Tech in Education: A Guide for Concerned Parents.

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed this morning when I came across a recommended post. It was from a Facebook page titled “Central York School District Concerned Parents”. I spent my high school years in CYSD so the page definitely interested me. What was there to be concerned about? Bullying? Raising test scores? Destructive habits?

It was about the amount of tech involved in the school.

Some context for those unfamiliar with the district, CYSD is a suburban school district nestled in the PA Dutch country of Pennsylvania. They have been champions of technology integration in the educational environment for as long as I could remember. They’re actively involved in Apple’s education program, so most if not all of their devices are provided by Apple. By the end of 2014 the school provided one device per one student free of charge at the high school level. By 2015 that has expanded to both the middle school and grades 4–6.

This was the post I mentioned earlier. After exploring the page, I think I’ve gathered some understanding on why parents are concerned. I’m going to try addressing each of these concerns one by one.

“Little Sally’s eyes hurt from all the screen exposure.”

Tell them to drink more water, distance themselves from the screen, and if it still continues see a doctor. I’m sure they could write a note to the school exempting your child from prolonged exposure.

“My kids will be addicted to tech! It’s digital heroin”

Be a responsible parent. Don’t let them go to bed with their devices, limit their at-home time with devices. Don’t allow devices at the table. Spend time with them and go outside with them and they won’t want to even use them. Out of all the posts that irritated me by the page, the one that I mentioned earlier irritated me the most. Technology addiction definitely exists, but is a lesser of the evils. Especially when our city as a whole has a heroin epidemic and one of Central’s own students was taken captive by it. To call device usage “digital heroin” is not only silly, but is disrespectful to people who have or know someone who has a genuine addiction to heroin. Also the New York Post is a tabloid, not a credible source.

“Is this even educational? What a waste of tax dollars.”

Several apps on the market today are geared toward education. While these apps benefit students, it can also help teachers manage their classroom environment. I also appreciate how Central is not only utilizing these resources, but making efforts to make their own platforms for managing things like club attendance and hallpass usage. Student are also taking advantage of the tech they have at their disposal to learn at their own pace, start their own businesses, and take control of their education. I understand how this might be geared toward more of the self-driven students, but online course management systems are a great alternative that can help other students ease into this way actively participate in class and still finish assignments on the go.