Technology Making Major Purchases

The district has announced the following:

In February 2016, Seattle voters approved the Building, Technology, and Academics (BTA) IV levy with $16 million dollars dedicated to “upgrade and expand classroom/student technology equipment and services, mobile and stationary computer labs, and increase on-site technical support services for schools and student technology.”

After BTA IV passed, the Seattle School Board asked staff for research on the efficacy of technology in the classroom, a technology plan, and further engagement. Over the course of two years, staff has completed research, piloted programs, conducted extensive engagement and an equity analysis, inventoried current technology use, and created a comprehensive plan for technology in Seattle Public Schools.

The 2019-23 Seattle Public Schools Technology Plan opens a pdf file opens a pdf file Opens a New Window.  backed by research, state Educational Technology Standards, and the district and community, outlines district goals for technology and directly supports the 2019-24 Seattle Schools Strategic Plan’s priority of High Quality Teaching and Learning Experiences, with an initial focus on supporting students furthest away from educational justice. 

Classroom technology use will follow the foundational principles developed over two years of engagement and as outlined in the district’s new technology plan:

• Technology use will support classroom instructional goals and board adopted curriculum, providing opportunities for students to become “proficient users of information, media, and technology,” and “learn core subjects and applied skills in relevant and rigorous ways,” as outlined in , , Board Policy No. 2022 opens a pdf file opens a pdf file Opens a New Window.
• The district will provide a baseline of technology for all schools, reducing inequities and ensuring equitable access as outlined , , Board Policy No. 0030 opens a pdf file opens a pdf file Opens a New Window.
• Through targeted investments, the district will eliminate the use of libraries and computer labs for student assessments, increasing access to technology in individual classrooms
• The district and schools will follow the technology plan, standards, and research when selecting and implementing new technology solutions

What I am not clear about is two-fold.  What is the learning plan about the use of technology?  And, what about health and screen time.  I include this story from Arlington, Virginia school district where it was stated (bold theirs, color mine):

“Screen time” is an often misunderstood and misused phrase. It is important to understand to what we refer when we say “screen time,” if we use the phrase at all, and empower ourselves with current facts.

In October of 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised its guidelines to drop a hard-and-fast rule about length of time children of any age should be using a digital device. Previous guidelines did not control for important variables, and were therefore overly restrictive. The current state of the literature helps us better understand what does or may cause harm, and what does not.

The phrase “screen time,” as used by academics, refers to using digital media for “entertainment purposes.” Using a digital device for learning is not considered “screen time.”

Remember this information because I'll bet it will be coming to a school near you.  Basically, if "screen time" doesn't occur at school, then the school is saying if your kid is getting too much of it, that's on you.  

 Naturally, the amount of screen time your children have is very dependent on you. Parents/guardians decide if their kids get a smart phone, use a home computer, a gaming system and/or watches tv.  Naturally, if your kids are home alone you may not know for certain how much screen time they have.

But, is the district going to make sure that screen time is monitored in each and every classroom? As parents, will you be able to go to your school's principal and ask, "How much time in a day is my child sitting in front of a screen?  How much class time is there with students looking at a screen while the teacher provides a lesson on that screen? 

The teacher-guided, in-class utilization of digital educational technology within the context of a learning task is not “screen time” as the term is often misused. Using an iPad to practice fact fluency skills as a learning extension at home is also not “screen time.” The most common myth about “screen time” is that prolonged use of digital screens regardless of content is, itself, detrimental to all children in all cases. This is not borne out by the body of research literature on the subject. There was a time when people were deeply concerned about low-level electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation from consumer electronics, for example; there is no evidence to support that this is so.
There are, however, important issues surrounding children’s use of technology that all adults should understand.

 Back to the SPS announcement:

To this end the technology plan includes maintaining a baseline of devices on a four-year replacement cycle centrally managed and funded. The proposed elementary and middle school standard will be a cart of laptops/iPads per classroom with 12-16 devices. This mirrors past technology investments K-8.

The most significant change in investment will be at the high school level. In alignment with Washington State Technology Standards, career and college readiness goals, and in order to address the “digital divide,” district staff is proposing all high schools provide a computer to ninth-grade students beginning in 2019-20 to keep for four years. The decision to equip incoming freshman with their own device is not about establishing a ratio, rather ensuring students have the tools and skills they need to be successful in high school and beyond. 

Seattle is far behind neighboring districts in providing this type of learning support to high school students. The Association for Computer Professionals in Education (ACPE), a nonprofit association that strives to increase collaboration and professional development opportunities within the K-12 educational technology community, surveyed all member districts. Out of the 42 respondents, all but six (6) including Seattle had a 1:1 computer ratio in high schools, and most started providing this level of support in earlier grades. 

Higher need high schools including Rainier Beach, Franklin, Seattle World School, and Chief Sealth International will get an accelerated roll out of student laptops if the Seattle School Board approves the district’s technology purchases on June 12. Introduction and discussion of the implementation plan will take place at the May 29, 2019 Regular School Board meeting. View the board meeting agenda.

Providing a laptop to every high school student closes an access gap ensuring every student is given the right tools to be successful in high school. In addition to providing high school students a district laptop for four years, wireless hotspots will also be made available for check-out by students who would otherwise not have a way of accessing the internet while away from school.

Story from KNKX. 

Story from Seattle Magazine on video game addiction.