By Bob Vlach
Woodford Sun Staff
Woodford County Public Schools has begun the process of looking into how technology is being used in the classroom and screen time, Chief Academic Officer Ryan Asher told the Woodford County Board of Education at Monday’s BOE meeting.
“… The ultimate goal is not to eliminate technology, but to ground its use in sound educational practice,” Asher said. “We want to make sure (technology is) anchored into main structured educational frameworks … because we don’t want passive engagement with technology. We obviously want active engagement.”
With the topic of screen time in schools making local and national news headlines, he said, “The big question we’re asking ourselves: Is there a problem with overuse of tech in Woodford County Public Schools?”
During phase one of this process, feedback about whether overuse of technology is a problem in school has been “a mixed bag,” with “great variation by school and by grade level,” Asher said.
“Obviously,” he continued, “we do not want to just strictly cut off technology use … but we do want to provide some guidance.”
The second phase in the process will include looking at data about how often different technology platforms are being used in the school, Asher told the BOE. The ultimate goal is “defining exactly what appropriate, high-quality tech use is,” he said.
BOE members expressed their appreciation for this effort, and KT Gould, who has degrees in social work, said this process should include “looking at the mental health concerns related to overuse of technology…”