Tablet Computers To Contain Text Books; Pheu Thai Policy

[Scott]

Anyway, there's not even enough money to repair the air con in the grade 4 classroom, so who cares about wifi?

Air con? Oh to be so lucky.

I am more concerned about all the liquid paper on the screen when they try to correct mistakes.

[zydeco]

"The content on the tablets can become very lively with sound, animation, and colourful fonts to engage and interact with students.

___________________________________________________

Just what you need in the classroom, more noise and distractions. Just what the students need, more lessons avoiding how to concentrate.

[KRS1]

what happens when a tablet breaks? or it gets stolen.

well i guess this is the only way Thaksin is going to be able to control the future for his own benefit, control the minds of children with thaksin is great pop ups.

someone please cap that fool.

[nikster]

There's supposed to be a wifi connection in the school, but the contract was given for 3 times the price to a relative of the directress and they are obviously clueless. They've been laying cables and drilling holes randomly for 2 months now. Anyway, there's not even enough money to repair the air con in the grade 4 classroom, so who cares about wifi?

That sounds really familiar... you have been here for a while, then

In our village we had a project to gather funds to build a bathroom in the local school. WiFi? Tablets?

That they want to buy some cheap knock-off tablets is just the icing on the cake, really... they're all going to be broken within a year. Guaranteed.

"Tablet not working / out of battery / ate my homework" are going to be the top school excuses in 2011.

[arthurwait]

I wonder if this will cause a delay.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Lets hope those textbooks for teaching English aren't the Thai produced ones containing a plethora of errors. Not knocking Thailand for the sake of it. Simply stating a fact.

Have you seen any of those documentaries on TV with English sub-titles. The English grammar is gibberish and looks like it has been lifted from one of those on-line Thai-to-English passage translators such as supplied by Google. Why, oh why!! can't they employ an English person to correct the basic errors - not difficult, and it would add so much to the enjoyment. Some sentences are so confusing that they don't make sense at all and it all detracts from the quality of the program!!!

The Thai language doesn't deal with tenses very well and they don't have plurals as such - also the word for he, she and they is the same and so a direct and literal translation is going to throw up some problems upon translation. It turns the watching of a decent documentary into an average one as you spend over half the time working out what it all means and a minority of the time looking at the pictures (having to read sub-titles is bad enough) but this simply makes it worse.

It is not only on TV that you see this - some leaflets for food and drink products such as herbal teas and the like are comical!! These are often major companies as well!! If it is provided for English speakers then lets have it in English. It is so easy and inexpensive to do, for gods sake!!

My wife (we are private school owners) has had to do a Masters in "school management" and there is quite a large English segment (in big block capitals for some reason) that they had to study. I looked through it and to be honest there weren't too many errors involved. However, when I said I could proof check it for her and she could tell the professor/doctor who devised it how to correct those few errors, she said "no,no,no, he won't like that" it seems as if being corrected is a huge slight on them and their English ability!!! say's it all really .

Edited August 12, 2011 by SICHONSTEVE

[siampolee]

Scott # 31

I am more concerned about all the liquid paper on the screen when they try to correct mistakes.

Priceless and correct too

I Larfs, I Larfs, I pee Iself,

[notime]

3000 baht for a tablet PC?

So its basically just going to be a cheap ebook reader then?

For 3000 baht per student you could get them a PC. Second hand, possibly donated by companies etc.. with a CRT monitor. Quite useable computer, no good for games but certainly a useful learning tool.

But this wouldn't be cool. Kids want to be cool. Kids are cool. When were you a kid last time that you forgot?? :-)

[scorecard]

Lets hope those textbooks for teaching English aren't the Thai produced ones containing a plethora of errors. Not knocking Thailand for the sake of it. Simply stating a fact.

And therein lies the advantage. It is much easier to provide a software fix, then it is to reprint books.

School districts pay a small fortune for textbooks, One of the reasons out of date texts are still used by many districts all over the world is that the districts cannot afford to change the texts every two or so years. This is particulalry acute in the sciences. I would have been delighted to have had a tablet as a kid, instead of being obliged to lug around 10-20kgs of books. Have a look at school kids today, some of them can barely carry their backpacks.

