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Hellerup upper-secondary teachers replacing iPads with pen and pad

TheCopenhagenPost
May 26th, 2015


This article is more than 9 years old.

Teachers say technology can be a distraction to pupils

Two teachers at Øregård Gymnasium in Hellerup have introduced a ban on computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices during class, and students are responding positively at the upper-secondary school, DR reports.

According to Peter Brøndum, one of the two teachers behind the policy, it is an expression of questioning the rapid technological development in schools.

More involvement in class
“We’ve gone down this path in the teaching world where we believe that IT is the way to the good life and good education,” he said.

“We forget to ask ourselves why we do these things, where we are headed and if they have the desired effect? So we began to investigate it and there are a huge number of studies that confirm that IT is enormously distracting in classroom teaching.”

Fewer temptations
Peter Krogh Johansen, a pupil in the 3T class at Øregård Gymnasium, has noticed the benefits of the new policy.

“It’s easier to concentrate in class because you’re not tempted by the computer sitting in front of you with access to the internet,” he said.

“There’s more involvement in the classes in subjects where we don’t have computers out because people don’t fall out and sit at the computer.”


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Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

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At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

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Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”