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I'm a sub and a parent of 5 children in a relatively small school district. Five years ago, our district issued laptops to all MS and HS students, which was hailed as "cutting edge" at the time. The learning curve was sudden, steep and painful, like a crowded bus hitting a concrete barrier at 60 mph. Students, parents and administration had to deal with a ton of painful and embarrassing fallout. The administration's response was "**** the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" Now, 5 years later, I'd like to think that we've learned from our mistakes, but I'm not so sure. I see the same issues today, but no one is shocked anymore. It's all accepted as part of "learning." The students are getting smarter, but not entirely in a good way. I think the analogy of giving a high powered car to a 10 year old is relevant. Too much, too soon, can be bad for everyone. Also, there are mistakes and injuries that a person just can't recover from. "Progress" can be illusory and carry a high price. Parents are their children's best, last (and often only) line of defense. They need to be pro-active and ever-diligent, which requires them to become and remain proficient in an ever-changing technology. Mission impossible - unless a great deal of additional resources, including time, encouragement and training are made available to them.
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