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Tom Hayden's avatar

As a parent of a 9 year old boy, I could write a book about Youtube and their insufficient parental controls.

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Theo's avatar

Yes! Please have a chapter explaining why District 65 gives my 8 year old a frickin iPad which he only seems to use to watch youtube shorts. And an appendix with the email from the principal of his school that asked parents to tell their kids not to use their iPads on the playground before school because they were getting dirty and we would have to pay for their replacement if they broke!

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Steve D's avatar

This is driving me and my wife insane. Our second grader has been able, during the school day, to successfully google "Riz lines wallpaper" (he has no idea what this means). Some of the search results were unbelievably inappropriate.

I'm a public educator at the high school level and began my career long before student iPads (or laptops). I find very little of educational value in them, even for my juniors. Why we are using them to teach elementary students is beyond me. In fact, I think it borders on educational malpractice.

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Sandy's avatar

Saw this post from a reader on Talking Points Memo that recounted how their 20-something male kid commented on the machinations of the YouTube algorithm. You start off looking at a Minecraft video and a couple of videos in you get offered up Joe Rogan.

So when an equity grifter con-artist like Biz chides the community for bringing "toxic masculinity" into the schools, she should look in the mirror and ask why the district is actively enabling this through their choices in instructional materials.

Whenever I've seen a critique of the District's shoving iPads down kids throats on the Equity Army's Facebook page, their response is that it is improving equity since richer families have access to technology.

It is a dumb argument and---like everything that the Board and Administration pushes--it is wholly separated from the task that should be at the center of their concern: what is the best way to educate the kids?

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/your-reactions-14

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Tom Hayden's avatar

I think I am going to take on this cause - YouTube on the tablets. As a parent, it is a constant whack a mole with that thing - even if you impose strict parental controls, there are so many ways around it. Youtube Kids with whitelists are the best way to go but even then, they find workarounds - I caught him watching unregulated Youtube on his Oculus the other day - something I didnтАЩt even think was possible.

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Theo's avatar

I think the issue goes beyond YouTube. What is the evidence that iPads are superior to using actual books, worksheets, notebooks etc?

Of course the Board is so clueless about this. We should remember that they have signed on to actually sue YouTube while they are distributing devices that can access the platform. Good luck with that.

https://meetings.boardbook.org/Documents/CustomMinutesForMeeting/1247?meeting=586519

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