into words. What do you all think, not about particular programs, but about the broader question of putting our young students in front of screens for school?

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for posting. I afterschool but consider myself an intentional parent and limit my 3rd grade daughter's screen time. Now that she's 'getting older' I allow for more recreational screen time (but I'm sure it's well below average nonetheless). I have started to use technologies to enhance her education. Things like Brain Pop, Mystery Science, Dance Mat Typing, Podcasts, TedEd Talks, apps, her Chromebook, and even YouTube all now have a spot in her home education. I welcome more resources as I learn about them and evaluate them for their merits and appropriateness. The idea is to expose her to a range of technologies so she's comfortable and well-versed in such things as an adult.

Having said that, our family is still heavily dependent on live, interactive and meaningful experiences. We discuss A LOT and analyze tons in an attempt to make meaning of things. We look to real life to provide lessons and experience things hands-on. We are curious about the world around us and can use technology to help us better understand it. I am proud my daughter's (non-living) 'besties' are books and that she considers nature soothing and fascinating. I am also proud she can utilize a growing base of tech tools to go deeper or share her learnings. 

I would never skew an education so it's all technology-based though. To me, that's an unbalanced picture. Intentional education is inclusive of many things but must be balanced overall. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been concerned for a few years.  Not just for homeschoolers, but kids in general.  Where we used to live, the district gives every primary grade child an IPad and all older kids a laptop.  High school students don't have textbooks. Their lectures are given by video.  All homework is done online, etc. 

FWIW, my older kids have witnessed a huge difference between themselves and other peers who are used to reading for information (a small #)  and the rest of the students (most students).  My kids don't lose ground if they have  teachers who can't teach.  They pull out their textbooks and teach themselves.  It seems most kids are 100% reliant on someone teaching them exactly what they are supposed to know. That last statement is concerning with ramifications far beyond the classroom.

As far as the coop and outsourcing trend with no actual parent teaching....that is a huge bugaboo of mine.  I try to counteract it as much as possible by being very outspoken on the false alarms raised that kids wont be accepted to college without outside verification and validation of all homeschool work. I think the impetus for the beliefs that parents have to outsource stems from fear-mongering providers and elitists.

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I find it really interesting too.

I do think it's worrying, for a few different reasons.

There are some things screen based learning can be good for.  It's ideal for certain very visual subjects - in winter, we use them a lot for nature and certain kinds of history documentaries.  

It can also be useful for certain kinds of very basic learning, like you see with spelling programs or something like duolingo, or even the star fall reading website.  Now, I don't know that they are better for this than a person, but there can be trade-offs in terms of time or student interest where they make sense.  My kids have done really well with online geography games for some rote memorization. THat's time I can work with another child on something else. For older kids, you can access things like lectures that are beyond your area of expertise.

However, I think there are concerns.  One is total screen time - when kids are also using screens for a lot of recreation, that gets to be a lot of screen time.  And I don't think the quality of the interaction is at the same level.  A person teaching another is just a totally different quality, responsive in a way screen instruction can't be.  This is true for kids learning math or high school students watching a lecture on literature.

I'd also comment on the difference between text or a book and and screen based content.  We know that the brain process text quite differently than it does visually based content.  I think this is actually the most important issue - text based content, even if it's oral but especially if it is read, is suitable for education in a special way.  It tends to engage the rational mind in a way that visual content simply does not, it involves following an argument, it is suitable for deeper contemplation, there reader has to make a decision about how to treat the content in a way that doesn't easily happen with visual content.  There is plenty of research that supports this, which is one thing that really frustrates me about the move to screen based learning.The fact that it is encoded is really, objectively, significant.  

Though I don't know if we really know why, there is even evidence that text on screens affects the brain differently, or writing vs typing information.

I'm not sure why the younger people seem so very attached to the screens for learning.  People my age also watched plenty of tv and such growing up - in some ways it was less controversial than it is now.  But something has changed.  I see my kids that have gone to public school using screens for things we would have done as written reports.  And my university professor friends have told me that they actually can't get their students to read much at all.  Even the official texts for the class have to be scheduled slowly and often read to some extent in class - asking for extra reading isn't even something they can consider.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, as homeschooling becomes more popular, there is going to be an ever growing market for folks who want the benefits of schooling at home without the burden of actually homeschooling. 

