Family tech updates help?

[smiles33]

I have a 5th grader and an 8th grader and each kid has an iPad (which are technically mine/DH's but we allow them to use them and we don't use them as we have our own devices). They have been taken away as a disciplinary consequence.

DH and I each have a Macbook Pro and we prefer them for surfing/work/watching videos. DD1 is using DH's old MacBook (maybe 2010?) and it's super old. She uses it for homework, online math exercises, etc. DD2 uses her iPad to create her Google slide shows and do online math homework. DH bought a Chromebook for DD1 to use when she started having a lot of online homework (they submit online), but both girls prefer using their iPad/Macbook instead. I only use my iPhone when I'm not at home (e.g., waiting at the doctor's office, sitting in the parking lot waiting for DD1, etc.).

I'm thinking of upgrading my Macbook (it's a 2013) but it still works fine for what I use it for: Word/Excel files, watching Netflix, and surfing the web.

[georgiegirl]

What do they do when they need to type a report, etc.? Or if they need to do a math facts app or whatnot? I was typing reports in 2nd-3rd grade on a shared family computer, and that was many many many moons ago...we currently don't really have anything he can really use for that.

My 8th grader usually uses an iPad for school work. She has her math textbooks on the iPad. On a rare occasion, she will use the iMac we have. My 5th grader hasn’t ever needed to use the computer. They have time in school (school has two computer labs with iMacs in them). Kids use google docs. Our district (top performing) has very little homework, and a second grader having to type up a report at home is unheard of (we have students who don’t have home computers.)


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[Smillow]

In desperation (wanted to postpone new computer purchase as long as possible but laptop was dying), I purchased a chrome book for myself last winter. I love it. It’s light, it was $200, I transferred all my files to an external hard drive that I can access easily when necessary. It meets all my needs right now. I’m so glad I bought it! We had upgraded our phones and bought DS a new iPad in December, and I started a technology fund to save for a new iPad for myself. I don’t need one now. The chrome book does everything I need. I can take online classes on it, stream amazon, Netflix, etc, and access my google drive and google docs.

[basil]

My 8th grader usually uses an iPad for school work. She has her math textbooks on the iPad. On a rare occasion, she will use the iMac we have. My 5th grader hasn’t ever needed to use the computer. They have time in school (school has two computer labs with iMacs in them). Kids use google docs. Our district (top performing) has very little homework, and a second grader having to type up a report at home is unheard of (we have students who don’t have home computers.)


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That's interesting (and awesome for the kids that don't have computers!).

DS doesn't have a LOT of homework or anything, but they are strongly encouraged particularly to do online math games, Greg Tang math or Xtramath or whatever. He has do presentations every few months which it seems most kids will print out stuff for. He also really enjoys writing on a word processing program, which isn't for school, he just thinks he's the next J.K. Rowling..and printing out coloring pages or puzzle pages or whatever from online.

When I was in 2nd and 3rd grade I definitely typed up my reports...my dad would bring home his work computer for me to do it. This would have been 1987-88! Of course, my mom still has them, and my dad still has this computer

macintosh128.jpg

[smiles33]

OMG, basil, he does? Wow! My dad worked in tech in the 70s and 80s (and later) but when I was growing up we had a basic PC computer and dot matrix computer so I could type up all my reports. I still remember entering commands to get to the text window!

These days, my kids have been making Google slide shows since 3rd grade! Their teachers expect a lot more fluency with technology/typing/computers.

[KrisM]

We've had a kid computer since they were about 2, 4, 6 years old. Now we have 3 kid desktops, a kid shared laptop, and DS1 has his own laptop (got it in 9th grade). DH and I have laptops too. Plus DH has a desktop. Lol. Lots of computers here.

My kids play games on Steam on their desktops and they like to play with their cousins in other states. Plus, the typical things like videos, homework (since 4th grade), coding, stop-motion, etc. Maybe all those can be done on an ipad. I don't know as we don't have anything apple. I know I could not do spreadsheets or write a report on my phone, as it's just too small!

