high-tech vs. no-tech: d.c. area schools take opposite approaches to education - touch screen whiteboard

The sixth-
Students are lighting up their rooms with their MacBook air and opening up physical assignments to Google, Wikipedia and YouTube.
Their classroom was beautifully touched.
Screen whiteboards, tablets, and a powerful WiFi connection can handle a school full of children online at the same time. “Cool!
Nina Jenkins says she has opened links to sites that allow her to study acoustics in more depth.
She is making a small drum by hand and will record her own playing drum on iMovie.
Finally, she will write her reflection with 140 or less charactersin a tweet.
In the same week, about a dozen miles away, the other group was sixth-
The students are taking similar classes.
They're the only ones in a spare Birch.
It looks like returning to the hued classroom in the Norman Rockwell era.
There is no computer here.
The only tool to use is a spoon and fork tied together with purple yarn.
As the yarn is shortened and lengthened, the students change the pitch by listening to the jingle of the utensils. Nina Auslander-
With this discovery Padham's eyes wide open, she hurried back to her wooden table to write down her reflections on a blank page of a red hardcover magazine.
In these two private schools in the Washington area, there are only 20-
These two nines may also exist on different planets.
They grew up opposite a vast educational divide that was not formed by the usual school cracks in the economy and race.
Their department is made up of technology.
Flint Hill School in Oaktonwired.
Apple praised it as a model for embracing devices.
Teachers here believe that technology immersion will make their students more excited about learning and better prepared for college and career.
So they give each child a device.
Starting in the fifth grade, each preschool child has an iPad and MacBook air.
"Technology is like oxygen," said Shanan Schuster, dean of Flint Hill College.
"It's all around us, so why don't we try to get our kids to start early?
"The Waldorf School in Washington in Bethesda is doing its best to keep it open.
Its teachers see technology as a distraction and overpublicity.
They believe the children through the real
Experience the world at the school's vegetable garden and wood shop.
Educators here worry that instant gratification of text and Wikipedia could threaten face --to-
They banned mobile phones, laptops and tablets and asked students to do it manually.
I didn't write a paper until high school.
"What is a rush?
Natalie Adams, dean of the University of Waldorf in Washington, said.
"Technology has time and place, but children need to connect first with the physical world around them.
Independent pre-K-to-
Thanks to the flexibility of the private school board and the permission of the budget, the school is able to make such a serious choice.
Although they may represent extremes, their experiences provide a touchstone for parents and educators who are not sure to learn this super through technology
Internet generation
In the frenzy of mobile devices, Americans are trying to understand how technology affects their lives.
There is nothing more obvious than the debate about how much technology we should expose our children.
There is no clear answer for parents.
Academic research seems to provide contradictory findings.
The federal government has just begun its efforts to address the impact of technology on children, although it has spent billions of dollars bringing broadband Internet to schools and libraries, it also offers huge tax benefits for Apple and Microsoft's educational software and gadgets.
"We have to stop and think, if we embrace it just because technology exists, or if it's the best tool we want to achieve," said Michael Rich, director of the Center for Children's Media and Health at Harvard.
"Sometimes the answer is that the iPad is great, but does it really do a better job than a piece of clay or paper?
"Recent research has shown that children are exposed to much more media than the previous generation, mainly because of the surge in smartphones and tablets at home.
But is this healthy for their development?
Some studies have shown that software programs such as smartphone apps can help improve children's vocabulary and math.
According to a 31% study commissioned by PBS, children aged 3 to 7 using an app called Martha Speaks increased their vocabulary by up to 2010 in two weeks.
Some educators say that technology enables them to personalize their teaching programs and provide free online tutoring, a way to get rid of cookies --
Cutting courses that do not resonate with each student.
On the other hand, child development experts said that the attention duration of children is getting shorter and shorter,
Too many online tasks
Habits become more ingrained over time.
Technology is also changing the way children learn;
Waldorf's teacher said that when pieced together through Google search and recycled from the point of view blog, the idea was not so original.
Students are increasingly skipping basic subjects such as spelling and handwriting --
The importance in the workplace has been reduced, but it is still the key to connecting the young brain, some children
Development experts say.
On February, the Ministry of Education and the Federal Communications Commission called on all American classrooms to adopt digital textbooks by 2017.
This goal was inspired by South Korea.
It is now rethinking the advantages of online books over paper textbooks.
"I call for investment in educational technology, which will help to create digital tutors that are as effective as private tutors, as eye-catching educational software like the best video games, president Obama said during a visit to a technology company last year
Boston school.
At the same time, the ministry has found that past investments in educational technology have not paid off.
In a 2009 report, it found students using math and reading software
During the year, the score in the test was the same as the peers who did not use the program.
The technical contrast shows the sharp dividing line between the two schools in the suburbs of Washington.
And two of Nannas's family.
Otherwise, girls will find a lot in common.
They are fans of Adele's moody ballad and the book Hunger Games.
"They are slim and have great athletic talent, but they haven't surpassed pink and pastel colors yet.
They are students who have ideas and are good at observing.
They will not be the first to speak in class, but are not afraid to express their views. But by 8 a. m.
When they enter the front door of the school, one person has access to dazzling equipment, while the exposure of the other person is limited to the car radio.
Nina Jenkins, 11, has a mobile phone and laptop.
Nina is at her home in Alexandria, on a forest-covered land, and she shares a home computer with her family, a Wii and XBox console, and a Kindle Fire tablet.
Many things, her parents admit.
Nina stayed up until two in the morning. m.
