Could Banned Technologies Offer Ubiquitous Access?

At the NSBA T+L Conference in Seattle, I joined Bailey Mitchell, Kathy Rains, and Steve Hargadon on a CoSN CTO Forum panel on the topic of “Banned Technologies and Ubiquitous Access to Computing in Schools.” Meris Stansbury did a nice job of summarizing our remarks for eSchool News “Banning School Technology: A bad idea?“.

I presented three models that I have seen in school districts across the country.

1. Ban It: This is the scenario where the IT department always says “No” to teachers and students. It’s not secure, it’s too expensive, we haven’t tested it yet…there are lots of reasons to say no. But when IT always says no, the technology just goes underground. If it is useful or fills a need, then students and teachers will find a way to use it.

2. The Walled Garden: IT says “yes, but”. This is by far the most popular approach. Using filters, firewalls, policies and other methods, schools have clearly defined boundaries. You may have a cell phone or a personal laptop, but you can’t use it on the school network. It is more secure, but often costs more in time and resources to manage and maintain. In the end, it might also provide a false sense of security. Hardware and software barriers can be overcome by young people with the time, talent, and tools to do it.

3. The Jungle: IT says “when and how”. This approach recognizes the importance of being open to innovation and embraces early adopters. Keys to this approach include a process for reviewing and prioritizing technologies, consensus building with parents and the school, and finally a strong partnership between IT and instruction.

Kathy Rains provided a great example of this, describing their approach at Madison City Schools in Alabama. Their district decided to allow students to bring devices to class and connect to the school network. Everyone chooses what tools are most helpful to them to get their work done.