My opinion is that what makes homeschooling powerful is the human interaction piece--really knowing your students and tailoring their education to them.  People who let the resources do the teaching will be giving their children a watered down version of the real thing.  And, frankly, I could (and do) say the same thing about folks who just hand their kid a textbook and tell them to "go for it."

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I like screens, and love using screen based learning options. However, I do not like the trend for all learning to be screen based.  We've used screen based curriculum such as Time4Learning, for short periods of time where we couldn't do a more eclectic mix of options.  I plan to use some screen based options if ds15 and I get to travel next year, as hauling books everywhere isn't practical. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a fan of lots of tech, at least for younger kids.  My husband is a computer engineer and people assume that we'd use a lot of tech, but we seem to use less than most, to the point that my parents worried a bit that my kids would be behind in computer skills.  We sometimes watch documentaries about science or history, occasional math facts games, or youtube clips of music, but it's not part of our daily work. As my older kid got to middle school age, we did online typing so that he could type reports and papers.  I'm OK with some online courses as students get older (full disclosure - I teach an online class), and I'd have no problem outsourcing a class or 2, but I don't think I'd sign my kids up for a full online curriculum unless there was a specific problem.  Despite minimal tech, when the co-op Latin class started doing assignments through Canvas (an online platform), kiddo was proficient in less than an hour and has submitted assignments online, on his own, all semester.  

I also don't lump co-ops into the same 'hands off' model as doing everything online, but that's probably due to the nature of our co-op.  It offers enrichment classes through elementary, and a mix of academic and enrichment during middle and high school.  My kids take/have taken foreign language there, and my older has taken composition classes 2 years.  For us, it was good to have another set of eyes looking at his writing, but the 4 short papers each semester were definitely only a small part of his total language arts.  Mostly co-op is, for us, a time for extras that are more fun in a group - art, choir, fencing, chess, etc.  Even the more 'academic' classes are more electives than a standard scope and sequence - a class based around Little House books, or Magic Treehouse books, or messy science experiments, or Spies (which teaches a lot of history), or geography where they pick 2 countries from each continent and learn some and then eat food and play games.  But, I know that there are families that have their students take a lot of their academics there, not just in high school, but using the fun classes as most of their history or science.  

I guess its mostly a matter of what you're comparing it to, though.  One of my kids loves to learn, and I could probably use anything - videos, textbooks, co-op classes, unschooly book strewing - and this kid would read everything and remember it.  For my other kid, there is a good bit of fighting about having to learn. For that sort of kid, I can see being willing to do whatever works.  My reluctant learner has been willing to do the Critical Thinking Company science workbook, so, despite my initial plans to use some books and videos with great pictures to learn about ecosystems and the solar system, we've done workbook pages because it gets done and sticks.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a not on typing - according to my IT sister, "they" have decided that teaching standard typing is not beneficial - people learn just as well without it, and the limiting factor is actually composition speed.  The exception seems to be very high level typing such as for court cases and dictation.  But at the speeds most use, it isn't faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, EKS said:

Unfortunately, as homeschooling becomes more popular, there is going to be an ever growing market for folks who want the benefits of schooling at home without the burden of actually homeschooling. 

My opinion is that what makes homeschooling powerful is the human interaction piece--really knowing your students and tailoring their education to them.  People who let the resources do the teaching will be giving their children a watered down version of the real thing.  And, frankly, I could (and do) say the same thing about folks who just hand their kid a textbook and tell them to "go for it."

I agree with this, as it applies to early education.  I think the one:one instruction, intimate contact, and personal touches make the foundations of education received in home school superior to the large classroom structure and other impersonal factors of school.  However, as a child ages and grows to become an independent learner there is also a need for that child to learn from other sources (other instructors, texts, Internet, experiences, etc) as part of moving to self-driven and independent learning. It is important that as this is done, a sort of fledging if you will, good habits are established step-wise, quality materials are used, scaffolding is incrementally removed, and supervision lasts for some time after the student “feels” independent.

I spend a lot of one:one time with my kids while young with foundationally solid things even though (because?) they are teach intensive (eg RS Math, AAS, learning cursive).  The pay off later is they can develop independence. But there are things they learn, and ways they learn, from online classes and texts (eg AoPS), that are far from watered down.

