Students have grown up in a world where technology is everywhere. Businesses and colleges have told Bend-La Pine Schools officials in stakeholder meetings that students need to be digitally literate, and students have said they want access to technology. Teachers have been looking for efficient tools to ensure students are learning digital tools responsibly.
The district is reviewing the apps and websites used in schools and developing standards for their use at each grade level. In a resolution passed by the board in April, the district noted that, while screen use can support learning, it has also been shown clearly to cause detrimental effects for students.
“That has always been our focus, to be very intentional, purposeful, and make sure that any tools that we’re using are clearly aligned for an educational purpose,” said Karen Rush, executive director of elementary school programs.
PARENTAL RESPONSE
Parents have been concerned about the rise of artificial intelligence and how much students use technology in the classroom.
It’s the responsibility of the school district to continue to learn and be curious, he said. He has two children in Bend-La Pine Schools. Cappy works for an AI training company and said his family considered keeping his youngest in her Montessori school instead of beginning kindergarten at Bend-La Pine Schools.
As someone who’s spent his career in technology, Cappy recommended bringing back classroom carts for iPads, where devices are brought in for a particular use and then put away again, and making “pen and paper the default” and “tech the exception.”
“You have to approach this with the utmost caution and make sure that there is real evidence,” he said. “We are choosing to go to public school and we are asking the district to hold themselves to a higher standard that this community deserves. Our teachers are incredible here.”
Parent groups are also glad the district is looking into education technology.
“(The school board) truly listened to parents and the community members concerned and they took action,” said Brooke Mues of Well Wired, which advocates safe technology use in schools. “We think (the resolution) is probably one of the best we’ve seen, just given how clear and focused it is, and the fact that it’s consistent with the ever-growing body of research on how to improve educational outcomes and how to protect our students from the harms that can come from so much tech overuse and misuse.”
DISTRICT FOCUS
Bend-La Pine Schools officials, aware of the differing viewpoints, are prepared to teach students safely. The district has a responsibility to teach students about education technology due to state standards.
“The other side of the coin is making sure that they know when is the appropriate time to use that tool,” Rush said. “And what are the limitations of that tool? And how can I use that tool in a way to more effectively collaborate and communicate with my peers?”
A group of students, staff, community members and parents began to discuss concerns around education technology last spring in stakeholder group meetings. AI was a big topic, Rush said.
While students are eager to use technology, parents want to see fewer digital tools in the classroom, she said. The group requested data showing the top ten applications used by each grade. The district is using over 10 tools for students throughout the district, which differ by grade, though some programs are only used once or twice a year, Rush said.
The district has four major projects: reviewing educational tech programs, which began in the fall, creating a website page for ed tech and ensuring the district is transparent about its actions, ensuring tech for kindergartners through second graders is developmentally appropriate and ensuring that students have privacy and security on their devices.
All districts are grappling with these questions, she said.
“It’s not just a school issue and it’s not just a home issue,” she said. “It’s an issue where we need to be working together and partnering with the realization that our kids are growing up in a digital world.”
Board member Amy Tatom said she hopes “the resolution is going to spur our district to look at how we are using iPads, make sure it is intentional, and that it’s not harming the cognitive development of our children and their long-term potential.”
Resolutions like this one are being passed all over the country, she said, and Bend-La Pine Schools’ is similar to Los Angeles Unified School District’s, which Tatom was proud of. She also noted that several European countries are going back to book learning.
“It is really important as we use these tools to figure out how we use them effectively, because I would argue for sure that if you’re having students read everything on an iPad, you potentially are not using that tool effectively,” she said. “Using the tool where we need it: assessments, accessing primary documents, because you obviously can’t get those necessarily all printed in career technical education, computer classes, there’s lots of really positive uses.”
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