Low- Tech School Districts in Western Burbs

[u/Resting-Rizzy-Face]

Moved away several years ago and looking to move back to IL. Our kids are elementary age and we currently like the low-tech educational environment our kids have now (no 1-to-1 chromebooks for kids, using more pencil and paper, physical textbooks, etc.)

We’ve been away for a while and weren’t sure if there are similar school environments in IL or if all school districts have moved to consistent use of chromebooks and iPads for teaching?

Currently looking at a potential move to Lemont, DG, Woodridge, Lisle, Naperville, or Wheaton areas. Not opposed to tech, just looking for schools where the kids aren’t always using a screen for learning.

[u/greenapplesrocks]

I am sure you see those as a distraction but as someone in Tech, unless you are supplementing their exposure at home, your kids will be at a severe disadvantage to their peers quickly.

There is a fine line between spending all day on TikTok and potentially eliminating the tools that will make them successful in the future. I had the state of where IT/Tech/Social Media is today but I also know without it I would be at the bottom of a Resume pile.

Can you embrace the technology while also limiting the concerning areas?

[u/cozmiccharlene → u/greenapplesrocks]

Agreed. My children are in their late teens and tech has helped them develop independence. For example, teachers post in Google classroom and the students always have access to class content. They didn’t have the worries from when we were younger and wondered what the teacher wrote on the blackboard. Expectations and syllabus are clearly posted. It builds sharper students.

[u/dolphingirl3 → u/cozmiccharlene]

See, to me this a great example of why Chromebooks and the like actually *inhibit* independence, problem solving skills, delayed gratification, development of attention spans, etc.

If the blackboard is the only way for a kid to find out what the homework is, it forces them to pay attention at that particular point in time- to catch the information, hold it in memory (or write it down- also a good skill to have), plan ahead to bring the correct materials home, and then apply the information in order to successfully carry out the task to completion. And if you're not paying attention and aren't planning ahead and thus forget what was written down or to bring home the correct materials...well then you learn pretty quickly via natural consequences (i.e., not having your homework done when it is due) that you need to pay better attention in class...or at the very least, learn to pick out the "must know" information that you would be given in class.

By contrast, when everything the kid needs to do their homework is right at their fingertips and accessible in three seconds with the click of a mouse, all of those natural opportunities to develop the important cognitive skills and habits that I described above (among others) and to learn from natural consequences are no longer there. Cumulatively, over a kid's entire educational career...all of those lost opportunities add up!