This week, I had my final meeting of the year with the members of my Student Advisory Committee, a group of 41 students representing each high school and middle school in the district. Committee members provide valuable insight and recommendations from the point of view of an AISD student, and their feedback helps give me a broader perspective in my work as superintendent.
For our closing meeting, we wanted to focus on an issue that is topical for the district and for our students: technology. Of the $892,245,000 in the May 2013 bond program, about 10 percent of funds will be devoted to technology.
The district is trying to improve and streamline technology-based resources and practices that we have in place for our students. We want our students to be prepared for careers in an increasingly tech-focused economy, so discussing the perks and pitfalls of certain technologies and how students make use of the many resources that are out there, was informative. Twitter, Wikipedia, and text messaging sparked a lot of conversation.
We launched our conversation on technology rights by reflecting on this quote attributed to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.:
“The right to swing my fists ends where another man’s nose begins.”
Then, we examined and discuss other school district views on student technology rights. These questions were presented and discussed: Should students be able to cite Wikipedia in research projects? Should students have permission to bring and use their own personal technology devices at school? Is it the school’s responsibility to protect students from online threats and cyber bullying? Should students hold themselves accountable to certain prescribed manners on social networks? Those were just a few topics we covered in the discussion.
The students worked in small groups to create a few standards they think AISD should adopt regarding student technology use. Their proposals ranged from conservative to expansive, but most all of them were inventive. A few examples:
- “We should be allowed to use our cell phones in class as it is for an educational purpose, like using a calculator app, accessing the dictionary, translation apps and more.”
- “Phones should be allowed based on the students’ responsibility—much like no pass, no play. If you perform well in school, you should have the privilege to use your phone.”
- “Students should be allowed to access YouTube for educational purposes.”
- “The sites and technologies that students access should be left to the teacher’s discretion.”
- “All social media social media sites should be blocked because they do not serve an educational purpose.”
- “Students should be willing to give up certain technology rights in exchange for knowing they are getting a better education because of it.”
It’s hard to believe this was our final meeting this school year, and the last ever for our graduating students. I’m grateful to these student advisors for giving up a few hours each month to sit down with me to discuss the issues that impact them, and I have enjoyed all of the dynamic discussions we have shared.
Good luck to each of you, our AISD Student Advisory VIPs!
