1. Some technology use is reasonable for curricular based activities at the discretion of our educators. There are benefits to be harnessed, but balance is needed. Tipping points can be reached where technology is overused and risks outweigh benefits. As we learn more about the potential for harm from technology overexposure on developing brains, we need to create pragmatic, evidence-based policy around technology and then implement these policies effectively.

2. Limited tech use outside of specific curricula that has educational or creative value, such as games that incentivize problem solving or making/editing videos or creating songs, may be reasonable and is worth discussing. Tech use for purely entertainment purposes needs to be limited. Technology should not be used as a tool to fill in space between activities/instruction. This is part of helping to develop healthy habits around boredom and down time. We should work with our educators to structure guidance around technology use and build controls and safeguards into the devices our children use.  Additionally, we need to have serious discussions around limiting what apps and websites are accessible on the D65 devices so children do not have unlimited access to apps/websites.

As a part of a district-wide technology policy going forward, an audit is definitely needed. First and foremost we need to take the pulse of ‘where we are’ in the classroom with technology use: how much are we using the ipads, in which contexts are they used, are different educators or schools using them more or less, etc. There are many questions to be answered here. It is not clear to me that due diligence is being done at the district level to evaluate digital vs analog curricular delivery and the risks vs harms of different approaches. This is complicated by the fact that national evidence on this topic is incomplete and changing rapidly. While benefits and harms may be indirect and difficult to measure, we need to put a lot more effort towards evaluating these as the stakes are extremely high- we are talking about impacts on brain development as well as social and emotional wellness. Overall, I believe reliance on technology in the classroom needs to be regularly evaluated and dialed back in the short term while we continue to gather data.

There are not enough safety measures in place for the D65 iPads.  iPads should only contain curricular material and otherwise be locked. For example, it is not appropriate that my son’s district iPad came with an unrestricted YouTube app in addition to the ability to access all of YouTube through a web browser.  Access to an unrestricted search engine or the ability to download/play games with questionable or no educational value needs to be restricted. While some safeguards are in place, children are clever and can find ways around weak restrictions. Many kids already have high amounts of screen exposure outside of school, our classrooms offer an opportunity to place safeguards on this exposure. Ultimately the owner and distributer of the device is responsible for safety—in this case, it is District 65. In addition to the above, we need clear reporting procedures for teachers and parents when safety concerns arise.

The system may be well intentioned but the rollout has been poor and communication with families and teachers lacking. It should be very clear what a student has to do in order to get the EX and ME scores and the parents/teachers/students should be better educated. I think a grading system training document for use at parent teacher conferences could be centrally developed by admin and reviewed with parents at the parent teacher conferences, taking 3-5 minutes. These trainings could review basic SBG   information, what the student needs to improve upon, what they can do to get better scores, what they are doing well at, and any other information that may inform high-school readiness. Receiving an EX score should be obtainable and how to do it should not be a mystery. The district needs to be explicit, informed, and intentional about decisions like SBG being made and follow through with strong and informed implementation.

I am in support of D65 mirroring the policy taken by D202 around personal device use.

We will have to consider cost savings in all areas including technology to address the fiscal situation the District currently faces. Everything should be on the table with respect to technology purchases and initiatives. Significant budgetary impacts from technology that do not yield returns on investment need to be re-evaluated so savings can be realized.