How and when the fledging happens would depend on the child. I think screens can be a part of this fledging process. But I think they’re a poor surrogate for the foundational learning and interaction with a parent.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Targhee said:

How and when the fledging happens would depend on the child. I think screens can be a part of this fledging process. But I think they’re a poor surrogate for the foundational learning and interaction with a parent.

Yes.  I've noticed that people who have children who are struggling rarely phrase their questions about how to approach the problem with "How can I help my child?" but, rather some version of "What resource can I throw at this problem to make it go away?"  And the preferred format of the resource seems to involve a screen.  Unfortunately, when a kid is having trouble with something, the best way to fix it is by engaging with another human, and even though they may sound like it, videos aren't human.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think technology is amazing and has its place in education.  We just got done watching a Drive Through History video.  It's wonderful to "see" places that are too far to visit in real life.  My kids have learned lots of "how to" from Youtube videos.  Magic tricks, clay sculpting, computer programing, crochet, cooking, and starting a campfire are just a few of the skills they've picked up through video.  It's amazing what all is out there!

I am very much alarmed with the "plop your child in front of the screen" educational programs out there.  No child should be spending several hours in front of a screen each day.  We are using videos for a few subjects this year, mostly for my jr. high and high school aged kids.  This is a supplement to their assigned reading and writing assignments, so I'm totally okay with this.   I don't have time to prepare and give them a 20-40 minute lecture on multiple subjects each week and I love that they are getting somewhat of a classroom experience from a better instructor than me.  I think moderation is the key to computer/dvd classes.  Can it be a part of their education?  Sure.  Should it be all or most of it?  A big negative for my family! 

I also am alarmed at the number of e-books out there.  It seems many schools (and home schoolers) are turning to ebooks exclusively.  In spite of all the data stating that information from printed material is more effective and retained much better.  When I read a printed book, I can generally remember what section and part of the page something was on (for example, I usually remember which page (left or right) and which section (upper, middle, or bottom of that page).  I can quickly go back and figure out where something was in the text.  I don't have this ability when I read on a tablet.  It's all a jumbled mess.  I try to only use ebooks when I'm reading aloud to the kids or the printed book is too expensive to purchase. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, texasmom33 said:

Yes! My dh is in tech, and we are similar and everyone we know in tech with younger kids seems to largely follow suit. Although most don't homeschool, they're the ones sending their kids to Waldorf schools and forbidding smart phones. There seems to be a different approach in those who make the technology versus many of those who consume the technology from what I've seen lately. Our parents think we're overtly strict. We've gotten some of the comments about the projects and whatnot kids in b&m school are doing. I just pass the bean dip on that one. 

We're in this boat too; dh works in tech and my ds is the only teen without a smart phone.  We purposefully limit electronics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

birchbark--thank you for this thread!

I think we are seeing a huge shift of outsourcing in the homeschooling world, and nearly all of that has gone to electronics-based solutions.  I do think it can be an equalizer (I can put ds into AP Statistics!) but it can also be a huge detriment.  Fundamentally, I think it comes down to purpose and balance.  We very much limit how many hours of kids spend on electronics and they do not have personal smart devices.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We do a mix of screens and textbook/off screen options.  We did do Time4Learning for about 6 months a few years ago when I went back to work, but while I found it adequate I didn't like it long-term.  We do a little bit of Acellus now, mainly for reinforcement and have watched some Great Courses or individual Youtube videos.

My main reason for not doing an entire screen-based program is because my kids first choice of free time activity is screens.   It's a strong interest of theirs and both of them are planning careers that involve computers in some way (at this point, they are still young).  The activities they do are often creative and interactive with others, but I'm shooting for some balance.  So, school is primarily off-screen (plus I require physical activity and other non-screen time).

When you have tweens that will fight mom when she tries to explain something, but don't have the same emotional reaction to a video or a non-relative teacher, sometimes you just do what you need to do.  If utilizing those options allows us to continue homeschooling, I'm all for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it is sad for a child to sound isolated.  Maybe it’s not isolated if they’re in the same room or something, I don’t know.  It sounds sad to me though, for 5 hours a day for a 5-year-old.

