Techno Intelligence

Most Library Media Specialists and Educators realize that technology is a double-edged sword. Almost any electronic device can be used in ways that are disruptive, annoying, unethical, and even destructive. But technology is inherently neutral: the same hammer that breaks a window can also be used to build a cathedral. (For examples, see the accompanying chart.)

Many schools have not figured out how to create good technology-use policies. Confusing, inarticulate, or just plain bad technology policies often result in complaints like the following made by a concerned parent: "Our school district has banned student use of cellphones and pagers. But I want my daughter to have access to her cellphone during the school day. With all of the school shootings that have gone on, she needs to be able to call me in case of an emergency!" Or this outcry by an irritated teacher: "I sent a student to the media center so he could use a word-processing program to finish his paper. Even though there were three workstations available, the librarian refused to let him use 'her' computers. She insisted they could only be used for research." Under the worst circumstances, inadequate technology rules have fueled a new range war—not bloodshed between cattle ranchers and sheep herders, but bad feelings between librarians and technology specialists. Judging from what I hear, the techies are winning the battle by default, since they usually determine the restrictive levels of a school's Web-filtering software. Techies' practical knowledge of electronic devices, coupled with their tendency to dole out that information selectively, give them power and credibility, and make their rules difficult to dispute.

I have a mantra that I often ask our district's teachers, librarians, and administrators to repeat: "Technicians don't make school policy." The slogan sinks in if educators say it with feeling, two or three times.

Please don't think I'm beating up on technicians. Their expertise is critical to the vital operation of our schools' technology. They are responsible for securing data, conserving network bandwidth, and maintaining far too many computers for a single person to reasonably oversee. They're also responsible for maintaining our schools' digital infrastructure, a demanding task that many of us take for granted. Yet there's nothing like a shoddy infrastructure—one that's likely to crash at any moment—to keep an administrator from using a data-mining tool, prevent a librarian from reaching an online database, stop a teacher from retrieving a Web-based lesson plan, or mess up a student who wants to create a multimedia presentation. Likewise, an unreliable system can make users distrustful of advanced technology. Educators, students, and parents are rightfully skeptical of the extensive use of digital record-keeping and storage if they can't be assured that confidential information will remain private.

Technicians adeptly handle all of these problems and more. Yet these hardworking individuals are often insensitive to the concerns of parents, teachers, librarians, and students. Techies may not understand, for example, why it's important for kids to have access to as wide a range of information resources as possible. They may not realize that it's important for the library's online catalog and reference resources to be available to students and staff who sometimes work from home. They may be clueless about why it's essential for librarians to know the password for the school computer lab's desktop security program. Most techies have never experienced a roomful of 30 sugar-enhanced students who are expecting to finish their multimedia projects during a single period, only to discover that the security password for the workstations has been mysteriously changed.

I have had the good fortune of working with and supervising our district's library media specialists and technicians. I meet regularly with each group, as well as with administrators, teachers, and student council members. That means I hear quite a variety of perspectives on technology's use and abuse, and the needs of our users. Given my superior, nearly godlike knowledge, should I be making all of our district's technology policy decisions? Not on your life!

Who should ultimately determine technology rules? In our district, those decisions are made by our district technology advisory committee, the same folks who make lots of technology planning and budget decisions. Our committee is comprised primarily of educators—teachers, media specialists, and administrators—but it also includes parents, students, businesspeople, college faculty members, and public librarians. And of course the committee includes our technical staff, who offer important input on security, compatibility, and implementation issues. We listen to everyone. And most of our building-level technology committees work the same way. (For some tips on creating and running an advisory group, see www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/advice.html.)

Our approach has worked well. On one difficult issue, for example, the committee decided that we needed to install Internet-filtering software in order to comply with the requirements of the federal Children's Internet Protection Act. But we agreed that we would set the filters at their least restrictive settings. We've also made it easy for teachers and librarians to unblock a blocked Web site: they simply have to make a request—no questions asked. Our committee also realized that even with filters installed, it's still necessary for adults to monitor students' use of the Internet. As a result, our technicians know that it's not their responsibility to see that students do not access inappropriate online materials, but that of teachers and librarians. This is a good policy decision that we never could have reached without hearing from a number of voices.

It's essential to sustain an open dialogue on technology-related concerns, responsibilities, and priorities. Not everyone will agree with every decision, but at least they'll understand why the decisions were made. A wonderful result of an approach like this is that educators and technicians approach the table with a problem-solving attitude, rather than a confrontational one. They appreciate each other's uniquely difficult responsibilities. Educational range wars over technology policies aren't healthy for anyone—especially the little lambs that we serve.