The kids do have their IPAD all day every day. They are supposed to carry it around at all times. And they are supposed to take it home and use it for homework. It has become the primary means of doing anything and everything. It makes the interface between kid and machine and reduces the role of parent and teacher.
This really hasn't happened at our school at all - yes, the students use their iPads as their primary means of writing, putting together project data/etc, taking notes, etc and yes, the iPads are with them for all their classes except PE and music - but it doesn't decrease "face time" or interaction with teachers and other students. The type of things it has replaced are writing in a notebook or on a piece of paper, pasting papers on a poster board, reading from a book, etc. The iPads are closed more often than they are open, even though the kids use them in all of their classes every day.
I also don't feel it's reduced my role as a parent in any way - I still interact with my ds about what's happened at school each day, I help him with homework when he needs it etc.
The place where I see computer technology potentially cutting into my ds' life is access to games where he becomes so engrossed that he doesn't want to come up for air and join the rest of us in the real world - but that is far different from the role the iPads play at school and in homework.
polarbear
