Innovation at Dalat #11 Technology Contract

It is no secret that there is a significant downside to using technology in the classrooms. It means that our students spend more time looking at computer screens and there are more distractions when work needs to be done. Computers open up a world of new opportunities good and bad and I have heard compelling arguments for both schools that adopt 1 to 1 programs and those that eschew technology altogether.  

What tips the scales in favor of keeping them at Dalat is the opportunity we now have to teach students to use the technology well, to use their time wisely, and to make good decisions about what they access online.  Once they graduate and leave our care, we lose the opportunity to mentor them as they navigate a digital world. No matter where they go and what they do, they will use technology. So I believe we should be investing in teaching them wisdom rather than sheltering them. Our role as a school is to partner with families in this education process, not to replace the family.  We want to empower parents to engage in the process of guiding young minds to learn how to make good decisions regarding the use of technology.

Our 9^th-grade students piloted a trial program this school year working with their parents to develop their own “Family Technology Contract.”  Students spent time talking with their parents about expectations for technology use and care of devices. The questions on the plan help families think through important questions and establish expectations up front so that the kids and parents know the family guidelines.

Next year we will require the plan of all students and their parents in high school. Filling it out each year as the student progresses will allow families the opportunity to talk about what is working or not, and reevaluate the rules and expectations as the student matures.

As summertime approaches with extra free time, the challenges families face to establish healthy boundaries may increase. I am offering the questions from the technology plan below for families that want to get a head start. You are encouraged to take some time and work with all of your kids to talk through the questions below.