K12 Schools Must Fill Need For Digital Media Skills
There is a new urgency to teach digital media literacy as a study finds students are taking online information for granted
Marketing guru Guy Kawasaski teaches us not to be concerned when others begin to pervert your innovation. That is evidence that your idea has taken root. It may even produce benefits you never imagined.
When I look at the implementation of student laptops in American schools I take a deep breath and hope Kawasaki is correct. My cautious optimism is based on recent observations of how educators are thinking about laptops these days. The rationale behind the investment and objectives could not be more alien from those we had when we first gave students laptops 16 years ago.
Back then the goals were student empowerment and challenging every school convention-curriculum, assessment, scheduling, mission-even architecture. The laptop allowed students to immerse themselves in authentic projects that connected disciplines, required substantial time and were fueled by the power of computer programming. Today, lots of reasons are used to justify 1:1 computing, many antithetical to our original vision. The imagination machine has turned into the accountability machine.
The imagination machine has turned into the accountability machine.
At the expense of sounding like an old geezer reminiscing about the good ole days when we didn't even have hard drives in our laptops, allow me to provide concrete examples of where we may have been distracted or taken dangerous detours on Route 1:1.
Three kinds of laptop schools
For years I have observed three types of schools that embrace 1:1 computing for students.
1) The pioneers: progressive educators committed to revolutionizing the learning environment
2) The marketers: school leaders desirous of getting their photo in the newspaper
3) Their neighbors: as in real life, neighbors can be pesky, annoying and wreck things for everyone else. Regardless of why the school next door got laptops, you're likely to be next. These schools often have very sketchy reasons for doing what they do, including their vision of technology use.
It is natural for the neighbors to represent the largest group of schools embracing 1:1. Without focused leadership and a commitment to reflective practice, many of the pioneers may even take on the confused attributes of the neighbors.
When reporters call
Since I have such a long history of working with laptops in education newspaper reporters often call me. The conversation routinely begins with the reporter announcing to me that Miffy Middle School in nearby Bandspork is the first school to purchase a laptop for every student. I giggle and inform the caller that lots of schools have laptops and have for some time.
The startled scribe then asks, "Do you mean there are other laptop schools?" This strikes me as funny since the reporter obviously knew how to use Google well enough to find me.
The next question is, "Should the laptops go home?" This questionable was unthinkable until recently. Of course the laptops should go home! The P in PC stands for personal. The entire point of having portable computers was so students could use them to learn, collaborate and work anytime anywhere. The digital divide may only be closed when kids have consistent access to equivalent technology. The benefits to the learner and her family have been demonstrated consistently.
And the politicians shall lead?
Former Maine Gov. Angus King, the patron saint of laptops in public schools, made a deal with the devil when he allowed local schools to decide if student laptops could go home. King said he had no choice at the time if his laptop initiative was to go forward. The result is that four years later approximately half of Maine's 7th and 8th graders are cheated when they must leave their laptops at school.
Since Maine, many states have developed interest in 1:1 computing. Not long ago, I saw Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell on The Charlie Rose Show. I am a longtime admirer of Rendell's leadership, intellect and no-nonsense style. However, his recent interest in laptops contains plenty of nonsense. Rendell told the audience how we are losing our competitive edge to other nations and that we must do something to improve our schools. One suggestion was that when a kid in Pennsylvania walks into a science classroom there should be a laptop on the desk. When they walk into an English classroom there should be a laptop on the desk... The same went for history and math.
