The heavy use of technology in K-12 schools鈥攆rom 1-to-1 computing programs to artificial intelligence鈥攊s causing some policymakers and parents to call for 糖心动漫vlog to dial back their use of educational technology.
One reason for the pushback, according to Richard Culatta, the CEO of ISTE+ASCD, a professional development organization: Schools haven鈥檛 explained to families and caregivers exactly what their children are gaining from all these laptops, tablets, and learning platforms.
The 鈥渂ig problem鈥� is that schools 鈥渉ave not been doing a good job of sharing 鈥榯he why鈥欌�� for using education technology, Culatta said during a Feb. 10 panel discussion on education technology and data privacy at George Washington University law school. 鈥淓ither there is a why that isn鈥檛 being shared clearly, or there isn鈥檛 one.鈥�
And if schools don鈥檛 have a compelling reason for picking a particular platform, then 鈥渢echnology should not be used,鈥� he added.
At the same time, Culatta argued that ditching technology altogether won鈥檛 prepare students for the complex digital world they live in and the workforce they鈥檒l one day join.
鈥淲e have kids that are growing up in a world where in order to be effective problem-solvers and creators and leaders, they have to know how to use technology effectively,鈥� Culatta said during the panel, which was put on by Japan鈥檚 Toyo University, GWU law school, and the Public Interest Privacy Center, a nonprofit organization.
While parents worry that ineffective education technology may waste students鈥� time, the same can be said of plenty of analog activities, Culatta added. For instance, he was recently doing a school visit and saw 3rd graders working on a word search, even though they had advanced beyond letter recognition, he said.
The assignment was 鈥渘ot teaching anything. It was not helpful鈥� Culatta said.
Learning experiences need to be high quality, whether they are digital or not, he added. 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e doing activities that have no value and are distracting on a piece of paper, it is equally as problematic鈥� as a substandard technology platform for learning.
But panelist Meg Jones, a professor in communication, culture and technology at Georgetown University, argued that education technology comes with risks that a worksheet does not.
Jones said she鈥檇 rather have her elementary-school age son doing the word search than staring at a low-quality learning platform.
鈥淏eing bored on a networked device is different than being bored on a piece of paper,鈥� Jones said, noting that kids on school devices have access to the broader internet. 鈥淚f he鈥檚 going to be wasting time, I鈥檇 rather him be doing it on a piece of paper than this network device that has a bunch of stuff that nobody has told me about and that I didn鈥檛 give my permission for.鈥�
Parent pushback and legislative moves aim to curb ed-tech use
A growing number of parents appear to share some of those concerns.
Nearly 7 in 10 parents said they did not support schools using AI software to store and analyze students鈥� grades, assessment data, or other personal information, according to the annual PDK poll on the public鈥檚 views on education. The survey of a random sample of 1,005 adults was conducted last June by the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University in Virginia.
There鈥檚 also been a growing amount of legislative activity around the idea of limiting the use of education technology. For instance, a bill introduced by state lawmakers in Utah seeks to require ed-tech tools to meet certain standards and prove their efficacy before they can be used in public schools, . Another Utah bill would limit screen time, including on ed-tech tools, particularly in early elementary school.
And last month, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing about education technology. Lawmakers heard from three expert witnesses selected by the panel鈥檚 chairman, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argue that digital learning tools impede students鈥� ability to learn and offer a portal to platforms that harm children鈥檚 mental health.
Compounding matters: Educators鈥攁s well as parents and caregivers鈥攁ren鈥檛 given clear information about the data privacy risks various ed-tech tools present, some panelists argued.
Learning platforms鈥� privacy policies are often written in inscrutable legalese, said Nicol Turner Lee, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, a think tank, who also spoke on the panel.
The information is 鈥渨ritten for lawyers. They鈥檙e not necessarily written for everyday people,鈥� Lee explained.
That 鈥渓ack of transparency has parents up in arms,鈥� wondering how much screen time their children are getting on school ed-tech platforms and how safe those platforms are, Lee added.
Part of the problem is that the major law that protects children in a digital context鈥�the Children鈥檚 Online Privacy Protection Act鈥攊s outdated. It was passed in 1998, predating not just generative artificial intelligence chatbots, but even smartphones and social media.
What鈥檚 more, COPPA wasn鈥檛 crafted with school districts in mind, said Sara Kloek, the vice president of education policy at the Software & Information Industry Association, an organization that represents education technology interests, who also spoke on the panel.
COPPA is 鈥渁 law designed to work in the outside the school context,鈥� Kloek said. That鈥檚 made it unclear for 糖心动漫vlog.
A plea for better training for 糖心动漫vlog on effective use of tech
School districts are taking their best guesses as to what constitutes compliance with federal privacy laws, panelists said.
That means ed-tech companies are often the ones assuring parents and 糖心动漫vlog that their products are safe, Culatta said.
鈥淲e have the companies that are building these tools going, 鈥極h, our tools are good. For real, you guys, it鈥檚 good! Trust us.鈥� Nope, that is not good enough,鈥� Culatta said.
He noted that ISTE and other organizations鈥攊ncluding , , , , and the 鈥攈ave come up with an that evaluates products on a range of factors, including privacy protections.
Culatta also argued that 糖心动漫vlog aren鈥檛 trained well in how to use technology tools.
鈥淲e would not be here having this conversation if we had prepared 糖心动漫vlog effectively for the amount of technology that is in their classrooms,鈥� Culatta said.
Teacher training on tech may be a problem, but there鈥檚 also a lack of policy leadership on these issues, Turner Lee argued.
That problem is likely to get bigger given that the Trump administration has moved forward on its plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, including nixing its office of educational technology.
鈥淚鈥檓 really scared about not having a Department of Education, because I think they are the ones that offer the good [tech] hygiene and now I think it鈥檚 going to be every state for themselves,鈥� Turner Lee said.