And teacher does a quick check of what's being viewed right now: shopping, fashion, korean soap operas, joker shows, checking e.mail, on-line chat with friends, and porn.

Which is one of the reasons why many universities, including many Thai universities have banned laptops, i.pads and like from being opened in the classroom.

In most schools the kids desks are small or they have the small table on an arm which flips up and down. How many times is the tablet going to fall on the floor? Textbooks survive falls, tablets don't.

Edited August 12, 2011 by scorecard

[SICHONSTEVE]

Lets hope those textbooks for teaching English aren't the Thai produced ones containing a plethora of errors. Not knocking Thailand for the sake of it. Simply stating a fact.

And therein lies the advantage. It is much easier to provide a software fix, then it is to reprint books.

School districts pay a small fortune for textbooks, One of the reasons out of date texts are still used by many districts all over the world is that the districts cannot afford to change the texts every two or so years. This is particulalry acute in the sciences. I would have been delighted to have had a tablet as a kid, instead of being obliged to lug around 10-20kgs of books. Have a look at school kids today, some of them can barely carry their backpacks.

So!!! you are implying that it's not a good idea then!! You forgot gambling in your list by the way .

And teacher does a quick check of what's being viewed right now: shopping, fashion, korean soap operas, joker shows, checking e.mail, on-line chat with friends, and porn.

Which is one of the reasons why many universities, including many Thai universities have banned laptops, i.pads and like from being opened in the classroom.

In most schools the kids desks are small or they have the small table on an arm which flips up and down. How many times is the tablet going to fall on the floor? Textbooks survive falls, tablets don't.

So, basically you are implying that this is not a good idea then!!!

Edited August 12, 2011 by SICHONSTEVE

[livingthedream]

I think this a step too far for the Thai education system to manage effectively and I agree with those comments about the tablets being misused, lost , broken, sold etc. Wouldn't it be wiser to invest in one laptop per class, a projector and screen so then the class could still pay attention to the teacher whilst enjoying all those glitzy graphics. Sure there will be problems and glitches but overall it makes more sense to me than jumping straight in with personal tablets.

[473geo]

I promised an update on my children and their laptop they received 2 months ago - firstly it is still working

The maths ability of my daughter (nine) impressed me, but more importantly her willingness to utilse the tests I set up, and work with the answers, until correct, no rubbing out, just simple 'try again' until the answer is correct using an excel spreadsheet. I have yet to source some reading materials. She also plays memory enhancing games, and fun games too which also helps to familiarise her knowledge of the function keys, she has proved to be a quick learner, the laptop is currently set up in the English language

My son (four) I have not exposed to tests yet, but he is getting to know his way around the system playing learning games, this experience will give him a good base and confidence to handle computers in the future, he has learnt quickly, I am sure as he develops he will advance and do well, he likes to play memory games where you find the matching items and is now very good at recalling which tile he turned over containing what picture etc, I think ability to use the memory well is one of the major assets in learning and life, so I have no issues with him playing 'educational games'

Neither of my children currently use the internet, apart from E-mail, they can also load photographs and load and play family photo videos.

So from personal on the ground experience.....am I pleased I intoduced my children to computers, do I think this will enhance their education

The answer is a resounding.........YES

[YellowFeverCAD]

A 3000 THB tablet that is going to last 3 to 4 years in the hands of young children.. in what alternate Universe is that going to take place? Goodness some of these ideas start out with some promise and good intentions and end being just another heap on the junk pile. I do look forward to all the comments in a years time about what a complete and utter joke this program turned out to be. I mean for the students of course, no doubt somebody is making out very well supplying, supporting and otherwise dealing with this "plan" on the non user side of things

[WebGuy]

Very good idea that if performed properly can provide great results.

I suggest Puppy Linux for the operating system as Linux is quite secure when it comes to viruses.

Prathom 1 immediately to Linux and in a couple of years Thai society may get some young programmer talents

:jap:

[YellowFeverCAD]

Have you seen any of those documentaries on TV with English sub-titles. The English grammar is gibberish and looks like it has been lifted from one of those on-line Thai-to-English passage translators such as supplied by Google. Why, oh why!! can't they employ an English person to correct the basic errors - not difficult, and it would add so much to the enjoyment. Some sentences are so confusing that they don't make sense at all and it all detracts from the quality of the program!!!

