Against the Times: A School's Fight Against Technology

As a history teacher, I find it interesting to look at the different eras throughout time. The Stone Age. The Bronze Age. The Industrial Age. In this time of internet, smart phones, WIFI, GPS. Bluetooth, Facebook, and Skype, these years will certainly be called the Technology Age. Thanks to the invention of smart phones, information on almost any topic is literally at our fingertips, and it seems every day there are new programs for educators to use in the classroom, such as Canvas and Google Classroom.
Instead of utilizing these tools, however, the school where I teach, a charter school called Horizon on the southwest side of Chicago, seems to be pushing against them. In fact, it seems to be pushing against almost all forms of technology. All teachers have a school issued laptop that is connected to the school's WIFI, and almost every classroom has a Smart Board. Every K-8 student at the K-11 school takes a twice weekly introductory computer class, where they learn typing and basic programs. However, that is the extent of my school's relationship with technology. The students do not have personal computers to use in the classroom. Just this month, the administrators installed locks on all the lockers for the first time to ensure every student would lock up his/her cell phone. While I had never had a problem with a student using a cell phone at an inappropriate time in my class, the administration wanted to make sure that cell phones weren't a "distraction" for the students and followed the example of other schools within our charter network. Instead of embracing cell phones as a potential tool for the classroom, my school is very literally locking them out of reach.

These restricting policies about student's use of technology can be seen in the student handbook:

Page 28 of the Horizon Science Academy student handbook regarding electronic devices

View the full student handbook here.

The employee handbook contains more regulations for the staff in regards to using technology. Like the student handbook, this handbook mostly contains what not to do with technology instead of guidelines about ways to use technology in the classroom in a responsible way.

Page 22 of the Horizon employee handbook regarding internet use

Page 23 of the Horizon employee handbook regarding internet and cell phone use

View the full employee handbook here.

In the two pages of the employee handbook regarding technology, the staff are told not to use technology in inappropriate or unproductive ways. For example, the handbook instructs the staff to "limit the personal use of cell phones during the work day as much as possible" (23).

Instead of giving instructions and developing methods to restrict technology, here are some suggestions for how my school could create policies that would help the employees and students use technology for safe educational purposes:

1. Social Media Policy: Social media can be a fun way to engage students in a lesson and to update families on what is happening within the classroom. However, staff members should not be posting pictures of students on a site that would be viewed by anyone outside of the approved community and should have written permission of every guardian before connecting with students through social media or posting any information or pictures about students. All social media connections should be kept professional.
2. Classroom Technology/Websites: Staff members are encouraged to develop classroom websites so students can learn content with developing their computer skills. On websites such as Google Classroom, teachers can post copies of readings, presentations, and homework so students and their families can review material, get extra copies, etc. (Connect to Google Classroom here.)
3. Cell Phones: Students may use cell phones in the classroom in appropriate situations as per the instruction of their teachers. Cell phones can be used to answer review/quiz questions through websites/apps (For an example, check out Kahoot! here.) or as a tool for positive reinforcement (For an example, check out Class Dojo here.)