WAYNESBORO, Pa. – It’s all about balance.
That’s the message conveyed during a presentation on Chromebooks presented during a Waynesboro Area School Board meeting Oct. 27 by Keith McCray, director of innovation and instructional technology; Dr. Diane McCallum, assistant superintendent; and Nic Erickson, director of technology services.
Computers “are an advanced pencil and textbook with encyclopedias, a library within and contact with the world. They do not replace the teacher, but provide the teacher and student ‘intelligent assistance,’” guests learned.
There were a total of 35 slides shown during the presentation, developed after questions about Chromebook use arose at both school board and committee meetings, according to McCallum.
“We’ve spent the last 10 years making sure every student has access to the devices and we are evaluating our current practices to make sure they align with the goals we have for the district,” said McCallum. “This may result in us — the entire school community — the school board, administrators, staff and parents, etc., working together to make some changes. Parents are a very important piece of this. They are with the students more than we are.”
McCray discussed issues such as how many minutes a day are students on a device and is it too much?; whether devices are right for use by younger students (especially kindergarten through grade 2) and when students are on a device, is it time well spent? McCray also conducted a poll during the meeting, where participants could use their cellphone to answer questions about device usage by students. “This is a nationwide question being asked,” McCallum said.
During “quantity versus quality,” it was noted that “the value of screen time depends on what the screen is doing for the student. “I continue to be very concerned about unsupervised use of electronic devices outside of school. That’s how students become susceptible to online predators,” noted McCallum.
Evaluating data about device usage helps educators develop adaptive programs, McCray said. “Students are assessed and based on how they perform and get a series of learning activities to support their learning needs. Teachers can monitor the room and provide individual support as needed,” he added.
The presentation also included information about purposeful device use, which provides immediate feedback – students know right away whether they understand and may try again if needed. Read-aloud, text-to-speech and translation tools remove barriers, as cited during the presentation. Students record, build and code and publish to show what they know. Collaboration allows students to build shared work and teachers see each contribution.
Devices work alongside paper and pencil, guests learned. Teacher-led small group instruction also involves the use of books, handouts and whiteboards.
McCallum addressed the “How did we get here” section of the presentation. “In 2017, when Dr. Tod Kline became superintendent, we had a lot of devices in student’s hands but not one for each child. Our comprehensive plan in 2016 was to increase students’ access to technology. We still had computer labs and carts, etc., when he was hired. Our goal was for every student to have their own device in five years,” she added.
During the board meeting, those attending also learned about how the district attempted to meet the comprehensive plan goals from 2016 to 2019.
“We didn’t finish all the goals, especially with professional development, because the COVID pandemic accelerated our timeline. We had to slow down during those years to make sure students knew how to use the devices responsibly, and we were occupied with reopening schools and effectively using instructional technology,” McCallum said.
The presentation concluded with a discussion about “what does the future look like?”
“In order for us to have graduates who can compete for jobs in critical edge fields, researchers and educators say students need skills such as critical thinking, advanced math and technology skills, etc., in addition to reading, writing and other critical subject areas.”
Erickson discussed data of student device usage gleaned from average usage for three selected weeks with random samples of students across all grade levels and buildings.