Because the Thai person in charge of having it done the first time would lose face if it was wrong and proven to be so and had to be corrected. I have seen large multi National companies in Thailand that use promotional signs and flyers etc that have the most basic of English errors. I am sure somebody somewhere knew it was wrong on the way to the printers, but heavens we can't lose face, better we just don't learn anything. Hey Thailand it perfect the way it is lets just stick the same course that has served us so well for so long.

[OzMick]

Some years back, I traded training with a Chiang Mai Uni grad, teaching him colloquial English in return for Thai language lessons. He had a textbook which still hadn't mastered plurals; the most memorable example of which was "Having your hand full" as meaning "busy".

Do any Thai schools use hard-covered proper texts? My twin girls only ever had soft-covers with low-grade paper, designed to have answers written into them, and discarded at the end of the year/subject. They certainly weren't heavy, or expensive.

They also came home with some weird pronunciations from English class (Thai teacher) but were quite vehement that correcting the teacher's pronunciation was NOT a good idea.

[Thaddeus]

I promised an update on my children and their laptop they received 2 months ago - firstly it is still working

The maths ability of my daughter (nine) impressed me, but more importantly her willingness to utilse the tests I set up, and work with the answers, until correct, no rubbing out, just simple 'try again' until the answer is correct using an excel spreadsheet. I have yet to source some reading materials. She also plays memory enhancing games, and fun games too which also helps to familiarise her knowledge of the function keys, she has proved to be a quick learner, the laptop is currently set up in the English language

My son (four) I have not exposed to tests yet, but he is getting to know his way around the system playing learning games, this experience will give him a good base and confidence to handle computers in the future, he has learnt quickly, I am sure as he develops he will advance and do well, he likes to play memory games where you find the matching items and is now very good at recalling which tile he turned over containing what picture etc, I think ability to use the memory well is one of the major assets in learning and life, so I have no issues with him playing 'educational games'

Neither of my children currently use the internet, apart from E-mail, they can also load photographs and load and play family photo videos.

So from personal on the ground experience.....am I pleased I intoduced my children to computers, do I think this will enhance their education

The answer is a resounding.........YES

That's very good and I'm pleased to hear it.

I assume you set up the laptop yourself, decided which software would be on it etc and you created the XL spreadsheet on your own, plus I expect that you are on hand all the time when your children are using it, one on one, so to speak.

Now try doing the same thing with one teacher in a room full of kids.

[Disinto]

Knock off tablet computers are a dime a dozen on Ebay, and many of them cost far less than 3000b.

The problem is always going to be the content that these computers use. The operating system of the computers will likely be the android system, which is free ware, and it has access to hundreds of computer games, not to mention porn.

The computers are a great idea, however as I have seen most people here use their 15,000-20-000b apple products as the most expensive computer games money can buy.

Asking all of my students if they have anything educational on their ipads pods phones,, they always say no, just games. This is sure to up the students competitiveness, for sure,,, especially as they will be able to log on to facebook in class and compare their scores.

Exactly. I'm flabbergasted to see people coming from a low-income Thai family proudly own an iPhone or other expensive fruity iDevice. Often left me wondering what their sense of priorities is...

[OzMick]

I promised an update on my children and their laptop they received 2 months ago - firstly it is still working

The maths ability of my daughter (nine) impressed me, but more importantly her willingness to utilse the tests I set up, and work with the answers, until correct, no rubbing out, just simple 'try again' until the answer is correct using an excel spreadsheet. I have yet to source some reading materials. She also plays memory enhancing games, and fun games too which also helps to familiarise her knowledge of the function keys, she has proved to be a quick learner, the laptop is currently set up in the English language

My son (four) I have not exposed to tests yet, but he is getting to know his way around the system playing learning games, this experience will give him a good base and confidence to handle computers in the future, he has learnt quickly, I am sure as he develops he will advance and do well, he likes to play memory games where you find the matching items and is now very good at recalling which tile he turned over containing what picture etc, I think ability to use the memory well is one of the major assets in learning and life, so I have no issues with him playing 'educational games'

Neither of my children currently use the internet, apart from E-mail, they can also load photographs and load and play family photo videos.

