Hi folks,
I agree wholeheartedly with Nancy's advice that priority should be give
to students who need to use computer and other technology resources to
complete academic tasks. No debate about that one.
I would not discount, however, the advisability of allowing students to
use computers and the Internet to explore areas of personal interest (so
long as they are within the keeping of the school's AUP) and to complete
work of a personal nature while in the library. My reasoning has always
gone such:
One of the more common consequences of improper use of the Internet is
the suspension of its use by the offending student. If little Johnny
uses the Internet each morning to check the latest soccer scores, he is
LESS likely to misuse the Internet at other times knowing that in doing
so he will not be able to get to information he finds of personal
interest. If little Johnny's school dictates that the Internet can be
used ONLY for school work, what is the penalty if Internet use is taken
away? "Gee, what do I have to do to get my textbook taken away next?"
little Johnny might also ask.
Personally, the more we encourage kids to explore their own interests
using technology resources like the Internet, the better off we will all
be. Kids will get reading and search practice as well find school a
meaningful and friendly place. Librarians will get better behaved kids.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
All the best,
Doug
************
Doug Johnson
Director of Media and Technology
I.S.D. 77, Mankato Public Schools
Box 8713, Mankato MN 56002-8713
Voice: 507-387-7698, Fax: 507-387-2496
E-mail: dougj@doug-johnson.com
Web: www.doug-johnson.com
"The fates guide those who go willingly; those who do not, they drag."
Seneca
Nancy Willard wrote:
In my opinion, school technology resources should be used to support
educational activities as their primary use. High quality non-curricular
use also ought to be allowed, but severe limits should be places on what
I would call "Internet recess" activities. Any student needing to use
the Internet for class work should have the ability to "bump" any other
student who is not using the computers for actual class work. An
assessment of the degree to which the technology is actually used for
class work provides excellent insight into the degree to which the
school is effectively using its technology resources to support
learning.
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