5 new tech updates that may be coming to your child's school
By Jordyn Brown The Register-Guard
Apr 4, 2019 at 12:58 PM Apr 6, 2019 at 10:59 PM
School districts across the country are on the cusp of integrating new technology in K-12 classrooms by exploring unexpected curriculum such as social media use as early as preschool.
Last week, Portland hosted educators from across the country for the "Envision 2030: Leadership for Learning" — the annual conference for the Consortium of School Networking focused on innovative technology use in schools.
Here are five key conference takeaways about technology that could find their way into local schools.
1. Social media in preschool
Social media has, for the most part, been banned from classroom use, with schools going so far as to block access to websites on campus servers. But parents could see social media incorporated into the curriculum as early as pre-kindergarten in the near future.
Ashley McBride, director of technology for Dare County schools in North Carolina, pushed for adapting social media into classroom lessons while leading a session about social emotional learning. She argued students absorb lessons about tone and narrative easier this way, and when you teach kids how to use social media early they develop empathy in understanding a person is on the other side of the screen.
And with kids diving into social media before 13 years old anyway, she said, why not educate about it?
"Why are we not marrying all of these things under applications that teach our kids to be good digital citizens?" she asked. "It's like giving them keys to a Ferrari without teaching them to drive."
McBride said by having students blog, share their work and interact with others in a monitored environment, they also learn how to ignore and emotionally cope with the situation when others post or say negative things about them.
She wants to see some version of social media education in all classrooms as early as pre-K or kindergarten.
"This isn't going away," said McBride. "Social media is here. It's just going to expand."
2. Computer science classes for all
If schools follow the lead of Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts, students could be required to take computer science classes in kindergarten.
"Children have made up their minds about what they're good at long before high school," said Paul Foster, the district's chief information officer. That's why by the time students get to high school and can take computer science as an elective, there are gaps in who is interested in the field. "White and Asian-American men are typically taking those classes," he said.
But Foster argues if you teach students computational thinking in kindergarten, there is greater potential to close those gaps and encourage women and people of color, who may not see themselves represented in the field, to continue computer science. Plus, he says, computational thinking is rooted in problem solving, which is a valuable skill for any profession — especially as the digital job field grows.
3. Fewer worksheets, more DIY
Technology experts such as Sylvia Martinez are pushing schools to do away with worksheets and create more tangible lessons instead. Martinez realized the education she received didn't adequately prepare her for a career as an aerospace engineer.
"It was honestly more like (what I learned at) my dad's auto shop than it was what I learned in school, but you needed the theory," she said. Martinez believes schools need to seriously adopt the "maker movement," where students learn how to engineer, design and do-it-yourself. One class she found had even learned how to grow a leather-like material using yeast and bacteria. This hands-on approach helps students have a better chance at real STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) application post-graduation, she said.
"STEM projects have been frozen since 1892," said Martinez. "And yet we're trying to bend it to our will and say yes, yes STEM is about finding jobs in the real world. And it's not."
Teachers only have to be curious to find projects that teach students hands-on engineering of sustainable materials — and if they can learn how to do it themselves, they bring it to the class, she said.
4. Mobile maker spaces
Maker spaces are areas in schools designated for creative, collaborative work. For school districts that don't have enough space or funds to build a maker space in buildings, mobile maker spaces could be coming.
Mark Finstrom, chief technology officer at Highline Public Schools near Seattle, created a maker space for his district by repurposing an old school bus for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) projects — rebranded to "mbus^2."
"We are building a model of innovation in the child," Finstrom said. "We are guided observers."
Some products on the bus for students to use include a 3D printer, ham radios, Snap Circuits kits and Ozobots. Before the "maker bus," Finstrom said there was no space or opportunity for kids in fourth through sixth grade to work on STEAM projects. Now he brings the space to schools each week on a rotation.
5. Wi-Fi check out for increased equity
A recurring theme about future technology use in schools is equity and the digital divide — especially when students who don't have access to internet outside of school are assigned online homework.
Diane Doersch, chief technology and information officer at Green Bay Area Public Schools in Wisconsin, said the district invested in filtered Wi-Fi hot spots for students to check out and take home after school. This helped students who didn't have internet get a more equitable education. But equity discussions in the district continued to include details such as how the hot spot bags were branded.
At first, the bags were bright green with a label. But Doersch said the district later changed them after hearing some of the students felt embarrassed or "labeled" as low-income without Wi-Fi.
Schools also may start to build community partnerships to spread more Wi-Fi infrastructure to low-income neighborhoods in exchange for valuable real estate.
"The next iteration of delivery is going to require more towers, and so many of our schools are the tall buildings in our communities," Doersch said. "So how can we use that?"
Follow Jordyn Brown on Twitter @thejordynbrown or email at jbrown@registerguard.com.