So from personal on the ground experience.....am I pleased I intoduced my children to computers, do I think this will enhance their education

The answer is a resounding.........YES

I don't think that anybody doubts that computers are great educational tools, but you are missing the salient points.

!/ your children are receiving 1 on 1 instruction

2/ you (as teacher) already know how to use a computer.

3/ there is no possibility of your children downloading non-educational material

4/ your laptop stays in your home (assumption!) and doesn't get dragged to and from school

5/ a laptop is more durable than a tablet anyway (another assumption!)

6/ there is little possibility of other persons either taking over its use, or selling it for booze money.

If you took those factors into consideration, would your answer be the same for a child in a typical thai family?

[Disinto]

Tablets

a little humour from someone who has lectured at 2 of the top bkk universities including school of medicine(quite good btw).

Using the same content, curriculum but delivered by/ aided by tablets will not accomplish much. A 21st century curriculum and approach could impact significantly. Training the mind to think and think outside of the box is what will make the country competitive with ASEAN nations.

If educational games for kids are used (math, grammar, science, spelling, history) it wouldn't be that bad.

Exactly! You nailed the point. Tablets shouldn't be merely used to display digitalized textbooks. The government should create a new multimedia platform with 3D animations, visual explanation, oral example (for foreign language learning) etc. That's precisely the added value of a tablet vs. a regular paper textbook.

[473geo]

I promised an update on my children and their laptop they received 2 months ago - firstly it is still working

The maths ability of my daughter (nine) impressed me, but more importantly her willingness to utilse the tests I set up, and work with the answers, until correct, no rubbing out, just simple 'try again' until the answer is correct using an excel spreadsheet. I have yet to source some reading materials. She also plays memory enhancing games, and fun games too which also helps to familiarise her knowledge of the function keys, she has proved to be a quick learner, the laptop is currently set up in the English language

My son (four) I have not exposed to tests yet, but he is getting to know his way around the system playing learning games, this experience will give him a good base and confidence to handle computers in the future, he has learnt quickly, I am sure as he develops he will advance and do well, he likes to play memory games where you find the matching items and is now very good at recalling which tile he turned over containing what picture etc, I think ability to use the memory well is one of the major assets in learning and life, so I have no issues with him playing 'educational games'

Neither of my children currently use the internet, apart from E-mail, they can also load photographs and load and play family photo videos.

So from personal on the ground experience.....am I pleased I intoduced my children to computers, do I think this will enhance their education

The answer is a resounding.........YES

That's very good and I'm pleased to hear it.

I assume you set up the laptop yourself, decided which software would be on it etc and you created the XL spreadsheet on your own, plus I expect that you are on hand all the time when your children are using it, one on one, so to speak.

Now try doing the same thing with one teacher in a room full of kids.

That is the benefit, once set up they come and take the laptop go and play, I don't have to supervise them at all.......the only supervision required is who uses the laptop

[robsamui]

This is nothing but a bullshit gimmick that will improve nothing except access to porn.

What students in Thailand need are better quality teachers especially in the fields of math, science, geography, history and English.

Absolutely spot on.

This is case of the blind leading the blind. Of administrators who are themselves (comparatively) uneducated, making educational policy.

FOUR THOUSAND MILLION BAHT!

Just think how many trained and qualified teachers this could buy.

This is like issuing every student with a solid gold pen in the hope that it will make them all write better.

Another depressing and utterly foolish policy decision by a country which continues to try and mask its medieval ignorance with wild and hopeful statements and 21st century tinsel.

Sigh

R

(ex Deputy Principal of a BKK international school.)

R

Edited August 12, 2011 by robsamui

[473geo]

This is nothing but a bullshit gimmick that will improve nothing except access to porn.

What students in Thailand need are better quality teachers especially in the fields of math, science, geography, history and English.

Absolutely spot on.

This is case of the blind leading the blind. Of administrators who are themselves (comparatively) uneducated, making educational policy.

FOUR THOUSAND MILLION BAHT!

Just think how many trained and qualified teachers this could buy.

This is like issuing every student with a solid gold pen in the hope that it will make them all write better.

Another depressing and utterly foolish policy decision by a country which continues to try and mask its medieval ignorance with wild and hopeful statements and 21st century tinsel.

