Polls - Employment & Education

i dont think we've losdt our way of teaching, i think some teachers slack off and leave the technology to do there jobs but others use it to there advantage and it helps the children learn as they are familiar with technology and they can relate to it

MrsGoss, where and when were you educated? THERE and THEIR have very different meanings. I challenge you to pick up a dictionary and "read all about it". You will have a far better understanding if you read the meanings from a written book rather than words on a computer screen. If you don't understand the differences after reading; let me know and I shall gladly explain. If parents paid more attention to their child/childrens education and read aloud for no less than 30 minutes each day, a lot of the current educational concerns would simply vanish. It is very easy to become a parent. It is very hard to be a parent. Yes parents; your life changes forever once your beautiful bundle if joy enters the world. No longer are you the centre of your universe. Your bundle of joy is. It's called sacrifice; or good & sound parenting. Schools and parents are a partnership. Both are equally needed and equally important to fully educate a child. Sadly, these days both are dragging the chain.

I am not sure,I'm not in a position to give an accurate answer on this one;Thank U

Technology opens up so many more options in terms of interactive classroom teaching as well as things like classroom management. The vast majority of teachers do not like that kids' first instinct is to use a calculator or spell checker, so I think technology does have its place, but both teachers and students must watch how it is used so that we are taking advantage of the great possibilities it affords us, and not restricting our intellectual capabilities.

I respect your opinion however I can not accept that the vast majority of teachers do not like kids.Personally I don't think you are in a position to give such a statistic accurately and furthermore many of my family members are teachers,my family's first priority is not to make money;they're first priority is making sure that kids gain a good education and that every student is catered for.I'm sorry that U seemingly have had a negative experience with teachers,U certainly would not say that if U had been taught by any of my family members.I hope that your opinion on this subject can improve one day my friend.I wish you all the best,ThankU

While I think its vital that our kids are taught how to utilise all of the technology that's now available, I think it starts too early. Kids still need to learn how to read and write and do basic maths without the aid of a calculator, computer & keyboard or spell check. It's too easy to cut and paste everything rather than do some reading and research and actually understand what they're doing.

I couldn't agree more. I think there is too much emphasis on computing and using calculators. What is wrong with learning to spell and learn the tables. I don't think we suffered from rote learning. I did not learn to use a computer until I was in my 30's and yes, that is a little late, but at least I can read and spell rather than just rely on spell check to get to ensure everything is spelled correctly.

Nothing wrong with learning spelling and tables but we teachers do not get support from 100% of the homes. Children (with parents on side) do not do homework. Similarly, parents complain if their children get TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE at school.

I have worked really hard for over 35 years to instil good practices, skills and knowledge in children ... but only a third of the parents (In my experience) give their children full learning/educational support. Some play along occasionally. Others just want their children to be minimalists.

Most teachers will tell you that acorns don't fall far from most trees. We can't make silk purses out of sows' ears unless we are given back-up from homes to do our job fully.

The issue is not technology. The issue is parenting.

k8robbo,

You know this from your own children's experience? Or you assume it? Or you heard that it happens this way from someone in the media?

You mention calculators. Pupils in primary schools would rarely have more than 20 hours of access to calculators in their whole seven year attendance. (I can assure you of this with my 37 years' experience in primary schools in NSW.) High schools are a different matter and calculators are an efficacious tool; not so much Years 7 & 8 but certainly extensively after the middle of Year 8. (Same analogy I draw for everyone else ... Would you hit a nail in with a rock? Would you strap the wallboards of your house with vines? Calculators move the mundane forward quickly. As a technology & maths teacher, I can assure you that the basics are taught first.)

At what point might you accept that there's a good reason for introducing children to technology? And, no, my classes never get away with cut & paste plagiarism. Most kids don't!

If you'd read my comment properly, you'd see that I'm all for kids being taught how to use technology, as long as the basics are instilled 1st. I know from my child's experience (currently in Yr 8) that little emphasis is placed on handwriting compared to previous generations - most of her work is done on computer/usb and all assignments have to be word processed - even the font is specified in most. And it's not plagiarism I'm most worried about with cut & paste (though this could be a problem), it's that kids aren't writing anymore. As for calculators, she's used one every day since starting high school and its such a complex-looking piece of equipment that I'd be hard-pressed just to turn it on! To reiterate - there's nothing wrong with technology and teaching our kids to use it, as long as they have a strong foundation in the basics to back it up.

Back in my school days, calculators was the only tool we used in our schools. I believe in going back too the basics of using calculators because all this new technology in schools is only making our children more lazy and not thinking for themselves.

Mrs Adventure, what decade was it that YOU were at school .. the 1950's and 1960's? What a lot of people complaining on this site do not realise is that children have another 40 to 50 years of world history to learn and will know more about science, geography and technology than any of us will ever know. Give the teachers a break - most of them are dedicated and really DO care about their education. They need MORE support. I worked in schools for 15 years and am proud of our standard here in NSW State schools. Australia has one of the highest literacy standards in the world with the huge majority of children matriculating into universities. Spelling has taken a bit of a backseat to sciences but parents can help by encouraging their children to READ, READ, READ!!

Children learn laziness from sources other than the classroom, MrsAdventure. You should deal with the majority of kids whose parents helicopter over them, cutting out the hard or rigorous parts of their lives.

Case in point 1: All the kids at my school who live in the 200m - 100m range on safe walking routes to our suburban school, yet mummies and daddies drive them.

Case in point 2: The 35-40 children at our school who don't like our semi-nutritious canteen/tuckshop and whose parents find making sandwiches or salads too hard. These parents turn up at lunchtimes from their homes or their jobs with McDonalds, KFC or other fast food for their offspring. Not surprisingly, NONE of these kids eat Subway.

Case in point 3: Parents drop their kids off in NO STOPPING zones near the school rather than let their kids walk an extra 30m. And things really get bad on wet weather days when visibility is worse.

It's not the schools/teachers letting kids cut corners in most cases.