Something I see and I have had it happen with me here and there...... I think without involvement at least at a level of “tell me about it” or something...... it’s very easy to think a child is doing something and so it means they are doing it independently and really understand and have a good grasp.

But it’s really easy to go through a class and even have completed work of some kinds, without really understanding.  There can be ways to copy or fill in the blanks.

I see people who look and think things are going great and I see cracks and I see concerns.

Some of this is different priorities and expectations, but I think a lot is people thinking because the child is there in the class or has done an online program, that really means something, but really it may mean very little as far as retention or what a child can do on their own.

I think too a lot of school things are based on moving kids through and have an implicit understanding that they are going to need to move kids through whether they are understanding or not and whether they have learned what they need to learn or not.  Or have developed skills they need or not.  

There is this need to move kids through and have it look like they are accomplishing things whether they are really accomplishing them or not.

I care about grade levels and being on grade level.  I am someone who cares about that.  But I think sometimes as parents we need to acknowledge our kids aren’t on grade level instead of pushing them through and thinking everything’s okay because they are doing grade level things, and I think it’s easy to do that with online classes that aren’t the type to require much thinking or learning.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Lecka said:

I think it is sad for a child to sound isolated.  Maybe it’s not isolated if they’re in the same room or something, I don’t know.  It sounds sad to me though, for 5 hours a day for a 5-year-old.

Something I see and I have had it happen with me here and there...... I think without involvement at least at a level of “tell me about it” or something...... it’s very easy to think a child is doing something and so it means they are doing it independently and really understand and have a good grasp.

But it’s really easy to go through a class and even have completed work of some kinds, without really understanding.  There can be ways to copy or fill in the blanks.

I see people who look and think things are going great and I see cracks and I see concerns.

Some of this is different priorities and expectations, but I think a lot is people thinking because the child is there in the class or has done an online program, that really means something, but really it may mean very little as far as retention or what a child can do on their own.

I think too a lot of school things are based on moving kids through and have an implicit understanding that they are going to need to move kids through whether they are understanding or not and whether they have learned what they need to learn or not.  Or have developed skills they need or not.  

There is this need to move kids through and have it look like they are accomplishing things whether they are really accomplishing them or not.

I care about grade levels and being on grade level.  I am someone who cares about that.  But I think sometimes as parents we need to acknowledge our kids aren’t on grade level instead of pushing them through and thinking everything’s okay because they are doing grade level things, and I think it’s easy to do that with online classes that aren’t the type to require much thinking or learning.  

 

Yes, I think it's quite easy for people to think more is retained, and more is understood, than it really is.  It seems pretty common from my observation that parents will think a lower elementary child has an understanding of an abstract concept because it seems that they can talk about it in a way that makes sense.  But when you dig a bit, you find that their understanding is actually very concrete - usually because that is developmentally appropriate.  But it can easily happen too with work that is supposedly at the right level for an older child - understanding can be very shallow.  There really is not an easy way IMO for many online programs to discern that.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a millennial who homeschools and uses screens in my homeschool. Right now my four and five year olds are watching Mystery Science and doing the activities.

From my perspective, those parents who want to outsource everything to a co op or online program are just assuming that that is what you are supposed to do. It's not that they don't want to be involved, they just haven't seen an alternative. A lot of my fellow millennials were homeschooled by going through ACE paces or BJU distance learning or whatever, so it's not a new or shocking phenomenon. I suspect many of those parents will either enroll their kids in school later or will, upon getting to know other homeschoolers, realize they can take a more independent path.

As to screens, they are a part of my kids' lives, so I try to make them a healthy part. We try to use them socially, watching shows together and laughing about them later, using them as spring boards for discussion about decision making and motivation. My kids play games on the computer together, discussing strategies and encouraging each other along. Most of what they do or watch is fairly educational, but we don't use it as the core of our school. It's a bonus, and one that has proved valuable. They make neat connections, bringing up something from Kratts' Creatures when we are at the zoo, for instance. 

