Today the Kindergarteners were allowed to go to the lunchroom to scan their fingerprint into the computer system. This fingerprint is how they will get counted for lunch. Instead of my cooperating teacher having to take a lunch count each morning in the classroom, the students will have to get in the lunch line and use their fingerprint to get their lunch. All the Kindergarteners were very confused at lunch today as to what was going on and why they now had to use a fingerprint code.
Personally, I feel like there should be an easier way for the teachers and lunch ladies to have Kindergarteners get counted for lunch. I see this as something the older students would not have a problem with, but Kindergarteners do not like waiting in line and taking 10 seconds to complete a task when they are worried about eating. Maybe as they get used to the process it will not be so bad, but today the lunch line backed up quickly because the Kindergartners were not cooperating with the new fingerprint code system.
Maybe an example of the over use of technology...just because we can do it with available technology, does that mean that we necessarily should do it?? Maybe not a good fit with the learner characteristics!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a school using a fingerprint system. I agree with Professor Thompson that it is an over use of technology. I could see this working better with older middle school - high school kids, but not for kindergarteners. I'm curious to hear how the kindergarteners adjust to it.
ReplyDeleteFingerprinting for lunch seems a bit much. I can see where it would be confusing for kindergarteners. If the school is going to do something like that they almost need someone to stand right where they are taking the fingerprints and help them do it for at least the first couple weeks. Like you said, when the student's main focus is on eating, how can we expect them to be efficient with something like fingerprint identification? And what happens if the machine goes down? Teachers will have to scramble for lunch account numbers. This seems odd and unnecessary.
ReplyDelete