you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 26 points 2 months ago (5 children)

The problem is they can't control Chromebooks. Give them a Linux laptop with a purposeful distro that doesn't allow them to play Minecraft. Boom, problem solved.

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] 38 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    Minecraft isn't the problem.

    The problem is the 24/7 input of corporate right wing propaganda and brainwashing.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    What does that have to do with computers?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    A lot, TBH. The walled garden is everything in tech these days. When you control the platform and make it hard to leave, you control the flow of information.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    What does that have to do with right wing propaganda? I'm just not seeing the connection.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    When you control the device, you control the information allowed on to the device.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    Are you suggesting the right wing somehow controls all compute devices? And if so, how?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    The Trump administration already had apps removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play. (ICETracker, Tiktok was until it was sold to hard MAGA supporters)

    Also, there have been many studies showing how YouTube videos will push right-wing agenda videos to people.

    These are the 2 major aspects for chidren, locked down app stores and YouTube, both which have shown a favortism for right-wing politics lately.

    This doesn't include Tiktok's new MAGA owners, Discord's usage of age verifaction company Persona (which feds the info to the Trump administration) X(itter). Social media that force-feeds children right-wing propaganda.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] -1 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    That's an internet and media problem, not a computer problem. Taking computers away doesn't solve that problem.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    so far, nobody's talked about taking away computers. however, you're correct in that taking them away is not a solution.

    american schools are notoriously underfunded. google realized this a few years ago when they came out with the Chromebook lineup, which are dirt cheap entries into the google ecosystem. the hardware is not the problem, the data collection introduced to children in the guise of convenience at early stages is.

    my preferred solution to that would be to introduce hardware outside of the google ecosystem. the issue is, very few companies can produce at scale in the way google can. any competitors would have to sell hardware below asking price to compete. its not feasible for small companies to do so. apple and Microsoft could, but they don't have the same data collection ecosystem that google does for the same hardware subsidies.

    another big reason small companies can't compete is that the entire Gsuite is cloud based. all you need to access it is a browser. there's not a single public school with the IT team to set up an open-source alternative, so schools are forced (or are enthusiastic about the opportunity) to get a full Microsoft-esque productivity suite for the kids without the licensing fees.

    ever tried to convince someone non-tech savvy to switch from chrome to Firefox? attitudes range from uninterested to impossible, despite the functionality being identical at worst. now try to do that with every single tool they've been using since they were in elementary school.

    its a simple game plan. lock them into a data-harvesting ecosystem. collect their data. nudge their opinions. influence their votes.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    It is, that’s what motivates my kids.

    So a big problem is lack of control. If schools provide electronics they want it to be cheap, zero maintenance, and limited to academic work to the extent possible.

    Kids want their control, they want their features and options, and yes they want to do other things. But not every kid can afford a laptop, not every kid can keep their laptop in working condition, and not every kid will focus on schoolwork as much as they need to

    My kids are in college now, and the electric is requirement is “bring your laptop”

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    Maybe I am misunderstanding what you’re saying but this sounds like an entitlement issue. Kids don’t need to be able to do more than schoolwork on school provided computers.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Kids want to do more than schoolwork. Maybe that’s entitlement, but the point is they are going to bitch and moan because they can’t

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    My grandma used to say “put your wants in one hand and take a shit in the other and see which one fills up faster.”

    The point is these are school computers, they shouldn’t be treated any differently than a computer lab computer just because they’re at your house.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 16 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    Claude, please find a linux 0-day to root my school laptop so that I can play Minecraft.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 12 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    That's fine, some kids will do that, and I hope they do. But they will be a minority.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Once they do they'll share it with friends and it will make its way around.

    It's literally what I did in school

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 0 points 2 months ago

    And you probably learned a lot doing it. I know I did. Dunno if you're old enough to remember Ninja Proxy but it's what we used to bypass the firewall and I learned a lot about networking after that.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    In my son’s fifth grade class last year, it was fucking Cookie Clicker. 🙄

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    The problem is there is no compelling data that these devices are superior for learning. They are distractions and expense with no proven benefit.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    There's some benefit... my daughter was assigned a Window 11 Lenovo the last two tears and now hates Microsoft AND Windows.

    Her personal laptop runs linux.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    It doesn't matter if they're superior or not, they need to learn to use them, because every job is going to expect them to be able to.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    I think it would take a pretty big effort to keep kids from learning how to use basic functions on tablets or laptops. They are inundated with these in and out of school. They don't need to use them in school to be comfortabke with them on the job market.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    And yet a lot of kids are entering the workforce today not knowing how to use a computer mouse or what a web browser is.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    Probably best to focus on child labor laws then.

    For young adults entering the workforce computer literacy is dropping DESPITE a clear increase in school computer use. This is not an argument for kids being shackeld to tablets for their school work. Basic computer science courses, typing courses and computer lab exposure are sufficient.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    The devices for my kids saved me a crapload on buying textbooks.

    They consider it a benefit that now they can hand in their assignment just before midnight Friday night the week it’s due

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    Chromebooks are basically designed to be easy to lock down and be remotely administrator controlled. It seems like schools in this article just... aren't doing that for some reason? Maybe they just don't have the time or technical knowledge.

  • source
  • parent