I actually know a lot of millennials who eschew all use of technology with their kids, and I respect that as a choice, but I chose instead to allow my kids limited screen time that I attempt to make as valuable as possible. Interestingly, I know other parents who hate screens but will drive their kids an hour each way for forest school or a cool nature walk. We try to focus on things closer to home and limit regular car time. Spending over two hours a day in the car is very normal for kids around here. Different families make different choices, generally for good reasons.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We use screens for things I don't feel comfortable "teaching" (meaning coming up with content and presenting said content) on my own in high school, like math videos and history lectures. But we always, always, always watch them together and then TALK ABOUT THEM. In the younger grades they use programs like XtraMath and Typing.com to practice skills, but not for "teaching".

I read somewhere recently (can't remember where or I'd link) that the brain retains much more info from what it reads from print sources than from non-print sources. I believe it. As other posters said, using screens for primary instruction seems to take out the interpersonal element that makes homeschooling so worthwhile. It would make it boring for both them and me and I think I'd want to quit on the hard days if I didn't have the interpersonal element to make me want to persevere. I wonder if those who use primarily online sources will eventually burn out and go back to public school ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a Great Courses lecture about child development, the professor discussed a study that showed that children, even when seeming to pay attention, retained far less when watching a lecture on a screen than when hearing the exact same lecture given in person. Interestingly, this difference could be mitigated by an adult standing silently beside the screen, occasionally gesturing towards it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dd is taking nearly all online classes.  However, she prefers learning from reading, and I argue that reading from textbooks is not obsolete.  It's actually so much faster than watching a video, my dd gets frustrated and will speed up her videos 1.5x or even 2x speed.  

I her AP bio class, students are given the option of either reading the Campbell's text or watching video lectures, though they recommend reading the text.  She reads and excelled in the class.  The PAH AP chemistry class relies mostly on reading the Chang text, with supplementary videos.  

But I believe the most efficient and effective way to learn is to read first, then supplement with video.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think screens are great as a supplement, especially if you have a visual learner like me.   I'd say we use screens about every other day in homeschool...usually to supplement a history or science lesson (love the TedEd videos, and Extra Credits History).  A lot of it is for pictures.  I would look up things related to the chapter since SOTW doesn't have that many pictures...originally I was printing them out, but then I started showing them on my phone during lessons (I'd save them on pinterest and just scroll through as we read).   For the chapter on the Indus Valley we watched an aerial video of the Indus river while I read the chapter.   It's really helped a lot.

Other times it's just answering questions...he'll have a random question like "how are magnets made" or "how do fish breath under water" and we'll go look up a video.

I understand using videos on subjects you're not as certain about too...I think that's fine, but in the elementary grades I think you need to be watching with them so you can learn with them in that case, so you'll know if they've gotten it or if it's just going over their heads. 

However, I don't like the idea of leaving kids watching videos all day...even if it's interactive thing (learning games, an online tutor).   A portion of the day I think is fine, but I think its important to also be actively involved one on one in a hands on way, at least  in elementary education.   They need that personal touch/attention.   Even in high school, though they may not need you sitting there all day with them, I think they need someone to connect with and get feedback about what they're learning (but I'm not there yet...so I can't speak from experience on that).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, xahm said:

From my perspective, those parents who want to outsource everything to a co op or online program are just assuming that that is what you are supposed to do. It's not that they don't want to be involved, they just haven't seen an alternative.

 

 

Yeah, I think you're right.  Some just don't feel confident in their ability to teach so like the idea that it's mostly the program doing the teaching, but many just don't know that you CAN homeschool different ways.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, goldenecho said:

 

Yeah, I think you're right.  Some just don't feel confident in their ability to teach so like the idea that it's mostly the program doing the teaching, but many just don't know that you CAN homeschool different ways.

Perhaps, but there were plenty of moms at my co-op who just needed to get.a.way from their kids.  They wanted someone else to step in, so the work, do the thinking, etc. I think they were passionate about the *idea* of homeschooling but couldn’t hack it.  It’s a lot of work. Parenting alone is a lot of work.

1 hour ago, daijobu said:


But I believe the most efficient and effective way to learn is to read first, then supplement with video.  