Play social games with friends app text. At Nina’s 11th-
At the birthday party, because Nina and her friends spent too much time texting, her mother confiscated her cell phone. “We are laid-
Trust our children, "said Rebecca Jenkins.
"But sometimes I have to stand at the top of them.
"Auslander monitoring screen time does not work-Padghams.
Two years ago, on an unusually warm winter afternoon, Nina Osland
Padham and her brother are fighting for a laptop at home.
They are grumpy and moody.
The sun shines, and despite the trampoline and large wooden rides, neither of them set foot on the vast Bethesda backyard outside.
It was an epiphany for her parents Bonnie and Jon.
All the technology is going.
Their decision puts them in the minority.
According to the Pew Internet and American Life program, 6 out of 10 children over the age of 9 have mobile phones.
According to the Pew Research Center, teens text 60 times a day and use video chat 4 out of 10.
Children between the ages of 8 and 18 spend about £ 10.
5 hours a day before a computer, TV or mobile device, from 7 hours to 7 hours.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, five hours a decade ago. The Auslander-
Padghams can sometimes be difficult to exclude technology from children's lives.
When Nina was 12, she asked many of her friends for an iPhone.
Her parents compromised with a purple digital music player that couldn't connect to the Internet.
"There must be a leak," her father said . ".
"We know we can't resist forever.
"If the school's academic performance is any measure, both Ninas are on track to succeed.
Washington Waldorf and Flint Hill seniors score mid-term
Each part of the SAT is 600 higher.
They will enter elite colleges such as Stanford University, Yale University and Virginia University.
This is not uncommon in the highly educated Washington area.
Tuition for one year in Flint Hills is as high as $31,000, which is the high end of local private school tuition.
According to the school's website, Apple also has these fees for laptops.
The school serves 1,100 students on two campuses, with a total area of 50 acres, which began to emphasize technology nearly a decade ago.
Children have a lot of independence to be able to send emails using their laptop
Send an email or instant message even if the teacher is giving a lecture.
Sixth grade students in Schuster
Grade math class can be heavy
Watch the lecture on the teacher's YouTube channel.
The test results are immediately published online for parents to check.
Dictionary online.
The card catalogue is long gone.
Nina Jenkins can't remember when she wrote more than two paragraphs in her last handwriting.
On this day of math class, she watched her teacher solve algebra problems on Promethean smartboard, which has a touch screen that saves the teacher's work.
Nina, wearing a white and dark blue uniform, wrote the solution on a worksheet.
Her laptop is on, too.
Flashing alert for IChat messages and emailsmails.
She would love to check if her partner has added a joint book project to the Google Docs.
As her teacher enters the next mathematical equation, Nina's fingers hover over her mouse pad.
She measures questions that deserve more attention: Math questions or book projects.
The math won this time.
"I think I'll see it later," she said, turning off her laptop and putting her worksheet on the cover of the laptop.
According to Flint Hill's philosophy, by adding these choices together, you develop independent thinkers.
Her parents and teachers say Nina has grown into a creative, curious student since she entered school two years ago.
However, she still recognizes the value of pen and paper.
She likes to write poems by hand.
"I think you can say it's more special," she said . ".
"She needs an environment where she can find her own way of learning," her mother said . ".
Some educators say all these options can be distracting.
According to a study by the 2009 Kaiser Family Foundation, half of children aged 8 to 18 said they were surfing the Internet, watching TV or using other media while doing their homework.
This makes education experts wonder how much information the children keep.
"These children are taught to jump from one topic to the next, which changes the circuit of their brains," said Jim Steyer, president of Common Sense Media, who advocates public interest groups for the safety of children's media.
The number of Waldorf students in Washington is less than 240 in Flint Mountain.
Parents pay up to $23,000 in tuition.
The only technology learning is in a small lab of a dozen computers.
Many alumni of the school have their own careers in art, including National symphonies and famous ballet companies.
The corridor is quieter and less lively than Flint Hill.
The classroom looks more traditional, the tables are arranged neatly, and each classroom is equipped with a ruler and a colored pencil.
This year, when the ceiling leaks to wet the card catalogue, the librarian saves the file by ironing each file.
Nina Osland this morning.
Padham's teacher walked back and forth in front of the students and opened a history book on the music desk.
"Medieval history" is written on the blackboard in calligraphy.
Nina is absorbed.
She raised her hand to describe the Bedouin tribe at that time.
"They are known for their hospitality," she said . ".
Her teachers and parents say she thrive in this atmosphere.
"I know I will never use calligraphy in real life, but learning calligraphy reminds me of the Middle Ages," Nina said after class . ".
The traditional method has its limitations.
Fatigue began to appear after about 25 minutes.
Some students are staring out the window.
Two students pass notes.
A boy in the back row tried to keep his eyes wide open.
"We want our students to focus only on one topic at a time, to be fully involved and to learn patience," said Adams, dean of the school.
Nina said she was initially annoyed by her family's aversion to technology.
"Now I'm used to it and find something else to do," she said . ".
Other things, her parents say, include a lot of reading and more violin time.
But sometimes feel the need to get on the Web.
She also wants an iPhone.
Her favorite art and science magazine, Muse, has a website on the back cover she is eager to explore.
"I guess I just wanted to know what was on the site and what I missed," she said . ".
Nina says she can't relate to the idea of crowdsourcing online, and has never practiced the skill of refining complex ideas into Twitter.
She does not know how to type on the computer.
"At some point I have to learn keyboard manipulation," she said . ".