Learning and Leading - February 2012

make all the web-based tools accessible to all students. Some had reported that during their personal responsibility times (breaks during the day when all students have 20–35 minutes to work on whatever they wish), the library and open labs were full, so we lowered the student-to-computer ratio to 2: 1. After lifting the filter on You Tube and other streaming media, we also had to increase the bandwidth running into the building. Fortunately, we are located in an urban area and already had a fiber line (Viola 20 MB).

We needed to update policies as well to reflect increased use of collaborative tools. First, we realized that if adults and students were going to interact in electronic environments, we needed a policy guiding behavior in those environments. The coordinator of special projects and I drafted a social media policy that is now approved for inclusion in the Faculty/Staff Handbook.

Next, we looked at the appropriate use policy for students, as increased use of electronic tools could create increased opportunity for academic dishonesty. We modified the language to preserve academic integrity in our digital environments.

I devoted much of my time to training. I couldn’t expect people to use Edline, blogs, wikis, and social networks if they didn’t know how. Through one-on-one sessions, small-group instruction, on-demand video uploads, and lots of newsletters, I communicated the basic “how to” information to assist teachers in creating and maintaining digital environments.

As we entered the 2010–11 school
year, we had a solid technology infra-
structure to support student learning as
well as policies to protect and support
learners and teachers. Professional
development opportunities are avail-
able via video and documents on Ed-
line, newsletters, and one-on-one or
small-group sessions, and we offer de-
layed-start professional development
days for faculty to meet in learning
communities, many of which revolve
around digital age learning. We share
a vocabulary based on the IPP and
the NETS. The students have accepted
our learning management system as
a primary tool for communication
and collaboration supported by digital
environments, such as wikis, blogs,
and social networks. The focus of edu-
cational technology is no longer how
to use the computers; it’s now where it
should be, on cura personalis.