Ideas aired to replace the 'One Tablet Per Child' project

[wandasloan]

for 9000 baht, you could have a full PC instead of this shiny mirror ...

Breaking news from 1997. A PC for every school, AND with two 3.5-inch disk drives and a year's supply of diskettes!!

A PC? In 2014? There are teachers in the Thai education system with more updated ideas than that.

.

[aripengu]

Properly trained teachers and bring back corporal punishment to get some order in the classroom. Surprising how unruly some Thai classrooms are, not a good learning atmosphere IMO.

Sure. Start beating the children. That would be a giant leap forward.

Not even have to start, it's stil there and one of the major child abuse events of Thailand. Yes, corporal punishment is child abuse. I never hit my kids, then why would I alow to let a teacher hit them? But they do, everywhere, but surely here in Isan, they love it, the sadist teachers!

One way to start is to follow the UN recommendation to establish CFS - Child Friendly Schools, where the students are the middle point and their education is highest on the list of teachers, nothing else.

Send the 50+ teachers on paid leave, get young IT oriented teachers, train them to let students think how to solve a problem, not remember the page where the answer is and how the teacher likes it. Don't do it for them, show them how to do it!

I would say 1 Teacher 1 Taser.

Edited June 18, 2014 by aripengu

[aripengu]

Putting the word "Smart" in front of everything may solve the problem.

[Hawk]

Thailand needs properly educated teachers who are prepared to teach not just dictate. Computer science needs to be taught using good programs, Windows 7 or 8 plus android alternatives, plus they need decent large screen monitors, 23/24 inch range. I agree that the wasteful tablet program definitely needs ending, the tablets were poor quality with bad specs, and out of date when delivered.

One classroom dedicated to computer studies, classes taking it in turns to study. PCs, monitors are cheap compared to years ago, and PC specs are darn good these days plus they all come with a full guarantee if purchased from a big company in Thailand. Acer and Samsung make good monitors that come with a 3 year guarantee, while HP, Acer, etc make good hardware at decent prices. So for a school of 300 students, 30 computers/monitors would be quite sufficient.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Hawk

[billd766]

If generals want to impress us and students with something better,then tablets - they should follow the trend:

today everybody uses phablets,not tablets!

I keep one in my hands now:10inch,4 core,2 sim,3G internet,works like breeze!how much? - 150US only.

They should create nationwide educational network on 3G,school phablets locked into it.Such network can be used

in emergency,like national disasters or...political disasters...or....tsunami....

If they just allocate funds - funds are being stolen in Thailand routeinly from the beginning of time and nothing will

change about it.If they give student a pencil,he will have the pencil,if they give a tablet/phablet - student will have

the phablet,if they allocate funds for whatever - student will get nothing,somebody will get rich.

Out in rural Thailand where a very large proportion of Thais live I don't think I have ever seen a phablet.

$150 USD is about 4,700 baht in Thailand.

Please tell me more about this wonderous device.

Who makes it, what it really costs etc?

[Basil B]

They are thinking in the right direction and also listening.

In the long term there needs to be a government department responsible for Computer Sciences Education responsible for:

• Promoting computer skills not just for children but for adults too.
• Developing educational software, much of this is already there as open source software, only needs adapting to the Thai language.
• Free access to computers, in schools and community rooms, all these need to be is in the form of a inexpensive desk top, lap top or tablet configured as a dumb terminal networked to remote computer that may be serving many clients at the same time.
• Educating the teachers to teach computer sciences.

[JesseFrank]

While the ministry is expected to consult authorities and information-technology experts before choosing one of these options next Monday, its work panel disclosed yesterday that the "smart classroom" was the most likely choice.

The other options are smart schools, e-learning, and smart libraries, panel chairman Kamol Rodklai said.

How about focus on smart students instead.

[casualbiker]

for 9000 baht, you could have a full PC instead of this shiny mirror ...

Breaking news from 1997. A PC for every school, AND with two 3.5-inch disk drives and a year's supply of diskettes!!

A PC? In 2014? There are teachers in the Thai education system with more updated ideas than that.

.

And your ideas are?

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[thumper101]

What is it with all this technology... leave that for computer science classes.

When I was at school, we never had smart classrooms and tablets. They were still to be invented. We had good, highly qualified teachers, a few books, a blackboard. paper and pens... We all received a very good standard of education.

[joshstiles]

What the Freak???!?!?!?!?!

According to Education Ministry permanent secretary Suthasri Wong-samarn, more than half of the 700,000 teachers in the country are over 50, and older teachers generally are not very familiar with modern technology

They must be talking about Thai Teachers!!!! Yes, they are idi_ts. Foreigner teachers that I know (who are OVER 50) are all well versed in the latest modern technology including flushing toilets.

What an ignornant comment....no wonder nobody in Thailand knows what's going on or how to fix it.

[joshstiles]

Soooooo the "smart classroom" is just the "tablet program" swallowed, digested, and vomited back out.....what a joke.

[chotthee]

Thailand needs for Foreign teachers.

