Using technology as a tool not entertainment

Academic freedom, a phrase more commonly associated with education at the college level, is being discussed by the Lawrence School District as Superintendent Gary Schall has asked the Board of Education to create a policy restricting the use of videos in classrooms.
According to Schall, district teachers have been too liberal in their use of full-length feature movies in the classroom; showing them without accompanying instruction or as a reward for good behavior.
The proposed policy would prohibit the use of movies and long presentations in favor of edited versions that must be approved by the teacher’s immediate supervisor and parents are to be informed of what their children are watching.
“In 45- to 50-minutes it seems reasonable to provide a balanced literacy lesson with writing at the focus,” Schall said. “The curriculum that needs to be absorbed could be supplemented with a film, but it’s not the meat and potatoes.”
As an example, the superintendent pointed to the 20-minute speech presented by State Education Commissioner John King that the district edited down to what Schall called “five minutes of gems.” “Technology should be used as a tool not an entertainment or a reward,” the superintendent said, adding that if movies should be used in the district there could be nights to bring families together and films are shown.

Trustee Michael Hatten, chair of the board’s Academic Excellence Committee, said that the new policy is needed as the teachers’ supervisors did not vet the screening of movies and what was being shown wasn’t aligned with the curriculum. “That is a concern that has to be tightened, it’s not in the prescribed curriculum as demonstrated by the lessons,” Hatten said.
Teachers would also be required to interact with the students while the video is being shown. “I do not want to see a teacher putting in a video and using the time to do something else,” said Schall, adding that the teacher should not be a passive vessel but in front and center. “I want them to make sure that students are focused, pointing out certain things and not passively watching videos. This is not a living room where we are watching TV.”
Lori Skonberg, president of the Lawrence Teachers Association, said it would be premature for the organization to comment since an official district policy has yet to be finalized. “Once the district finalizes the policy, we’ll be more than happy to express our thoughts on the matter,” Skonberg said.
Hatten said the policy is one step towards improving academic performance throughout the district. He anticipates an ongoing process that will be implemented “little by little” that will help in creating individual education plans for all students. “We want to institute policies and procedures for our children to achieve to their best potential.”

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