By Isabel Lewis, contributor
This article has been updated to correct the spelling of School Board member Andy Kohen’s name, a quote misattributed to Emma Phillips that should have been attributed to Kristen Loflin, a quote from Emma Phillips, and a quote incorrectly attributed to Michael Richards.
Superintendent Michael Richards wants the city schools to take a hard look at how technology is — and should be — used in classrooms.
He said he wants a task force formed in the coming weeks to include teachers, students and researchers in higher education who will evaluate the issue. Middle school and high school students receive Chromebooks that they take home. This was created to provide equity, allowing students, no matter their situation at home or household incomes, to have access to the same device as their peers. Elementary school students are provided with Chromebooks and iPads during the school day but don’t take them home.
While in the classroom, teachers use Hāpara, an online platform, to restrict what apps and websites students can use.
Internationally, school districts are starting to rethink the integration of technology into the classroom. The Baltimore City School District and Los Angeles schools are restricting screen usage for students, while Sweden has switched entirely back to books and paper.
While there is a push away from technology, Harrisonburg school board members say that a degree of integration of technology is necessary, as students will need to be well-equipped to use technology in college and many careers.
Convenience is a core push towards technology. Online testing allows for immediate results, and it allows for students who have trouble focusing at school to take the work home and try again. Having technology also opens up after-hours communication between teachers and students.
Using technology has its upsides and downsides, said board members. School board member Emma Phillips said that while teaching college classes, she could tell that some students are watching videos or TV shows, which worsens their attention span and focus.
Research has shown that technology use and lower test scores may go hand in hand.
For instance, adolescents who spend five or more hours a day with technology had lower academic performance, according to a study published in PubMed Central. The study drew connections between distractions and ability to focus on an instruction.
Students who used technology more often were disengaged in lessons, something the study called “school disconnectedness.” The study also found that those students got less sleep, spent less time on schoolwork and had less control over their technology usage.
Students who use technology five or more hours a day may experience technology usage as an uncontrollable addiction. Students say they know overusing technology is bad, but they often don’t know how or when to stop, according to the study.
School board member Andy Kohen said “correlation is not causation,” urging a task force to be careful with how they interpret and analyze data.
Board member Kristen Loflin said computers have been life changing for her children, and can help those students with disabilities.
Tim Howley, the board’s chair who is also a kinesiology professor at JMU, said he would likely use a computer to take notes if he were in college today but said he would find focusing difficult.
Board members say that they are looking for a more “middle ground” solution, as they don’t feel that an extreme option is necessary for Harrisonburg.
While Richards said a separate conversation about AI may be necessary, the task force would be encouraged to work within the AI policies that a different task force laid out last year.
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