With the expansion of electronic books available, it was only a matter of time before there would be a plan to control education in the classroom electronically. We are not denying the many positive applications for technology in the classroom, particularly in the area of accessibility but rather debating the practicality of it at this time. Financial reasons alone make it unfeasible for many communities. For example the town in which Jen lives, the technology classes cannot assign homework because there are still a large number of students who do not have computer access in the home. Would we deny education to those students who cannot afford them? It is easy to suggest that the schools would have loaner iPads or netbooks, but will schools make them available to students who do not have permanent address?
The next area of concern is the limiting of choices and applications. Many textbooks are indeed available in electronic form; this is not the case for all. Will we be handing over the curriculum to one company’s master plan for us? Is this a step forward? Where is the overview? Who will assure that the materials are objective and updated regularly? How do we make sure that we do not create a society of mindless drones who can only think if the information is provided through the internet, because we all know that if it is on the internet, it must be true!
There is a sense of reservation, in context of the young learners, who connect education through multi-sensory input. How will a technology-driven classroom address the needs of early elementary students? Will this encourage students to become more sedentary then they have already become through television and video games? They will certainly figure out how to bypass filters to find games and blogs that are more interesting and real then Abraham Lincoln or Newton’s theories on gravity.
Which this being said, how much advertising will accompany these educational tools into the classroom? Is there a way to insure that the use of this technology, both by the sellers and the users, will remain pure and educational? Before we place all of our educational choices into that one proverbial basket, what is the backup plan for winter days or tornado destruction, and their power outages? There may not be class until the power has returned, but how much homework will be completed when the battery dies? There is something to be said for knowing how to put pen to paper when you are working by candlelight... even for having legible penmanship, for that matter.
Robbins vs. Lower Merion School District presents an inappropriate use of technology that we had not even considered. The case involved schools secretly spying on their students while they were in the privacy of their homes. During this secret webcam monitoring, more than 66,000 images were snapped: "In February 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in support of a Lower Merion School District student, Blake Robbins, who had filed a lawsuit against school officials for allegedly using a school-issued laptop to take photos of the student at home without his knowledge." http://www.aclupa.org/legal/legaldocket/robbinsvlowermerionschoold.htm The student claimed that the school district was in violation of the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights, which states: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." PA agreed with him on the grounds that the school entered his home and bedroom without first seeking permission.
Julia's position: "Education requires contemplation,” he [Prof. Michael Bugeja] continued. “It requires critical thinking. What we may be doing now is training a generation of air-traffic controllers rather than scholars. And I do know I’m going to lose" http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/education/07education.html Like Prof. Bugeja, I too am a traditionalist. This is a difficult position to maintain and defend when my father loves technology but is, interestingly enough, in the printing business. It is no surprise to anyone that the printed word is becoming obsolete. In fact, Apple has recently publicized their vision for "improvement" in education. iBooks now make it impractical to carry a backpack full of textbooks, but is this really beneficial to the students? Is having an iPad and/or a computer constantly in front of the student the best approach to education? The way I see it, these devices are more of a distraction and greatly hinder the learning experience. I would much rather prefer to page turn and not scroll down, and be fully present.
Jen's position: At the risk of sounding archaic, there first needs to be a committee formed to outline what will be appropriate for classroom use and what should never be allowed before we must stamp out fires after the fact. There must be a plan in place to insure that distribution is fair and equitable and that there is a wealth of resources available, as well. Finally, before we place one more piece of technology in a child’s hands, we must first take responsibility for the manner in which they use these tools. What is permissible, how they should use their technology, and what should never come into the classroom.
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