Kindergarten iPad 2 program causes rift between parents and school officials in Maine

What is wrong with these people?? Children today need LESS screen time NOT more. What is the possible benefit from encouraging them to spend even more time with an electronic device. This makes me so sad - this is a crucial age for social development and that should be the focus. I could almost understand this if they were talking about high school age students. A very wise person once said, "Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should."

good for children they will definetly tell there parents to buy one for them after they go to home :P

step by step guide to jailbreak your iphone n more

http://www.xionsms.com/2011/04/jailbreak-iphone-4-and-iphone-3gs-using.html

These are kindergarten aged kids. I don't believe they need a virtual experience. Far from it.

At this age they need hands on tactile interpersonal development: they need to develop social skills through play with classmates, they need to develop their own sense of self and environment through hands on activity with real objects, they need to develop their capacity to listen and comprehend through story telling and music, and parents and teachers need to nurture in these children their sense of security to provide a space for exploration and growth. These are not imperatives secured with an iPad.

Planting the roots to develop imagination, effort, focus, collaboration, problem solving and empathy—this is the promise of kindergarten. Not apps. Not even reading I dare say (there is much evidence that points to the benefits of teaching reading as late as 3rd grade).

The argument that these kids need a computers to be trained for the the future is bunk. By the time these kids are out in the work force in earnest — 15 to 20 years from now — neither an iPad, or any computer of today will be the norm.

I am all for giving kids the tools to fully develop their potential, and technology has an important role in this. But using technology for technology's sake is misleading and counter productive. Oh... and a waste of money.

I think these kids would be better served if the school took that $200,000 and hired foreign language instructors. Mandarin anyone?

Sadly, some people just look for an excuse to complain. Finding none more worthy, they take what they can get.

Relax mr Hater! Actually my comment was not based upon the idea of excluding these parents, just outvoting them and preventing their backward ideas from prevailing.

You seem to easily equate opposition to the anti technology parents with denying them an opportunity to be heard. They are not the same.

I teach kindergarten. My 2nd career. My first was as a software engineer, some 15 years. I have serious reservations about how we are pushing developmentally inappropriate instruction into kindergarten. Including technology. I'm considering a doctoral degree and am very interested in researching technology and early childhood development. Let's not be so rushed, until we know more.

If you look at the financial reasons, they may be buying these in place of laptops. They can save an enormous amount of money this way. I normally here the opposite. Schools are buying these partially to save money.

The screen reason is just ridiculous. If they don't want more "screen" time at school because they already have too much at home then maybe they should spend less "screen" time at home. The biggest argument for too much screen time is not enough exercise. I guess they thing the kids should be exercising in class instead. Everything I have heard says that iPads can make students more engaged not less. The "tune out" comment makes absolutely no sense.

Kids of that age tend to drop things. How long do you think an iPad will last in the hands of a kindergarden kid? Hours? Heck, even adults tend to ruin iPads by dropping them.

How in the world can the school justify the cost? If there are 20 students and we guess $400 per iPad, that's 8,000. certainly the school could find better use for that much money.

This is just noise. The future of the classroom is not iPads, the future of the classroom is NO classroom. Maybe not in kindergarten, but when you see websites like Kahn Academy doing a better job of teaching math to high schoolers than classroom teachers, it makes me wonder why not use the web to learn from the best, rather than sleep though a boring lecture from an average teacher.

Well, if the parents protest just move the program to another school and let them see the benefits and what they missed out on. There is little need to debate here. Obviously the parents don't like the idea!!! Once they see other children learning and enjoying the iPad they will realize what IDIOTS they were and how they missed out, then, they can fund iPads out of their pockets. Dumb parents shouldn't have smart children, it is just a waste. They could have devised a workable program that could have been beneficial to all....WOW!!! The children are smart enough for the iPad but the parents are NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!