4 ms·

Just today there was an article in the newspaper of a nearby town stating that the school system there would be moving to "paperless" report cards; that is, rep

Just today there was an article in the newspaper of a nearby town stating that the school system there would be moving to "paperless" report cards; that is, report cards would be entirely online. (It did mention that parents could request a printed copy of their child's report card at any time.) My first thought was "not everyone has Internet access" -- especially in this relatively small city -- and the possible ramifications of that. Will those parents have to request a paper copy every time a report card is issued (four times per school year)? Will they eventually stop doing so? Will they stop paying attention to their child's academic progress and will the child's academic performance then suffer? Will the child slowly begin to perform worse and worse (academically) over time? Will this "digital divide" simply continue to worsen?

milcron 10y ago
Internet access should be a public utility.
- Esau 10y ago
  Some people can't afford public utilities either.
  - int_19h 10y ago
    Then perhaps that is a problem that we should tackle, instead of going all Luddite about fairly basic tech because someone cannot afford it? I even wouldn't be surprised if it resulted in a net economic benefit, because the reduced overhead of new tech is less than amount of money you need to spend to make sure that everyone has access to it.
    - bitJericho 10y ago
      Libraries already tackle this. As well as other organizations. For example, when I was a kid my main internet pc was at the state extension office.
salamisultan 10y ago
No one cares about NiggerNet. Let the bodies drop. Chicago is ground zero for glocks and bunny hops
tjbiddle 10y ago
I'm sure it wouldn't be four times a year - but rather, when beginning the school year (Or possibly entering the school system even the first time) it's an option to choose. And then on the bottom of the paper report cards, have a statement saying "Like to go paperless?" for if/when they do have the option to switch.
joesb 10y ago
If you need a piece of paper to remind you to be a parent, you are not a good parent to begin with. And a piece of paper is not going to save child from such parent.
- RhodaLs 10y ago
  That's much too harsh. If someone is poor enough they can't afford internet access, then they're probably under some stress from all sorts of factors. Working two jobs, trying to keep their head above water, possibly a single parent, etc. Having the kid bring the paper home can be a good reminder. Even my own quite devoted mother would occasionally forget it was grade time until I'd show her the report card.

milcron 10y ago

Internet access should be a public utility.

Esau 10y ago
Some people can't afford public utilities either.
- int_19h 10y ago
  Then perhaps that is a problem that we should tackle, instead of going all Luddite about fairly basic tech because someone cannot afford it? I even wouldn't be surprised if it resulted in a net economic benefit, because the reduced overhead of new tech is less than amount of money you need to spend to make sure that everyone has access to it.
  - bitJericho 10y ago
    Libraries already tackle this. As well as other organizations. For example, when I was a kid my main internet pc was at the state extension office.

salamisultan 10y ago

No one cares about NiggerNet. Let the bodies drop. Chicago is ground zero for glocks and bunny hops

tjbiddle 10y ago

I'm sure it wouldn't be four times a year - but rather, when beginning the school year (Or possibly entering the school system even the first time) it's an option to choose. And then on the bottom of the paper report cards, have a statement saying "Like to go paperless?" for if/when they do have the option to switch.

joesb 10y ago

If you need a piece of paper to remind you to be a parent, you are not a good parent to begin with. And a piece of paper is not going to save child from such parent.

RhodaLs 10y ago
That's much too harsh. If someone is poor enough they can't afford internet access, then they're probably under some stress from all sorts of factors. Working two jobs, trying to keep their head above water, possibly a single parent, etc. Having the kid bring the paper home can be a good reminder. Even my own quite devoted mother would occasionally forget it was grade time until I'd show her the report card.