Parents Worried About iPad-school

At one of the ten Dutch iPad-schools that will open in August, parents are worried. Some of them have removed from the school at least 10 of the 77 children registered at de Driemaster in Sneek, in the northern province of Friesland. The Steve Jobs Schools will use a new teaching model developed by education for a new time, Onderwijs voor een Nieuwe Tijd (O4NT). All children will get an iPad and there will be no set hours, holidays, classrooms and teachers. The model focuses on different skills that people need in today’s world, like innovation, creativity and flexibility. Nu.nl reported that the new system was only presented to the parents on Monday and that parents fear that teachers do not know how to teach the new skills. School Director Janet Visser thinks the changes will improve education in the Netherlands. “There is a need for flexibility of school hours and 'everyone an iPad' doesn’t mean children won’t be taught how to write.”