School officials in Los Angeles are still trying to figure out the actual cost of the iPads for all students. The price goes higher unless the district buys 600,000 devices. The cost of keyboards was not favored in.
Another problem arose in hearings on discovery that the Pearson content loaded into the iPads is licensed for only three years. Will it disappear or will upgrades cost more?
District staff promises answers at next meeting.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Oops.
What we are witnessing, here, is the Walmartization of U.S. education–the creation of gateways for delivery of curricula that are owned by a few providers. A free people should find this VERY disturbing.
Or Pearsonization…….
Peter picked a pack of iPad peddlers.
Ha-ha!
Supposedly Broad Academy graduates like LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy learn “best business practices.”
I shudder to think what “worst business practices” looks like.
😦
Stop this program now.
My favorite quote from the LAUSD Common Core p.r. paper they gave out at the meeting yesterday: “We continue to maintain a fluid set of facts…”
That pretty much sums up the entire project and the LAUSD leadership. But there is so much wrong with this project, too much to list here right now.
Note: keyboards are not needed for iPads.
Sent from Peter Smyth’s NSA Secure iPad p_smyth1@mac.com psmyth20@gmail.com (843) 819-8933 ********************************************* By reading this email in full, part, or in its entirety, the reader grants all rights, implied or otherwise, of users and their heirs, present or futures in situ loco and a priori to the recipient.
>
IPads need keyboards when they are the medium for testing. If the test questions appear on the iPad, half the surface is obscured by the internal keyboard. That is why the iPad cannot be used for Common Core testing without an external keyboard.
We need school counselors back. We need an AP 5 days a week . We need consistent Art programs back. They told us this iPad thing was about social justice. Where is the justice in overworking your teachers, administrators, clerical , support staff to do all the jobs that were cut. Not all students start on the same playing field. But maybe if we focused on supporting students to develop as well rounded individuals, maybe our future would be brighter.
Sadly, there were so many serious issues brought up yesterday, that the subject of the questionable value of the Common Core standards was never brought up. You would think that the problems that have surfaced in New York would stand as a warning for California or any other state. LAUSD Superintendent Deasy clearly states that iPads are required for the CC tests coming up starting next year. Of course, tests can also be taken on desktops and laptops, but those were not considered as possibilities by Deasy. So, you would think that the main discussion should have been around the value of the standards and related curriculum. Then, and only then, should the discussion around choice of devices begun.
The LA School Board is desperately trying to steer the Titanic as its been hijacked by Somali pirates.
It’s a shame the blueprints for this vessel were conceived in total secret and pushed through so deceitfully and with such haughty contempt for those who questioned its validity. “The ship is unsinkable!” has been the cry of the Captain Deasy as he has lied repeatedly (certainly through omission) about every facet of this voyage.
Wish that there were investigative journalists and editorial boards who weren’t merely gape-mouthed spectators who bought the hype.
Worse, and tragically, I just wish so many kids weren’t locked on the lower decks.
Can someone play devils advocate with this? I looked at the picture in the article and I see a child drawing a square around a sentence and then a stick figure. Can someone tell me how this is more educational than simply filling out a worksheet? The student is using his pointer finger to draw a shape but he cannot do any shading, he cannot control the width of the lines, he cannot erase parts of it and he cannot easily introduce new colors. So, the end result is a lame stick figure of an entirely blue man. It seems to me that a worksheet and a box of crayons could deliver the same content, for far less money, while also providing the student an opportunity to do something much more creative. This student is getting a senselessly mediated experience where even the creative possibilities of a number 2 pencil are denied.
I should say that I am the last person in the world to be expounding the benefits of worksheets. Has anyone taught using these pre-loaded iPads? Surely, I am missing something?
Doesn’t it disturb ANYONE that these iPADs will be a closed gateway through which ONE provider delivers curricula? That, more than the ridiculous cost of these toys, should truly have people up in arms.
Disturbs me.
I hope all these people attend the board meeting on October 29th. We need to forcibly let the district know we don’t want this program. Let’s talk about winding it up, assessing costs and getting the heck out of this. While we’re correcting this mistake, fire Deasy and his senior staff.
Now Alabama State Legislators are gearing up to do completely away with textbooks and replace the with iPads and laptops. They say this needs to happen because textbooks cost too much money and are obsolete in seven years. They also say that the condition of textbooks after the first year is deplorable. Do they really think that technology will be much cheaper much less last as long as seven years? There is a place for technology in education, don’t get me wrong. But enough is enough. There is a place for real books, too. I actually had parents of my first graders thank me at the beginning of the year when I sent home levelized readers to read rather than making them go on-line. They did have the option to go on-line if they wanted, though.
So George, what you’re saying is all these budget statistics are wrong? Not to trust the figures they are giving us on the budget? Can you break this down further for me?
I hope this sun shining of the information will be enough to stop this purchase. The board has probably seen this before but will they buck the business community to stand for the taxpayers? I really hope they do. This is a giant waste of our Prop 30 funds and possibly illegal.