Sigh

R

(ex Deputy Principal of a BKK international school.)

R

Teachers don't appear to be having the desired effect......perhaps it is time for a change in approach......the most efficient economic way to give access to quality teaching methodology and materials could well be through IT

[robsamui]

Anything that can improve learning which I believe this could contribute to should be welcomed ... Thai curriculum will change over time ... try to look at your own countries , how it was 50 years ago and how it is today, how was the family structure 50 years ago and how is it today , how important was religion 50 years ago and how is it today , everything changes over time , also in Thailand, Thailand is not yet fully industrialized , it will be over time and then things will change to the better or worse.

Thailand doesn't want it to change. Thailand is doing everything it can to remain separate from the world outside, driven by obsessive nationalistic pride and a desperate clinging onto outmoded customs and traditions. Thailand doesn't want to learn from other countries - it fears them and their 'corrupting' influence. Thailand doesn't feel any need to rise above it's current low level of international competitiveness because it already believes that it's one of the finest countries in the world.

The government and administration of the Thai nation is purposefully keeping the country out of the mainstream of world educational and technological development - teaching about Thai culture and traditions in their schools and avoiding international awareness and integration.

All except for the children of the ruling classes - they are sent to school and university in America and Europe. Odd, that, isn't it?

R

[robsamui]

This is nothing but a bullshit gimmick that will improve nothing except access to porn.

What students in Thailand need are better quality teachers especially in the fields of math, science, geography, history and English.

Absolutely spot on.

This is case of the blind leading the blind. Of administrators who are themselves (comparatively) uneducated, making educational policy.

FOUR THOUSAND MILLION BAHT!

Just think how many trained and qualified teachers this could buy.

This is like issuing every student with a solid gold pen in the hope that it will make them all write better.

Another depressing and utterly foolish policy decision by a country which continues to try and mask its medieval ignorance with wild and hopeful statements and 21st century tinsel.

Sigh

R

(ex Deputy Principal of a BKK international school.)

R

Teachers don't appear to be having the desired effect......perhaps it is time for a change in approach......the most efficient economic way to give access to quality teaching methodology and materials could well be through IT

Erm - you have just made my point for me!

Teachers aren't having the 'desired effect' because they are so poorly trained in outmoded teaching methods that they could not get a job anywhere other than within Thailand. You can give the kids any amount of classroom gimmicks but it amounts to nothing without an enlightened teaching force to guide them.

R

[robsamui]

I think perhaps some of the posts above are kinda missing the real point...

It is likely that PTP know all of the above - they are far from stupid. Delivering on the campaign promise is the point here, whether it delivers better school based education or not is pretty much beside the point.

The parents don't have to buy the kids a computer, they are happy. The kids get a computer, they are happy. Happy people all round. The cost of 2.4 billion baht is pretty small when you think about like that - and if you consider what the armed forces spend each year on military hardware that never gets used it starts to look like a drop in the ocean.

This is not about educating kids - it's about delivering on a campaign pledge that nobody thought they would. If this new government make it to another election they can point back at this and say "Look at what we gave you - the Demorcrats never did anything like this for you". It's also in PTP's favour if the uneducated poor start to get educated (and internet connected tablets will bring allot of them more into the real World) - they might have a few things to say about how the countries resources have been used in the past few decades...

2.4 billion is very, very cheap for that kind or advantage over your political rivals when you have the kind of money PTP have.

Yes, of course tomster, you are quite right. I allowed myself to be sidetracked by more-basic humanitarian concerns. I was forgetting that this is all about show-boating!

Respect,

Rob

[473geo]

This is nothing but a bullshit gimmick that will improve nothing except access to porn.

What students in Thailand need are better quality teachers especially in the fields of math, science, geography, history and English.

Absolutely spot on.

This is case of the blind leading the blind. Of administrators who are themselves (comparatively) uneducated, making educational policy.

FOUR THOUSAND MILLION BAHT!

Just think how many trained and qualified teachers this could buy.

This is like issuing every student with a solid gold pen in the hope that it will make them all write better.

Another depressing and utterly foolish policy decision by a country which continues to try and mask its medieval ignorance with wild and hopeful statements and 21st century tinsel.

Sigh

R

(ex Deputy Principal of a BKK international school.)