In middle school most of the textbooks are online, so my kids don't bring them home and just use the online versions.

[ett]

That's interesting (and awesome for the kids that don't have computers!).

DS doesn't have a LOT of homework or anything, but they are strongly encouraged particularly to do online math games, Greg Tang math or Xtramath or whatever. He has do presentations every few months which it seems most kids will print out stuff for. He also really enjoys writing on a word processing program, which isn't for school, he just thinks he's the next J.K. Rowling..and printing out coloring pages or puzzle pages or whatever from online.

When I was in 2nd and 3rd grade I definitely typed up my reports...my dad would bring home his work computer for me to do it. This would have been 1987-88! Of course, my mom still has them, and my dad still has this computer

macintosh128.jpg

I was typing up my school reports on this computer in the 80s too!

[essnce629]

In desperation (wanted to postpone new computer purchase as long as possible but laptop was dying), I purchased a chrome book for myself last winter. I love it. It’s light, it was $200, I transferred all my files to an external hard drive that I can access easily when necessary. It meets all my needs right now. I’m so glad I bought it! We had upgraded our phones and bought DS a new iPad in December, and I started a technology fund to save for a new iPad for myself. I don’t need one now. The chrome book does everything I need. I can take online classes on it, stream amazon, Netflix, etc, and access my google drive and google docs.

I agree! I've used one exclusively for several years now. I love that it's super lightweight (so great for travel), super cheap, and you don't have to worry about viruses. Both my DS2 (5th grade) and even DS1 (11th grade) use it sometimes. DS1 has his own laptop for school AND a gaming desktop computer, but if I want him doing something like Khan Academy test prep or driver's permit quizzes, I'll give him my Chromebook so he doesn't get distracted gaming! DS2 has had no problem using my Chromebook for the handful of times he didn't finish typing something at school and needed to finish at home.

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[Kindra178]

I would get yourself a new laptop and then get a family desktop. Fourth grade required some typing of reports, some PowerPoint creation, etc on their own. Third required lots of math apps at home.

Dealing with your old computer for him may not be worth the hassle.


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[AnnieW625]

My kids are 13 (8th) and 9 (4th) and neither of them have their own computer. We have a really old (2010) iMac that doesn’t get much use, but still works for basics like watching a dvd, word processing or playing internet school related games (Jiji, AbcYa, and IXL) and a MacBook Pro (2017 or early 2018 model) that I bought for everyone to use last Christmas. I went with this model which is very similar to the current MacBook Air, but I wanted the model that was more proven and had all of the reviews (and macrumors.com still had it at yellow status).

Dh, myself, and Dd1 have iPhones. Dd1 got her phone at 12. That will be the absolute minimum age for Dd2 to get a phone as well.

We have an iPad Air that I bought as a family Xmas gift in 2016 (I can’t remember the exact model....it could use the pen but we don’t have it) and I later bought the Logitech removable keyboard but we haven’t used it as much as I thought we would. Look at Costco later in the fall they should have some deals. The girls have to ask to use it.

Both girls use the computers a fair amount for school work and it isn’t an issue that we all share. Dd2 can still use the desktop in a pinch to do the online programs she has to for math or do word processing, but honestly even in 4th grade they are so far still doing assignments by hand, which is fine by me because her handwriting needs a fair amount of work. We will probably get rid of the desktop computer when we move next year as dh and I aren’t super tech savvy at upgrading. We may end up with another laptop or a chrome book type computer at that point.

Dd1 has a classroom iPad program to use at school and Dd2 has a classroom Chromebook to use at school.

FWIW: we were gifted an Apple 2E when I was in the 8th or 9th grade (1990 or 1991) from our cousins who had upgraded to a PC and it came with a dot matrix printer and I used that computer until the middle of my freshman year in college (1995). I replaced it with a Mac PowerPC. Dh said his family got a PC in the mid to late 80s and that thing was still around when we started dating in 1997.


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