 Think this is true for *some* learners.  I think it’s mostly the sequential-concrete-analytic type, for whom classical education of 1500-1900 catered.  Many students did not excel at school because they were not the type to learn best from reading first.  Technology has upended that, and unfettered visual-spatial-random-abstract learners (as well as others) to succeed at academics where in the past they may have been kicked out or dropped out before their genius came to light. I personally do much better reading *after* a lecture or visual presentation.  The book is not dead, and it is an essential means of recording and transmitting knowledge, but it isn’t necessarily the best way for everyone.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not convinced though that the video lecture is even equivalent to a class at the university level, much less for younger students.  Traditionally even university programs with a large lecture where there isn't much interaction generally have some sort of class or group tutorial or meeting with a tutor afterwards, as well as informal discussions with other students, and those are where the real learning happens as much or more than in the lecture itself.  It's really quite recently that some universities have tried to bypass this second element and it's driven by money, not good teaching.  For homeschool families with older students it's often that interaction with other students and an expert that's difficult to replicate under the best circumstances.

With regard to younger kids - I'm reminded of the introduction of Sesame Street.  The producers were so optimistic, they thought it would really make a huge difference in the scholastic achievement of kids, and when you look at the old SS productions they really were quite good. (Not that you are supposed to show them to your kids now....)  But they didn't make any difference at all.

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting I'm a millennial and while we use screens its far from the main way my kids have been taught.  I have not noticed anyone using for more than a class here or there. Co-ops are mostly just fun or extras lego, art etc. not main subjects.  

The schools here are going more and more screen based I've been told the fancy new MS is basically all online so each child gets an indivualized education.  30 kids sitting in a room staring at a screen not interacting with each other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Earthmerlin said:

Can anyone provide a link for research re: benefits of reading books vs. learning with screens? Thanks.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/

https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/08/16/which-better-reading-print-or-screen

http://hechingerreport.org/textbook-dilemma-digital-paper/

There are pages of hits on Google.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We haven't used screens much in our HS, and I'm not a big fan of them in general.  But now I have 3 school age kids with dyslexia (one mild, two probably moderate), and I'm trying to figure out how to educate kids who find reading to learn a challenge, even after remediation.  I learned well through reading and prefer CM style HS'ing which relies heavily on reading for learning, but that's not going to work for two of my kids unless I read most of their material to them or find audio versions.  For example, I'm seriously considering using Teaching Textbooks for math next year for 7th and 4th grade.  Not having to deal with my 12 yo dragging out math forever because she doesn't like it would be so nice...and having someone read the instructions and problems to my 9 yo would be really helpful.  Decisions on how much technology to use get kind of murky when you're dealing with learning disabilities.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My DD is taking college classes, and about half of them have no non-digital textbook. They have an e-book with video clips, etc, and most assignments are submitted online. I have bought old print copies of the textbook each semester because DD benefits from being able to highlight, take notes, and just having the physical book (and because she is often doing homework away from home without an internet connection).The thing DD says she’s noticed is that in the classes that are digital only, she often seems to be one of the few who has even bothered to read the book. In her classes that have print books, far more of the kids have read the book. She thinks part of it is that you have to physically flip through the book to find the questions in many cases to do the assignments, but in the online, the assignments are separate, so you go straight to them-and it’s easier for the professor to specifically have the students flip to a page in the book to discuss, while in online classes,they tend to project just a snippet (or link to a video). It leads the students back to using the print resources less.

DD is working on writing a new online class for next fall, and has definitely decided that she needs to actively use and refer to class materials more. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, dmmetler said:

My DD is taking college classes, and about half of them have no non-digital textbook. They have an e-book with video clips, etc, and most assignments are submitted online. I have bought old print copies of the textbook each semester because DD benefits from being able to highlight, take notes, and just having the physical book (and because she is often doing homework away from home without an internet connection).The thing DD says she’s noticed is that in the classes that are digital only, she often seems to be one of the few who has even bothered to read the book. In her classes that have print books, far more of the kids have read the book. She thinks part of it is that you have to physically flip through the book to find the questions in many cases to do the assignments, but in the online, the assignments are separate, so you go straight to them-and it’s easier for the professor to specifically have the students flip to a page in the book to discuss, while in online classes,they tend to project just a snippet (or link to a video). It leads the students back to using the print resources less.

DD is working on writing a new online class for next fall, and has definitely decided that she needs to actively use and refer to class materials more. 

 

I have actually found the same thing with lectures or book groups I've belong to.  If the book is on a computer, I am much more likely to blow off the reading.  Enough so that it affects my decision to join such a group.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...