How are we getting on in Year 8?

[KS10]

I actually have an issue with how much homework is internet based and requires a colour printer, costing me a fortune in cartridges. I would rather see them work some of this stuff out for themselves rather than being able to lift it from the internet. DG

I agree that there is far too much reliance on the internet. Parmiter's has a statement somewhere - I forget the exact wording - that no one who is without a mathematical set will be disadvantaged; yet, clearly, if you don't have a computer the disadvantage doesn't matter. I know they have access to them at school, but I find it difficult to believe that everyone who needs to use them at school is able to.

It is very difficult to answer a question such as the one I mentioned in my previous post without some facts. I really don't see how he could have done this question unaided. As for lifting the answers from the internet ... if only! We used the internet to learn more about Hadrian's Wall so that we could work out the answers for ourselves. (The only British history I have studied is the Industrial Revolution.)

I can't say too much about the teacher as it would make it clear who he/she is. And I suppose there is the possibility that the work was covered in class but that DS didn't do it. Who knows?

[BarnetDad]

How much are you spending on cartridges then, DG?!

[new2me]

Ditto here about the ink. So far it's only maths where my DS's homework does not involve the internet.

I find I'm constantly monitoring his use of the internet for his homework. Last French homework was to write a letter to an imaginary French pen-pal, in it describing all the members of the family. Enterprising DS wrote the letter in English and I caught him using an online translation service.

[KS10]

Online translation services don't work well all the time as they don't always recognise homonyms. There will usually be a glaring mistake which gets the pupil found out.

[new2me]

I blocked the site and handed him a French-English dictionary.

[2GirlsDad]

Ditto here about the ink. So far it's only maths where my DS's homework does not involve the internet.

I find I'm constantly monitoring his use of the internet for his homework. Last French homework was to write a letter to an imaginary French pen-pal, in it describing all the members of the family. Enterprising DS wrote the letter in English and I caught him using an online translation service.

I suppose to be done properly, any automatic translation needs to be checked. But I guess the goal was to do it the standard way... Do the teachers make clear which ones are expected to be done with the web?

[KS10]

It's not allowed at all as far as I know.

[KS10]

Sorry, to clarify: translation sites are not allowed, but there are sites that help with verbs and tenses, and the usual such as Linguascope and languagesonline are fine.

[shivanjali]

Great thread, read with much interest. We are still in Year 7 so early days but I will be watching this thread, especially with regards to Watford Grammar School for Girls WGGS. Thanks.

[Daogroupie]

So how about telling us how your dd is getting on at Watford Girls, she is half way through Y7 now and I am sure lots of forum members who are deciding on Watford schools would be interested. I would be interested to hear how it works in relation to DAO, are the classes streamed from Day one? How does your MFL policy work? Do you have to do one or two for GCSE? How many girls do you have from local preps? DG