Screens have slowly made their way into the education system – but one school has decided to ditch the devices for a more hands-on approach.
Ōmata School has used iPads in classrooms since 2011, and almost reached a 1:1 ratio in every classroom.
But after reading some research, the school has decided to shelve them in the junior school, and are now trialling no iPads in the classroom.
At the beginning, Year 1 and 2 teacher Leanne Bartlett said a couple of children did ask where the iPads had gone.
"I explained we put them away and we haven’t had a problem since."
Bartlett added with the switch to chalk and blackboards, the students can "feel the writing and feel the numbers" as they work.
"The kids seem a lot more settled, you can see it around the class, a lot more engaged with each other, a lot more conversations happening."
It’s not an all-out ban on technology, as laptops will be introduced in years four and five.
But for now, the iPads will stay shut away.
'Hooks to hang the learning on'
Paediatric Society of New Zealand researcher Julie Cullen said the reliance on digital platforms as a learning tool varied from school to school and even individual classrooms.
"But overall, New Zealand kids have higher use of screens compared to most other countries in the world, both in classrooms and at home," she said.
Cullen said there was growing evidence to support more "traditional learning tools", such as handwriting and reading from books.
"They are multi-sensory experiences, they give lots of hooks to hang the learning on. Handwriting, even for maths, gives students more time to process the information," Cullen said.
"Until students have fluency in their core skills of reading, writing and maths, those are really useful learning tools alongside learning about technologies."
The use of digital technologies could increase as students became more fluent towards the end of primary school, she said.
Studies show benefits drop away after more than an hour of use
Cullen said more frequent screen use in learning had been linked to poorer learning outcomes.
"About an hour a day, even at high school, has been shown in large studies and reports to support learning, and then after that, those gains drop away or can even reverse.
"That balance is important, not just for educational outcomes but also for young people's health and wellbeing."
SHARE ME