R

Teachers don't appear to be having the desired effect......perhaps it is time for a change in approach......the most efficient economic way to give access to quality teaching methodology and materials could well be through IT

Erm - you have just made my point for me!

Teachers aren't having the 'desired effect' because they are so poorly trained in outmoded teaching methods that they could not get a job anywhere other than within Thailand. You can give the kids any amount of classroom gimmicks but it amounts to nothing without an enlightened teaching force to guide them.

R

Next step either to replace all the Thai teachers, or train them to an acceptable standard in modern teaching techniques........quite a tall order don't you think?

Alternatively bring in the solution via IT development......clean, instant, efficient, and economical compared to the alternative.........may not provide the full solution....but may buy time to educate the educators and drag them into the new electronic world

[473geo]

I think perhaps some of the posts above are kinda missing the real point...

It is likely that PTP know all of the above - they are far from stupid. Delivering on the campaign promise is the point here, whether it delivers better school based education or not is pretty much beside the point.

The parents don't have to buy the kids a computer, they are happy. The kids get a computer, they are happy. Happy people all round. The cost of 2.4 billion baht is pretty small when you think about like that - and if you consider what the armed forces spend each year on military hardware that never gets used it starts to look like a drop in the ocean.

This is not about educating kids - it's about delivering on a campaign pledge that nobody thought they would. If this new government make it to another election they can point back at this and say "Look at what we gave you - the Demorcrats never did anything like this for you". It's also in PTP's favour if the uneducated poor start to get educated (and internet connected tablets will bring allot of them more into the real World) - they might have a few things to say about how the countries resources have been used in the past few decades...

2.4 billion is very, very cheap for that kind or advantage over your political rivals when you have the kind of money PTP have.

Yes, of course tomster, you are quite right. I allowed myself to be sidetracked by more-basic humanitarian concerns. I was forgetting that this is all about show-boating!

Respect,

Rob

I don't think who supplies the tablet should have any bearing on the educational value...........

[OldgitTom]

There is no substitute for books, but the costs are a large problem all over the globe.

Sad if schools' IT equipment is in bad repair. Maybe farangs with time & skills might drop into local school & offer free help? OGT

[KhunBJ]

Anything that can improve learning which I believe this could contribute to should be welcomed ... Thai curriculum will change over time ... try to look at your own countries , how it was 50 years ago and how it is today, how was the family structure 50 years ago and how is it today , how important was religion 50 years ago and how is it today , everything changes over time , also in Thailand, Thailand is not yet fully industrialized , it will be over time and then things will change to the better or worse.

Thailand doesn't want it to change. Thailand is doing everything it can to remain separate from the world outside, driven by obsessive nationalistic pride and a desperate clinging onto outmoded customs and traditions. Thailand doesn't want to learn from other countries - it fears them and their 'corrupting' influence. Thailand doesn't feel any need to rise above it's current low level of international competitiveness because it already believes that it's one of the finest countries in the world.

The government and administration of the Thai nation is purposefully keeping the country out of the mainstream of world educational and technological development - teaching about Thai culture and traditions in their schools and avoiding international awareness and integration.

All except for the children of the ruling classes - they are sent to school and university in America and Europe. Odd, that, isn't it?

R

Agree that the ruling classes, the upper echelon of society does not want to change anything, and since the state has a good grip on the available information to the citizens then they have been good at keeping status quo for years, I do however believe that nowadays there are other means of communication that the State cannot control, the social media we have today and which is bound to increase in the future .. so I think that over time common citizens will simply demand a better life and education...and then something will have to give in either peacefully or not, most other countries in the world have gone though such phases too.

I do respectfully disagree concerning Thailand's competitiveness , Thailand is indeed very competitive , just look at all the car manufacturers etc exporting to other parts of the world, I myself is in the Engineering sector and we have also been very competitive for years.... Thailand has also over the years been doing a great job in promoting Thailand as a tourist destination (Whether it is sustainable or not due to environmental destruction and greed is another issue), as a convention destination and even as a educational hub for expats both here and in other countries .... Thailand have even been quite successful in promoting itself as a medicare hub for people in the middle east...so there are a lot of capabilities and potential ... but the education system lacks quite a lot ... but as I still believe , hopefully over time it will improve.