Technology helps or hinders?

Joseph Schwartz
76105103
EDT211

Technology helps or hinders?

The development of new and better ways; or the need to create a smarter and faster way to do things, has driven human innovation since the dawn of time. It is always the case of adapt or die. Our ancestors had developed the basic survival instincts to pass on the genes we carry today, or we wouldn’t be here.

The same is evident in the struggle with classroom behavior, and communication to the stakeholders that have an impact beyond the classroom teacher. I performed many tasks and assumed many roles throughout my years working in education. I felt the most success being a part of a well developed PBiS team, actively discussing problem areas, and creating solutions for the teachers and staff that are managing behavior more than teaching content.


Communication was always the most challenging issue that we faced; pertaining to speedy response and resolution. Year One we streamlined the referral process: from carbon copy triplicate forms that represented data boxes from SWIS, to an email shorthand version that teachers could enter the relevant data easily. We faced difficulties with teachers that were not buying into the process, not so tech savvy teachers that couldn’t navigate the document, all the way to those that would flood the server with all types of infractions.


We left that first year with mounds of data, but not a true representative sample. We needed to do two things: 1) clearly define the discipline matrix as to what gets reported, and 2) the most easiest and efficient way to input the infractions by the staff or classroom teacher.


Our PBiS Chairperson and I spoke about what we would like to see or develop. Email can be tedious and scenarios can be lengthy to report; so we wanted an app that could relay almost all the info we needed with the push of an icon. She found Liveschool; an app that had everything that we were looking for. http://whyliveschool.com/


Liveschool works buy mirroring your school’s SIS, therefore the classes a teacher instructs and the corresponding rosters are reflected in the application. The PBiS committee can add, change, and assess the value to positive behaviors for PBiS, and include negative behaviors that do not take away from the total point value a student can amass.


Behaviors that you would like to promote would be assigned points, and these points could go towards purchases from the reward cart, entrance into school or PBiS functions, and other rewards authorized by administration. Checks could be printed off and distributed through homeroom and the students could see the breakdown of what they did to earn the points.


The application could also be used to monitor negative behaviors in the classroom, cafeteria, common areas, and hallways. The addition of comments to the infraction could give brief details as to the nature of the infraction, and a greater sense of intention on the part of the student. Reports could be generated in an Excel spreadsheet and various charts and graphs could also be created from the data selected. this was an invaluable tool for evaluation, reporting, and predicting emerging behaviors to address. Certain behaviors could be set to alert selected staff members for immediate notification and immediate response.


This answered many of the needs for our school, but also created many more questions. The difficulties that arose came in the development of tiered positive and negative behaviors. Many items that would be managed on the classroom level, were transitioned to the application. I felt the ease of this technology did not help the teachers develop strong classroom management strategies. It was easy for them to report the minor infractions and wait for the student to rise up the continuum, rather than address with them and their parents. I don’t feel that the application made them stronger leaders in the class.


In closing, does this great piece of technology help or hinder? We are a data driven society. It is the reason we receive funding, programs are developed, and services are provided. We also need the balance between the human touch of judgement calls and empathic listening to help guide the technology we use to quantify the work being done.