19°c A few clouds
25°c Chance of thundershowers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Reading, writing and 'rithmetic in the tech age
Parents and students are divided about whether the use of a laptop will mean a better education. On Wednesday, the first wave of parents started to pick up school supplies, minus any tech gadgets, for now.
DODGING A BULLET, PERHAPS
Related Items
-
Articles
ERIN Ward, 16, missed needing a laptop by the skin of her teeth. She's going into Grade 12 at Dakota Collegiate and has seen the positive and negative sides of using laptops from her friends in younger grades.
"We had a huge debate about it in class," she said, shopping for supplies with her mom and younger brother. "I didn't like it because of how dangerous it is with cyberbullying and keeping it safe."
Even though the school blocks websites such as Facebook, Erin said students can still go on social-media sites such as Twitter, where cyberbullying can happen.
Her mother, Tracey Avery, on the other hand, thinks having a laptop is a great idea as a teacher. "I think this is the way schools are going to have to go," she said. "I see it as a being a huge education tool for schools."
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Emma Lampert, 14, is proud to say she already owns her own laptop, which she paid for by herself.
It will help ease the strain of not having enough school computers, notes the Grade 10 student at Landmark Collegiate.
"Normally we have all these problems with getting computers," Lampert said.
However, she thinks if students buy their own computers, it might create a divide, where classmates might treat a student who has a cheap PC differently than a student who has a MacBook Pro.
LAPTOPS DOWN THE ROAD
Lori Willson scans the racks of pens and highlighters with her two children who are going into grades 4 and 5.
"As a parent, a laptop is a huge expense that some will not be able to afford," she said. "The schools would have to prove why a laptop is better than pen and paper."
Her children, who go to École Julie-Riel, are still years away from having to possibly pick up a laptop, but she thinks having them as a classroom essential would mean a huge shift in teaching.
"It takes away from the art of note-taking," she said. "It would put everything in a whole new direction."
-- Jenny Ford
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 16, 2012 A4
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Run to be named after crash victim
06/19/2013 8:04 PM 0Winnipeg’s annual Empower Run is changing its name in memory of a race organizer killed in a car crash.
The run, ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Glover quits quarrel over election costs
- Bar closing at Royal Albert
- Motorists complained about unsafe practices at site of crash that killed worker
- Blogger found in contempt of court
- Métis ready to ring bell again
- Kids of St. Ignatius make Sweet gesture to beloved crossing guard
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- Fatal crash 'could have happened to anyone'; defence seeks weekend sentence
- Ex's Mach 3 an adrenaline accelerator
- Safeway stores likely to close
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Poolside feeding prompts eviction
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Stoppage of play off the field
- Glover quits quarrel over election costs
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Kenyan wins Manitoba Marathon
- Father blasts 'horrific' movie
- Safeway stores likely to close
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Car in deadly crash stolen?
- UPDATE: Now with FAQ: Keeping the e-party going without the party-crashers
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Daycare provider charged with abandonment
- Poolside feeding prompts eviction
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Community's children apprehended by province
- Métis ready to ring bell again
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Kids of St. Ignatius make Sweet gesture to beloved crossing guard
- Province blows off wind megawatt goal
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- Ex's Mach 3 an adrenaline accelerator
- Blogger found in contempt of court
- Toilet contents need help escaping
- Known as kind, outgoing men
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Safeway stores likely to close
- Province blows off wind megawatt goal
- Community's children apprehended by province
- $110-K worth of nickel plates stolen from Thompson mine
- Known as kind, outgoing men
- A day in the life of 13,380 Manitoba Marathon participants
- Métis ready to ring bell again
- Stoppage of play off the field
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Squirrel crawls out of Winnipegger's toilet
- Father blasts 'horrific' movie
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Teachers support adding sexual-orientation themes to all curricula
- The crime fighter's revolution
- Safeway stores likely to close
- Car in deadly crash stolen?
- City's first urban reserve born
- On board with the Snowbirds
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.