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> to use computers in a way that lends itself to creativity rather than consumption This is why I'm against school policies of banning personal electronic devi

> to use computers in a way that lends itself to creativity rather than consumption This is why I'm against school policies of banning personal electronic devices. When I was in school, computers changed my life. Deciding that "these devices are bad" for a kid who makes digital art, codes or something else is harming. It's certainly an unpopular opinion these days, but one of my kids friends is an amazing digital artist and she can't take her tools to school. She spends (collectively) hours each week doing nothing because outside devices are banned, and her school issued Chromebook is not capable. Sure most kids use their devices for consumption, but you throw out the baby with the bathwater when you make blanket bans.

slothtrop 2y ago
> digital art, codes or something else These are smartphones, not tablets. This is exceedingly unlikely.
- josefresco 2y ago
  The ban in my kids school district applies to all personal digital devices. No laptops, no tablets, smartphones are allowed (which makes this even crazier), only the school issued Chromebook can be used to "create". The artist I'm referring to creates on her iPad Pro with a pencil. She has to leave this at home.
  - Zambyte 2y ago
    Yeah, it sounds like to me the ban is on the exact opposite set of devices that it should be in your situation.
egypturnash 2y ago
> one of my kids friends is an amazing digital artist and she can't take her tools to school. She spends (collectively) hours each week doing nothing because outside devices are banned, and her school issued Chromebook is not capable. Is there a reason she can’t just… doodle in her notebooks? Or carry around a sketchbook in her bag? I am a pro artist and I cannot even begin to estimate how many hours of school I spent ignoring what I was supposed to be learning and drawing instead. The fundamentals of drawing do not require anything more than a way to make marks and a surface to make marks on.
- josefresco 2y ago
  She can and she does, but telling an artist to use different tools to create a different style of art is (IMHO) wrong? She's an artist, it's not our place to tell her to change mediums, techniques and tools and then say "well it's close enough!" I make websites. Can I write code with a pencil and transfer it to my computer later? Sure. Can I sketch a design on paper and then re-create or scan digitally? Sure. Does either make any sense? No. We're supposed to be educating our children and giving them the tools for success. Denying a child artist their tools because other kids use similar tools for uselessness is morally wrong (again IMHO).
  - egypturnash 2y ago
    This is totally normal. My parents were supportive of my interest in art. I had a bunch of paints and paper and my computer and whatnot available at home. At school? I had my sketchbook. And the margins of my notes. If I was in an art class then I had a bunch of materials available and the expectation that I was actually there to draw. If I was in French class then I had my sketchbook and ran the risk of having my teacher write "This is what your child was concentrating on instead of French" across a really cool drawing I did of a Dalek. True story. If I was in a free period then nobody would care if I pulled a pack of thirty markers out of my backpack along with my sketchbook. I certainly had my preferred media, still do, but if I have an idea that wants out and all that's handy is a half-dry ballpoint pen and the back of a receipt, then that idea's going on the back of that receipt. You use the materials that you have available. ---- Also, sketching a design on paper makes tons of sense! Stepping away from the computer frees you from implementation details and makes it really easy to spend five seconds doodling up a new half-ass idea that might be better than the first thing you tried. Try it sometime! Look up "paper prototyping" online and you'll even find a lot of webdevs talking about how useful they find it.
    - AnimalMuppet 2y ago
      So, wait, all Dr. Who needed was a French teacher? Could have saved him a lot of trouble...
  - 2y ago

slothtrop 2y ago

> digital art, codes or something else These are smartphones, not tablets. This is exceedingly unlikely.

josefresco 2y ago
The ban in my kids school district applies to all personal digital devices. No laptops, no tablets, smartphones are allowed (which makes this even crazier), only the school issued Chromebook can be used to "create". The artist I'm referring to creates on her iPad Pro with a pencil. She has to leave this at home.
- Zambyte 2y ago
  Yeah, it sounds like to me the ban is on the exact opposite set of devices that it should be in your situation.

egypturnash 2y ago

> one of my kids friends is an amazing digital artist and she can't take her tools to school. She spends (collectively) hours each week doing nothing because outside devices are banned, and her school issued Chromebook is not capable. Is there a reason she can’t just… doodle in her notebooks? Or carry around a sketchbook in her bag? I am a pro artist and I cannot even begin to estimate how many hours of school I spent ignoring what I was supposed to be learning and drawing instead. The fundamentals of drawing do not require anything more than a way to make marks and a surface to make marks on.

josefresco 2y ago
She can and she does, but telling an artist to use different tools to create a different style of art is (IMHO) wrong? She's an artist, it's not our place to tell her to change mediums, techniques and tools and then say "well it's close enough!" I make websites. Can I write code with a pencil and transfer it to my computer later? Sure. Can I sketch a design on paper and then re-create or scan digitally? Sure. Does either make any sense? No. We're supposed to be educating our children and giving them the tools for success. Denying a child artist their tools because other kids use similar tools for uselessness is morally wrong (again IMHO).
- egypturnash 2y ago
  This is totally normal. My parents were supportive of my interest in art. I had a bunch of paints and paper and my computer and whatnot available at home. At school? I had my sketchbook. And the margins of my notes. If I was in an art class then I had a bunch of materials available and the expectation that I was actually there to draw. If I was in French class then I had my sketchbook and ran the risk of having my teacher write "This is what your child was concentrating on instead of French" across a really cool drawing I did of a Dalek. True story. If I was in a free period then nobody would care if I pulled a pack of thirty markers out of my backpack along with my sketchbook. I certainly had my preferred media, still do, but if I have an idea that wants out and all that's handy is a half-dry ballpoint pen and the back of a receipt, then that idea's going on the back of that receipt. You use the materials that you have available. ---- Also, sketching a design on paper makes tons of sense! Stepping away from the computer frees you from implementation details and makes it really easy to spend five seconds doodling up a new half-ass idea that might be better than the first thing you tried. Try it sometime! Look up "paper prototyping" online and you'll even find a lot of webdevs talking about how useful they find it.
  - AnimalMuppet 2y ago
    So, wait, all Dr. Who needed was a French teacher? Could have saved him a lot of trouble...
- 2y ago