this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2026
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Technology

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Parents opt kids out of school computers, insisting on pen and paper instead (www.nbcnews.com)
submitted 18 hours ago by remington@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org
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[–] megopie@beehaw.org 5 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

On the one hand, I’m skeptical of the assertions that pen and paper is inherently a better way to take notes and learn.

But I do agree with the general aversion to a lot of ed tech. So much effort to shove kids faces in front of softwear and hardware that was sold to administrators by marketing teams from big tech companies. So many opportunities for those tech companies to exploit local school districts, ether to extract unreasonable profits, or for access to a mailable locked in user base.

If a school is going to go all in teaching with computers, they need to be carefully choosing what they use and not just adopting a premade package from some tech company.

[–] DosDude@retrofed.com 1 points 1 hour ago

Writing by hand is a good way to get fine eye hand coordination. I think, at least for younger kids, writing should be primary during development. Around 12 years of age it could be phased towards computers instead.

[–] pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone -2 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

??? just install linux.

[–] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 12 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Did you read the article in any depth? What the software is, isn’t the only rationale.

[–] MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de -3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

The rationales of tech-illiterate helicopter parents are not the only ones worth discussing.

[–] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

They’re probably the majority, for whom moving to Linux solves nothing. It goes too for handwriting.

[–] MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Somehow, I doubt the Venn Diagram of parents with the time, resources and energy to move their kids off technology without hurting their education versus those with the time, resources and energy to get their kids their own laptops is much less round and overlapping than a singular circle. In otherwords, the exceptions on either end are just that, tiny little slivers, and neither close to anything like "the majority".

You're half-right that the OS can seem irrelavent, but suggesting Linux is far less extreme than suggesting the removal of tech entirely.

These kids would rather have Steam-decks. They would probably learn more from owning them, and yes, being forced to take regular analog breaks from their use. Steam-decks run Linux, btw...

... but no, an educational, social, play and extra-curricular world defined entirely by parents' biases is obviously best, the one thing we should all agree on.

No seriously, stay away from my kids. Their hand-writing is probably better than yours.

[–] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 3 points 7 hours ago

Somehow, I doubt the Venn diagram…

That’s why I asked if you read the article and now I’m wondering if you have experience raising and schooling children. I did read it, the article doesn’t just focus on ‘windows bad’ or ‘AI bad’. I have schooled and raised several kids, including homeschooling and fostered, so not only am I aware that each kid works better with a different approach, many parents, and I know this from personal experience, prefer that their kids do and submit handwritten work. Whatever their rationale is.

You’re half right…suggesting Linux is far less extreme

And fine for the group that is concerned and wants to maintain teaching with tech. However, as I said that’s not the only reason or rationale for parents.

These kids would rather have Steam Decks

A lot of kids would.

Steam decks run Linux

And?

but no…

Again, that lack of knowledge about raising them is showing.

Stay away from my kids

So no need to be an arsehole about it because nothing I’ve said suggested that kind of response. That one deserves a ‘fuck you’. Given what you’ve showed here, I’d be somewhat concerned about their well-being.

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I don’t think the school district is very keen on wiping their laptops and installing your own OS on them.

[–] MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 9 hours ago

I don't think school districts have any business renting-out years-old Chromebooks full of spyware for amounts that could buy a newer laptop, but here we are.

Couple of weeks-ago, I had to basically trick my daughter's Chromebook into caching a lesson at a resolution high enough for her to tell that her snow-day packet's math problems actually were part of the lesson. There was no option to download the video or watch it on another device(also tried, even casting it to a TV wasn't available).

... but yeah, what the district and Google are cool with is super-important. They don't even use books.