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Having worked in a district where we ewasted as many CBs as we ordered, it was painful to see, but even more painful was how much wasted potential these student
by rc5150 3y ago
Having worked in a district where we ewasted as many CBs as we ordered, it was painful to see, but even more painful was how much wasted potential these students had except for those with a lot of curiosity. ChromeOS is great because it allows for some semblance of security, student account organization, and lots of happy shareholders who see that infosec audits are passing.
The wasted potential is due to the fact that the students aren't learning how to use computers, they're learning how to push data from one SaaS app to another without digging into how and why its happening. They don't understand file directories, file extensions, HID concepts, etc... they aren't learning ANY of the components of a machine in the first place. There is next to no digital literacy training happening other than "make a strong password" and "don't share it with other people", which is great, but that is just creating more consumers who don't know how their devices work and get irate/disregulated when they stop working. (I'm speaking in generalities here, FYI)
In my district, I had a group of kids who came to learn about computers, we took apart ewaste, replaced LCDs, swapped power supplies and RAM sticks, wiped and imaged hard disks--they built shitty little PCs that they were able to use and understand to some degree. Naturally, most of those students saw how limiting ChromeOS really is and went on to dipping into Linux, playing with Windows, and just expanding their horizons more than they would if they hadn't joined me.
Sitting kids in front of these machines and making them the consumers of the bullshit SaaS "teaching and learning" apps that administrators keep buying licenses for is doing the education industry a massive disservice. Kids need to start learning how these things work.
I dunno. It's nice to have the CBs, especially in terms of students who are in data deserts and have LTE connectivity, or socioeconomically disadvantaged families having access to web services, all fine and dandy, but it doesn't solve the problem of the general populace being completely in the dark about how their devices work.
- fbdab103 3y ago>...but that is just creating more consumers who don't know how their devices work and get irate/disregulated when they stop working... I am not sure how this has anything to do with Chomebooks. Those who dig into a technical system are always going to be the minority. I also drive a car, but have little understanding of what makes it go vroom.
- johndunne 3y agoRespectfully, I couldn’t disagree more. I have younger family members who I’ve setup windows pc’s for, replacing CB’s and they definitely don’t fit the ‘technically interested mould’ and they’re digging deep and even asking ‘what’s this black box thing?’. It was cmd and they’re now, among other things, playing around with commands for fun… it’s great to see but I’m waiting on the call to come fix their busted machine anytime soon.
- WheelsAtLarge 3y agoIt's still the minority. People are interested in what they like whatever that might be. Kids that want to understand the nitty gritty of computers have and will always be a minority. For those that want to learn more, they have the option of looking it up on the web to expand their knowledge. It has never been easier.
- tivert 3y ago>>> I am not sure how this has anything to do with Chomebooks. Those who dig into a technical system are always going to be the minority. I also drive a car, but have little understanding of what makes it go vroom. > It's still the minority. People are interested in what they like whatever that might be. Kids that want to understand the nitty gritty of computers have and will always be a minority. For those that want to learn more, they have the option of looking it up on the web to expand their knowledge. It has never been easier. You're being too binary. The issue isn't whether it's a minority or not (which you seem to be focused on), it's how big that minority is. The issue with Chromebooks is they provide extra hurdles to digging deeper, and that's going to discourage some kids at the margins or that minority.
- Ferret7446 3y agoThat is extremely biased anecdata. People around you, especially family members and friends, are much more likely to share your technical interest. If you leave your bubble, you'll find that the "average" student couldn't give fewer shits.