Dear Parents:
I am concerned.
For the last three years, our school has initiated the following to deal with an increasing and disturbing trend that combines bullying, harassment, and intimidation with cell phone technology and Facebook.
We have:
- Updated the student's knowledge on how to safeguard themselves from vulnerable and predatory situations on Facebook and Twitter through presentations from Chris Vollum. Mr. Vollum is provincially renowned for his work in elementary and secondary schools in this field.
- Spoken to our students at every grade assembly at the start of every semester regarding such issues. In addition, we outline the possible disciplinary consequences from the school and the police.
- Constantly reminded students on the morning announcements about their moral and ethical responsibilities regarding the proper use of technology in our Catholic Learning Community.
- Blocked access to Facebook and virtually all sites that would be in breach of our Catholic values on school property (e.g. pornographic sites, violent games etc).
- Implemented an array of anti-bullying strategies that involve guest speakers, chaplaincy initiatives, teacher/student interactive activities, student led activities and of course our curriculum.
Moreover, a large component of our School Improvement Plan (http://www.ctk.ca/) is dedicated to the mental and emotional well being of our students.
This area of student need is not going away and students will continue to make very poor choices in how they treat one another using social network sites and cell phone technology.
I chat with my colleagues regarding the pros/cons of technology and what is imperative to be instilled in our students for the opportunities in the 21st Century. Cell phone technology and its use in the classroom is a controversial topic. While I am on the fence, many people that I have spoken to regarding this topic are vehemently opposed. "Teenagers just can't be trusted with their cell phones in a learning environment" is the common retort.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is hard to argue with such a response in light of what has been happening at our school and those across the province. Below is an article regarding cell phones in the classroom.
Thank you for reading. Looking forward to your thoughts and comments.
While I appreciate the concerns raised about youth and their engagement in a variety of modern technologies, particularly social networking sites and Youtube; I feel the need to question your approach to the issue.
ReplyDeleteYou take pride in a policy of outright censorship within the school regarding a variety of electronic and internet resources based on a personal tendency to assume that students will undoubtedly make bad choices.
I find the following quotation particularly troubling:
"This area of student need is not going away and students will continue to make very poor choices in how they treat one another using social network sites and cell phone technology."
While it is not stated directly, this particular comment suggests that you do not believe students have a strong capacity nor propensity to make responsible decisions while interacting with their fellow students via electronic media.
Though school is first and foremost a place of learning, it is also an important social environment, and limiting access to social networking sites and Youtube for example, only closes important doors for social interaction and audio/visual learning.