JFF: Does Your Child's School Use Books or a Computer/tablet?

Charter school.

Students 3-10 (only has 10 grades right now) use Chrome books for textbooks,the teachers supplement with online testing sites (study island) and printouts when needed. They are assigned a Chrome book for the year and are required to take it home with them. We pay $50/yr for software/licensing.

My kids go to public school. In elementary the kids have one iPad per each 3 students and use a combination of books and tablet. In middle school each student is issued their own iPad and use tablet instead of books. (We do not have to rent them, they are provided free of charge) The rationale is that it is cheaper to lease the iPads than to buy textbooks, especially since information and technology are changing so rapidly now. It is a bit challenging to keep the kids from screwing around on the ipads, but for the most part it is working.

My dear - I am from Kansas, aka Brownbackistan. We are lucky to get books.

Public school, daughter just finished eighth grade. Schools here all use laptops as well as desktop computers but no one is required to rent a computer for home use as you describe the private school doing.

Some teachers do use textbooks that are online only; however, if a student did not have access to a computer at home, that student would probably be given extra time at school to access the textbook or the teacher would print out needed sections, etc. The public schools increasingly use computers in classrooms, expect certain assignments to be handed in via Google drive and other online methods, but also cannot simply assume that all students have access to computers and the Internet outside school hours. A private school can make those kinds of demands like renting an iPad loaded with textbooks but a public school just can't.

In middle school, my kid's textbooks were traditional paper books in some classes and a few online-only textbooks (algebra, history). Kids were required to have accounts via the public schools' system using Google drive and used those accounts a lot during the school day in some classes. No iPads or tablets--the school system uses laptops and desktop computers at this point but that's a function of whatever contract is in place to provide IT, not a choice for or against iPads or tablets.

Our schools also use a system called Blackboard. Teachers can post all assignments there for students and parents to see. Very common now for schools to use such systems and some teachers use Blackboard extensively to show what the assignments are--it's very useful. But again, teachers cannot assume that every child has access to it.

What is the D5 initiative? I'm curious!

At present, grades K-8 have use of computer labs at school and iPads in the classrooms which stay at school.

Grades 9-10 have access to these things too, but they are also issued a laptop by the school (free) that it used both at school and at home. The program is supported by grants from local businesses. They hope to expand it to include lower grades.

As for physical textbooks, they use them in elementary school and homework only very rarely requires that one be brought home. Usually only if a kid was not using his in-class time wisely. In grades 7 and up, they have physical textbooks but many of them are also available as ebooks, so older kids don't have to haul books from school to home and back. With grades 7 and 8, that option depends on if they have access to a personal computer/device and internet at home.

Our son's school uses a variety of resources. Textbooks, access to computers, Google Chromebooks- these are available depending on the activity/teacher, etc. We are saving up for an iPad mini which will be used by our son for some schoolwork (he has ADD and this is a method which works for him) and some home fun.

To date, the schools have mostly used books. The upper grades in some classes do have Chromebooks (which is a kind of laptop, not a book per se: https://www.google.com/chromebook/), but not for take home use. Even kindergarten classrooms have tablets and laptops for activities, and my DD's reading was augmented by online resources. The sks submitted some of their homework online. We had access to Edline to monitor grades and communicate with teachers. We have not been required to rent a tablet. Our children all went/are going to public school.

That said, in college, my SD not only has an e-reader for many of her books, but she has had to subscribe to magazines and newspapers online for her class requirements. More and more it is going that way.

Comcast (and perhaps others) have programs to provide low-cost internet access to students who are on the free and reduced meals list, because access to the internet is so important now.

My son is a middle school student at a Catholic school. They are given a Chromebook for in school use until they graduate. At home they can access their account from any device. It makes it so handy for him to contact teachers and other students about their work.

They also use some traditional textbooks and library books.

Public school.
And it varies. In middle school the kids have chrome books or ipads for classroom use, but also are issued actual books that they can bring home. Beginning in high school (9th grade) they are issued chrome books individually, that they are responsible for throughout the year. Each subsequent year, they will be reissued the exact same chrome book. Son is a senior this year, and received the same one he used last year when they issued/signed them out this time. Daughter is a new incoming freshman, and hers is either brand new, or was issued to a senior last year, I honestly am not sure which.

It seems to vary, depending upon the class, whether or not the kids are issued books. Some classes they have them and some they don't. Many classes that they are issued books, they are expected to bring the books home and not have them in the classroom. Almost all teacher/parent and teacher/student communication (outside of classroom instruction) takes place via email or online sites (google school sites). There is no charge to use the chrome books whatsoever, but if they are damaged or lost, then the parents are responsible for whatever the pro-rated replacement cost is.

Beginning in elementary school, here, there are ipad tablets available in some classrooms for students use. But they are not issued TO the students, nor is it one-to-one ratio. Not all classrooms have them, or have a full classroom set.
The kids are expected (beginning in middle school) to bring their own earbuds or headphones for use in the classroom, though.

Public school.

Students in 7-12 have iPad minis and textbooks. We pay $40/year for the insurance policy if they want to take them off school premises.

Public school.
Ours has a Bring Your Own Device policy which includes cell phone, tablets and computers.
There are Red Zones (Device use is not permitted ever (locker rooms, bathrooms, teachers can say whether use is permitted in their classroom or not) and Green Zones (cafeteria, and places where teachers permit use).
It's worked pretty well so far but the policy is being used on a trial basis starting in a few high schools and will be extended to more schools and middle schools depending on how well things go.

Devices can be helpful in the classroom but so far they aren't required.
There will always be some kids who can't afford to rent/buy their own.
Certain classes have desk top computers provided by the school for lab work.

I WISH the school would provide textbooks on disk (or to be down loaded) because then our son wouldn't be lugging around a 50 lb backpack all day long.

wow! i'm long out of this game, but so surprised to hear that so many schools are providing macs!
khairete
S.

All of our public schools, K thru 12, use a combination of real books, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.

Traditional books for most subjects (elementary school). Although, the books are online so when my child has homework, he doesn't have to bring the book home. We can look up the pages in the book online from home. Makes for a lighter backpack.

They do have computers that they use for special projects, but not routinely in place of text books.

Public school in Missouri (which is right next to Kansas). Our students check out iPads at the beginning of 9th grade and use them all through high school.

Middle school uses Macs in the classroom, as does elementary.

My kids are in public school, and while they do have nice Macs to use on school grounds, they still use old fashion books to take home.

Public school
Both.
iPads/Laptops stay at school.
There is not O. personal iPad per student.
Also computer lab with desktops.