But not Farang teacher (too expensive).

Foreign as in teacher from Malaysia, Philippine, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe etc, as their 1st language is English.

[fab4]

Soooooo the "smart classroom" is just the "tablet program" swallowed, digested, and vomited back out.....what a joke.

Ah, but now the "new" idea is doubleplusgood.

Edited June 18, 2014 by fab4

[northernjohn]

I suppose it's too revolutionary and not flashy enough to suggest decent teachers working with a well thought out curriculum and within a proper system.

Students made to work and graded on that work not because of who they are or considerations paid. No buying of school or university places or entry because of who you are or who your family knows.

At the top of the educational ladder no ' giveaway ' degrees for all the usual reasons.

This is far too radical i'm afraid. " Dreamin', I was only Dreamin' ".

But it is a nice dream.

The big problem with it is, it does not allow for educating collage students in how to teach effectively. This is not a problem that is going to be solved with the snap of the fingers. It will take years to get up to full speed if indeed they do it.

On the brighter side

According to Education Ministry permanent secretary Suthasri Wong-samarn, more than half of the 700,000 teachers in the country are over 50, and older teachers generally are not very familiar with modern technology.

There departure will make room for the newer teachers who by the time the old ones are retired will all be coming out of college qualified to teach.

I would question you in another post of yours you indicated that you had been a teacher. Also went into some of the problems you faced.

In your opinion did you have the respect of the students? Do you feel that is a needed ingredient in teaching?

This is not an attack on your abilities as they were constrained by the system. Just asking for an informed opinion.

[northernjohn]

While the ministry is expected to consult authorities and information-technology experts before choosing one of these options next Monday, its work panel disclosed yesterday that the "smart classroom" was the most likely choice.

The other options are smart schools, e-learning, and smart libraries, panel chairman Kamol Rodklai said.

How about focus on smart students instead.

If I remember correctly Einstein had a hard time of it in school. But he did have a flair for math.

[Fiddlesticks]

In Thailand, a 'Smart Classroom' is an oxymoron! Maybe they should start by finding smart teachers and smart administrators!

[Robby nz]

Whats with this replace business anyway ?

The scheme is scrapped so we have the money now, we must spend it on something.

No you don't have the money now.

With the scheme scrapped therefor the funding for it is also scrapped.

Forget about what you can spend on and get stuck into reforming the whole education system to give kids a great education.

A system that will not just bring them up to the level of other countries but become a model that others want to follow.

But I suspect it will be have to be those outside the Thai school system who have to do that, those within will have tinted windows that make it impossible to see out.

[moonray]

If generals want to impress us and students with something better,then tablets - they should follow the trend:

today everybody uses phablets,not tablets!

I keep one in my hands now:10inch,4 core,2 sim,3G internet,works like breeze!how much? - 150US only.

They should create nationwide educational network on 3G,school phablets locked into it.Such network can be used

in emergency,like national disasters or...political disasters...or....tsunami....

If they just allocate funds - funds are being stolen in Thailand routeinly from the beginning of time and nothing will

change about it.If they give student a pencil,he will have the pencil,if they give a tablet/phablet - student will have

the phablet,if they allocate funds for whatever - student will get nothing,somebody will get rich.

Out in rural Thailand where a very large proportion of Thais live I don't think I have ever seen a phablet.

$150 USD is about 4,700 baht in Thailand.

Please tell me more about this wonderous device.

Who makes it, what it really costs etc?

Model name: NUMY3G AX10

Maker: Ainol

Cost: Amazon.UK. 150£, Alibaba.com 150US

They make smaller model 7inch called AX1,cost 100US

They call them phone-tablets;phablets are 5-6 inches.

They have double sim module(3G/gem),which works as phone.

I used them in few countries with local sim cards.

In Thailand one seller offers AX10 for 6800B.

There are cheaper models also -AX3 and AX10t.

and there are many other makers and models,some give you 3G internet without phone.

Asus is good brand from Taiwan offering similar or better things,they are very good in "combo"models:netbook cum tablet cum phone;prices very modest.

Edited June 19, 2014 by moonray

[wabothai]

Kids need good education and not a tablet they can and will use for other thing Besides money can be spent on other things (selfie) in the education field.

[wabothai]

Moreover they need to be taught about a cleaner environment and respect for others. Don't need a tablet for that.

[northernjohn]

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Whats with this replace business anyway ?

The scheme is scrapped so we have the money now, we must spend it on something.

No you don't have the money now.

With the scheme scrapped therefor the funding for it is also scrapped.

Forget about what you can spend on and get stuck into reforming the whole education system to give kids a great education.

A system that will not just bring them up to the level of other countries but become a model that others want to follow.

But I suspect it will be have to be those outside the Thai school system who have to do that, those within will have tinted windows that make it impossible to see out.

A system will do nothing until it gets qualified teachers. this is going to have to be a long range goal. I am sure there are teachers in the system now who could make a big difference if allowed to. But most of them are not qualified to be a real teacher. It will take two generations before we get permanent and long lasting results.