Signs of a Robust and Responsible School Tech Policy

Technology changes so fast that school policies to manage it can end up reactive, written in a hurry to address issues as they surface, rather than proactive. The best policies are deliberate, designed to maximize learning while keeping students safe. If you’re a parent comparing schools or your child’s school has just rolled out a new technology policy, here are some guidelines for recognizing a robust, responsible approach.   

Intentional and comprehensive 

In many cases, AI and other new tools are showing up in the classroom before they have been properly vetted. But the resulting laundry list of rules created in response to problems doesn’t serve anyone well. A robust technology policy will be comprehensive and based on educational principles rather than incidents.  

“Do they have an intentional plan with a rationale of when they use technology and when they don’t use technology? What are the specific intentions behind that? Have they thought it through?” asks Karen Blankenbeckler, Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Bear Creek School, an independent pre-K–12 school in Redmond offering a Christian liberal arts education. 

“For us, a policy always starts with our mission and vision of what we’re trying to accomplish as a school. Our educational philosophy is that we’re forming people and cultivating virtue through the things they learn, how they go about it, and their experience at school. All technology use should support that vision of what education is all about,” says Blankenbeckler. 

More specifically, a good technology policy will give guidelines for administration, teachers, and students on when and how to engage with technology. Policies should also be either age-specific or adaptable to developmental stages. Developmental appropriateness is especially important related to the impacts of technology use on social-emotional learning.  

“We need community. It’s just the way we’re made. Kids need to be with other kids and kids need to develop skills for positive interactions. How do we understand one another? How do we honor others and learn from each other? I would look for a school that has policies where technology is not in any way a barrier to that element of school life,” says Blankenbeckler.  

Focused on learning 

Every school technology policy should strive to ensure that technology supports, rather than interferes, with learning.  

“We are humans and we should be interacting in schools. Where being human together is a priority, we should put the technology away so that it doesn’t distract from that. And where technology can actually aid in learning and understanding, if it’s used wisely, technology can be a great tool to help our students learn,” says Blankenbeckler. 

The specifics of how that principle is applied will naturally vary in different circumstances, especially as kids grow older. While devices are often distractions for younger children, technology can support the skills older children are practicing. 

“By middle school, they’re ready to use it for typing, research, for handing things in, for taking notes, and for organizing. It’s an effective way for them to do those things. But in our middle school, we also do a lot of Socratic discussions where you need to learn how to discuss with another person, how to listen, seek understanding, and interact collaboratively. At those times computers need to go away. They’re a barrier to that type of learning,” says Blankenbeckler. 

Responsibility 

Especially where internet-connected devices are involved, parents are right to be concerned about safety, and school policies should reflect that, too.  

“We want our students to be free to learn without things entering their environment that are not safe or  healthy for them,” says Blankenbeckler. How schools maintain that safety is mostly a technical question for IT teams, but policies should include a plan for maintaining robust security, both keeping inappropriate content out of the classroom and also for protecting student data.  

“All of our faculty and administration are within closed systems where their data is protected,” says Blankenbeckler. But she adds that within the school ecosystem, privacy is a little more nuanced.  

“We do have protections in place, especially in middle school, where the teachers can see student screens at all times so that they can make sure they’re guiding them well. Those tend to be the riskiest years for a student possibly not making the best choices,” says Blankenbeckler. “We have policies on student conduct expectations because we want them to be healthy, happy people who grow up wise and compassionate. So, conduct rules are there to guide and support them in that direction,” says Blankenbeckler. A little supervision can go a long way to prevent bullying, avoid influences that affect their character development, and support wise choices.  

Digital literacy requires more than supervision, though. It needs to be actively taught, just like other academic skills. At The Bear Creek School, digital literacy is embedded in the model they use to teach research skills. How to use technology appropriately and verify that answers are coming from a valid source are built into the instructional time for student research projects.   

Evolving 

Technology policies need to be nimble to adapt to changes. Basing policies on principles instead of specifics creates some flexibility. But, if educators are to implement the policy wisely, the technology policy needs to include a mechanism for keeping up with technological advances.  

“A long time ago, librarians were just the keepers of books. But they are now our Innovation and Literacy Leads. They lead the way in making sure that we’re looking at all the newest research, and that we’re putting plans in place to deal with anything new that comes along. They are also training our faculty with anything new that they would need to know — either with a ‘do this’ or ‘don’t do this’ because it’s not good for kids,” says Blankenbeckler.  

The screen time question 

Blankenbeckler warns that the words “screen time” can be misleading in an educational context. Most screen time research is specific to media that exposes kids to fast-paced visual images.  

“We know that fast-paced, colorful imagery can be distracting and rewire the brain. So, we don’t use anything like that for our youngest students. At times, doing things that they would typically do on pencil and paper may be done on a computer because it could be more differentiated, and students can get quick feedback by using a computer. There’s very little research on the effects on kids when they’re reading a passage on a screen and answering questions about that passage,” says Blankenbeckler. 

The AI question 

In some ways AI changes everything. But when it comes to deciding whether or how to use it in education, the underlying principles still apply. And for many common applications, AI is a shortcut that short circuits learning.   

“We really emphasize for our students to value learning because learning shapes who you are as a person,” says Blankenbeckler. “We don’t want you using AI if it’s going to cheat you out of your learning. But there are times that they may be instructed to use AI that actually helps them with learning.” For example, AI can sometimes help students master information by organizing their study notes in a way that makes things clearer.  

“But for instance, math problems, if you don’t actually do the practice yourself, it’s like sending somebody else into the weight room and having them lift weights, hoping you’ll get stronger. You have to do the math problems, or you are cheating yourself of the opportunity to grow your skills and to learn,” says Blankenbeckler.  

Explaining the rationale behind decisions to use or not use AI will not only help kids understand the limitations and nature of the technology, but it also clarifies learning objectives.  

“We ask teachers to be really explicit with their students, ‘We are not going to use it here because this is what you’re supposed to be learning. If you use AI you won’t get the chance to learn that.’ But they might give them specific, ‘I want you to use AI here because here’s where I think it could actually help you grow in understanding and think deeply.’” says Blankenbeckler. 

Technology at home 

Establishing rules around technology at home is just as important as having a robust school policy.  

“The screen time cited in research as detrimental to child development is typically about video games, social media, television and movies, and parents have full control over all of those things in their child’s life. Limiting those things would benefit their child. If their child needs to do schoolwork on a computer, have it not be in a private space. Have it in a common space where you’re around and can see that it’s productive and they’re doing the things you would want them to be doing as they engage with technology,” advises Blankenbeckler. 

Beyond keeping kids out of trouble, that supervision creates an opening for important conversations about new technology like AI. 

“They do need to be  taught, ‘It is a machine that is gathering data and information from a whole bunch of sources, and you can’t treat it as if it were human.’ It’s a Brave New World out there so I think parents need to have conversations with their children, sharing their thoughts and hearing from their children. Often the kids know more than the adults in this area, so parents need to be really good at asking questions and listening to understand what their children are thinking about AI. Then they can give input and guide them towards their family’s values,” says Blankenbeckler.  

Although policies for managing technology at school and at home are necessarily cautious, Blankenbeckler doesn’t want parents to reject AI and electronic devices entirely.  

“A lot of people are taking the stance of being fearful of AI for good reason. But I would really encourage people to lean in and get curious. If we take a fearful stance, we won’t understand it better and grow in our ability to evaluate it. I would encourage educators and parents to get curious, learn as much as you can learn and then be discerning with it.”

Editor’s note: This article was sponsored by The Bear Creek School.