From Fear to Facebook

Schools are getting ready to hit the mat with students over technology acceptable use policies and figuring out to avoid the ten count pinning.  This is a hard issue, but for many schools and school districts, the first approach is often to fire off a list of DO NOTs, instead of involving students in a productive dialogue around appropriate computer use. Instead of the anti-laundry list, schools can reframe the conversation with a shift in format.  Move to a question and answer document, with students generating the questions in small groups, or advisory groups, and then as a school craft the written responses with explanation and clarity around the “why” of certain rules.  For kids, arbitrary rules make no sense and pit the school and the students in a no-win stare down.  The most interesting part about this approach is that it honors kids and where they are with technology.  Also, the Q and A format allows for new questions to be added as new topics and technologies surface.

David Stoloff, a professor of Eastern Connecticut State University’s education department, said in Developing a Tech Bill of Rights from THE Journal,  “Take a step back; form a planning committee; and talk about what should be integrated into your students’ rights as it pertains to technology. Know the local laws and attitudes in your region, and factor those into the planning process as well.”

Seth Cirker, president and CEO at emergency awareness solutions developer SituCon Systems of Fort Washington, NY, states, in the same article,  “individual students shouldn’t necessarily be the decision makers, they shouldn’t feel like they are in jail either. Aim for a balance that factors in safety and technology without compromise.”

It’s a challenge for sure, and it doesn’t help that schools around the country are all over the map with trying to balance safety and opportunity with technology.  And, beyond the diversity of school communities, factor in different and often divergent parenting strategies, and the challenge of arriving at a community-based acceptable use policy becomes quite a protean task.

So, the short of it:  avoid the DO NOTs and move to a Q and A format to open up dialogue and allow for fluidity and change to develop, along with kids and technology.

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