Chapter 6
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Case Study
Reflections of an Instructional Technology Director in Illinois
The world around us is changing at a rapid pace. Students today have access to tools, resources, and information that was not available for previous generations. As educators, we must ensure the appropriate, safe, and effective use of these tools by our students to ensure they become well-rounded digital citizens.
Many school districts today struggle with Internet filtering policies, plagiarism, and appropriate Internet use. School districts invest thousands of dollars in equipment, resources, and personnel to block inappropriate content and access. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires school districts to block access to such content as pornography, gambling, or obscenity. Every school district is required by law to block such content, and we do that fairly well; but what about the other content? What about the social media/networking sites? YouTube? Twitter? Facebook? Many school districts today block access to those sites because they don’t want to deal with potential distractions, or incidents that might occur from their use. School districts spend hours each day searching log files, blocking new sites, and disciplining students according to acceptable use policies. Wouldn’t a better use of our time, energy, and resources be educating our students [on] how to appropriately utilize these tools to enhance their educational experience?
A better utilization of our time as educators and a better outcome for our students would be to focus on educating students [on] how to appropriately and effectively utilize these tools to enhance their communication, collaboration, and productivity. Students today struggle with understanding how the content and material they place on the web can impact their future. They don’t comprehend how an image or comment can be viewed three to five years later by an employer or university, which could have a significant impact on their future. As educators, we should be teaching our students how to utilize these tools both inside our walls and outside. In order to do so, students have to have access. Obviously, as with any institution or environment, you will have some who choose to abuse the privilege they are given. But why deny access to the majority, when the minority chooses to abuse? Educate all and allow those who choose to disobey rules, regulations, and teachings to suffer appropriate consequences.
School districts today must have appropriate acceptable use guidelines for overall communication practices for both students and teachers. Districts need to outline appropriate and inappropriate utilization of communication tools, such as text messaging, social networking, email, and even voice communication. By providing best practice guidelines, students and teachers are able to reduce risks, and utilize the appropriate tool for the appropriate time and conversation. Keeping parents informed and engaged during these conversations is critical. Allow parents the opportunity to provide feedback and guidance on the process and how they view the communication between a student and teacher at all grade levels. School districts today must take a strong position when it comes to cyber bullying. Educating our students and teachers on what cyber bullying looks like, where it takes place, and what the consequences are when it occurs provides opportunities for conversations and discussions between educator and student. This has to be an embedded part of every school district’s curriculum – at all grade levels. The earlier we start educating our students on what is appropriate and safe, the less likely they are to take part in inappropriate actions. We cannot wait until students are in junior high or high school to begin our education programs; it is too late. These conversations and discussions must start at the elementary levels, with grade-appropriate topics, building upon each other.
In Naperville District 203, we partner with the local Naperville Police Department through our Learning Resource Centers to provide a comprehensive education program that spans grades 3 to 12. Our elementary schools have developed a curriculum that is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. Students at the junior high and high school level apply the concept of digital citizenship throughout the regular curriculum during projects and assignments. They also discuss and review appropriate Internet safety and digital citizenship concepts with school resource officers throughout the school year. As a district, we keep our parents, community, and school board abreast of our continued growth in this area through community seminars, anti-cyber bullying campaigns, web-based content, and partnering with our student government associations.
Naperville District 203 has also invested significant time and resources to the development of our Electronic Communication Guidelines. These guidelines were developed through focus groups of students, teachers, administrators, and parents. The guidelines are intended to, first, provide best practices for teachers and students to communicate and collaborate with one another regarding district/school business; and, second, provide a safe and secure vehicle to allow the utilization of Web 2.0 social networking tools in the classroom for instructional purposes – where appropriate. This represents a significant step forward for our district in allowing the appropriate utilization of communication and collaboration tools that extend [beyond] the walls of our classrooms and create a global education community for teachers and students.
We as educators must be active in the digital education of our students. We cannot rely on the world, web, or peers to educate them on these matters. Creating a culture of safe, smart, and secure digital citizens is a responsibility of every school district across this great nation. Students today live on these tools. If you remove access it doesn’t enhance their learning: it inhibits their creativity, collaboration, and communication. Teach them how to appropriately use it in the classroom and enable the technology in their lives to enrich the learning experience. They are our future, and they deserve the appropriate education and understanding on what it means to be a true digital citizen.
Source: John David Son is currently the director of instructional technology for Naperville Community School District 203 in Naperville, Illinois. Naperville is approximately 30 miles west of Chicago and the school district serves nearly 20,000 students in 21 schools, from kindergarten to high school. Prior to this, John was a chief information officer and public relations director in Benton, Kentucky, where he was responsible for a large Management Learning System and successfully installed and implemented complete wireless coverage for all schools in the district. Naperville Community School District is consistently ranked high in student achievement by the U.S. News & World Report, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, and the Chicago Sun Times and is consistently ranked among the top ten largest school districts in Illinois.