School Technology Policies

This is part four of a four-part series. Please click here to read the first article in this series on “Active vs. Passive”. Please click here to read the second article in this series on “Appropriate vs. Inappropriate”. Click here to read the third article in this series on “Public vs. Private”.

Wells is the author of Smarter Clicking: School Technology Policies that Work! from Corwin Press, which was the April 2010 Book Club selection for both the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

In the previous articles in this series, three “dimensions” of considerations for software selection were discussed individually. However, when choosing online software and learning resources, the discussions being held with staff and district team members should revolve around all three dimensions. The first dimension, Active vs. Passive, provides a foundation for rich interactions with others and with learning resources. The second dimension, Appropriate vs. Inappropriate, encourages a discussion about what students will see, hear, and experience when using web-delivered tools. The third dimension is entitled Public vs. Private, and this dimension addresses the need to protect student data while still encouraging open discussions using online software. Taken together, a three-dimensional model of these concepts looks like this:

The purpose of this model is begin identifying the best software for your district based on discussions around these three axes. Each of the axes is subjectively scaled for every community, but the key to selecting the right resource is to discuss these concepts as you make online tools available in your school or district. (There are many other dimensions, of course, but these will at least start the discussion for the major decision points.) There is a set of “golden zones” where the best of online learning can take place in a way that is safe, secure, and productive.

• Active, Private, Appropriate: This is the optimum zone for engaged, active learning. Students are fully engaged in the learning process (active), student data is securely protected and shielded from prying eyes (private), and the learning is exactly what the students need at this point in their development (appropriate).
• Passive, Private, Appropriate: Tools in this category include research engines and more content-driven. Video presentations delivered online can be an example of this type of golden zone. Secured class blogs are another example of appropriate use of online technologies that fit into this zone.
• Active, Public, Appropriate: Assuming you have parent permission, there are a number of online research-based projects that conducted entirely on the web and allow students to speak with top researchers in specific fields, or even communicate with astronauts on the space missions. While these are more public activities, they are both active and appropriate, and should always involve parental communications.

As you can imagine, the combination of different zones can lead down several interesting pathways, but not all of these discussions are fruitful. Finding the golden zones requires a clear understanding of instructional goals as well as district and school expectations for the web sites that are used for instruction. Here are some questions that might need to be addressed to make decisions for your school or district:

• (Appropriate vs. Inappropriate) Are these learning activities connected to state, national, or international learning standards?
• (Public vs. Private) Is there a way to deliver content from the web but keep student data here on our servers?
• (Active vs. Passive; Public vs. Private) Will teachers have the ability to moderate entries prior to posting?
• (Active vs. Passive) Does this application allow students to participate in forums with other students at our school learning the same thing?

Again, the list can go on well beyond the scope of this article. The questions your district will ask are part of your culture and leadership practices. One final word of caution: If you can’t speak with a vendor, think twice about using their service. Holding discussions with vendors to answer your questions is an important process in the vetting of software, either internet-based or locally-installed. Without a relationship with the vendor, you may get a product that exploits your school’s data or provides inappropriate content, and you will have no recourse.

If you have any thoughts or questions about this series of articles, please contact me through my website, www.schooltechpolicies.com or through e-mail at cwells@schooltechpolicies.com.