Journal #2 NETS 1, 2, 3 and 5

Journal #2  Keeping the Peace

Levinson, M. (2010,, November, 7,). Keeping the peace. Learning and Leading with Technology, 5, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org

Teachers and faculty try to stay in touch with society’s movements so that they can relay important events with their students and keep them abreast of current events. The problem is though that sometimes sharing new ideas that have not yet been tried can backfire as in the case of Nueva Middle School. Faculty assumed it would be a good idea to let students take laptops home to explore iChat with peers in hopes of encouraging communication and expanding new concepts but little did they know not all the parents would have the same positive perspective and were about to embark on lessons to be learned.

Nueva School was attempting to bridge the gap between stereo typical concepts teenagers portray of technology use for the sole purpose of entertainment and enlighten them to the benefits that technology offers in gathering information. They loaned students laptops to take home to aid in expand their learning capabilities but some parents felt invaded. They encountered problems with the laptops in school because students soon began to use iChat inappropriately and interrupted class time.

Some parents felt totally against the idea that the school would expose their children to the world of communication without their consent and believed it was a distraction. They felt the school had crossed the line from education in the classroom to personal family time at home and created uproar of protest. Other parents felt strongly in favor of the laptops. They had children that weren’t popular or shy and saw this as an opportunity for their children to get to know other students without feelings of insecurity breaking the barriers of established cliques. They believed it was a great experience for their children to also learn more technological methods that they couldn’t offer and expand their knowledge towards a global viewpoint.

This controversy led the school to advance their concepts which incorporated committees to create workshops for the parents and students and seek out professional help through an organization called Common Sense Media. The parents felt involved and became more knowledgeable and the students learned to curtail improper use and benefit from training in technology. The students learned how to benefit the community with the use of technology. This please the faculty because their goal was that the students would benefit from the value technology had to offer. The final outcome was that the faculty learned a valuable lesson. They realized in order to have any new concept accepted teachers, parents and kids all have to be on the same page and the goal is to better the community.

Question #1: One question I would like to ask is why didn’t the school first send home permission slips before allowing the students to partake in the lap top use especially at home? Answer: The goal in this exercise was initiated to develop independence in the judgment of each student. The process of using the hand held computers was assigned as an introduction to an honor system of accountability. The students were asked if they felt they could handle them professionally and treat with respect. They also were asked if they felt their families would appreciate the idea but unfortunately they were unaware of the outcome and didn’t have the skill they needed to respect them.

Question #2: Do I think it is a good idea to loan hand held computers to junior high students? I don’t think it is a good idea. I am surprised that there was a non profit group that was available to help them out and work with the parents as well. I only see this possibly working if the school is private or the public school is in a wealthy neighborhood that can afford to purchase these for their kids. I do think using technology is vital for young adults and children to expose them to educational material but I think their should be a block on adult websites.