Technology and Safety In Our Schools

Two words:
School shooting.
This topic has been spreading like wildfire this year especially with the recent school shooting in Florida that happened on February 14, 2018. 

Seven words in my head:
How is technology keeping our schools safe? 


After reading my boss' blog post, his opening statement is perfect: 
"School shootings are nothing new; as a matter of fact, one can argue that they date back to the 1700’s.  It is still shocking when it happens, and they are always so devastating to the communities and those affected that it will never just become part of life." (Benson, 2018)

Another friend of mine who is a superintendent also had a great statement on the topic:
"After 9/11 we acted.  The towers went down, and the Patriot Act was passed into law.  That wasn’t perfect legislation; I acknowledge that.  But we did something.  We have long lines at airports, and the process is a hassle.  That’s fair…  I, for one, am ok with that.  There is a direct correlation between safety and liberty." (Larson, 2018)

Both had excellent points, and I couldn't agree more. No matter where you are and how it happens, death is devastating. 

I have recently had the opportunity to travel quite a bit the past seven months since I got married. My husband, Seth and I went to Mexico for our honeymoon. As Mr. Larson said in the second quote, there are long lines at the airport and the process is a hassle. You wait, take off your shoes, put all of your stuff in a container and go through a scanner and another full 360 body scan. Quite the process, but I too am okay with it because it gives me a sense of assurance that I am safe. Doesn't mean I feel safe being in an airport on an airplane where shooting could happen too. Technology has upped its game in airports. Even though they do a great job, there can still be flaws. I recently got back from Las Vegas for a mini getaway, and after going through those scanners, they still had to check me. Those of you who know me, I usually wear my head in a bun, on the top of my head, that was a red flag to them, and they had to check my hair and go through my scalp. I had, of course, no issue, but it was intimidating. My thoughts were: "I would never think of smuggling something into my hair." "People are looking at me because I'm not White." (Yes that does go through my head at times, even though I am more than comfortable in my skin and been part of this country for the past 25 years.) The TSA did their job, and I am grateful for it. 


So what can schools do to implement technology for security measures?

1)  Entry control-- Most schools have their doors locked at all times during the day and the front door especially, is equipped with a camera and buzzer system. Visitors must go to the main doors and hit the buzzer where those in the office can see them and decide to let them in or not. Is this enough though? I have worked in a school system since I graduated high school. Anyone can come up to the buzzer, and if they're recognizable, they are let in. Do we know if they have a weapon on them? No. A former student could come in and say they were there to see the principal; how do we know if that student isn't royally upset and wants to shoot someone? A majority of schools have it where their visitors just sign in on a piece of paper. I feel there should be more to this. Why are they there? The person they want to see, do they know about it and expect it too? We certainly can't blame those in the office for allowing someone into the school when they're a familiar face, and something terrible happens. 
So how can we improve this? 
Visitor Managment System. This system also scans the persons' ID, and it goes through a database to prove that the person is real and they aren't an offender/felon. 


2) Security cameras--Most schools have security cameras throughout their building in various places. This is a specific countermeasure that should always be implemented. I love how cameras are live feed, and use HD (picture quality is so clear) and the system can not only be accessed by computer, but by having the app on your phone for administrators as well. Cameras are used for the safety of our children and not to invade privacy. Besides capturing a violent situation, we can see bullying, fights, and theft.  Of course, cameras can only be in some available places where allowed that will not invade the privacy of a person. That can be tricky if something were to happen in a locker room, you can only go by someone's word. There is a new system with cameras that can capture instantly if a weapon is seen on the footage, the authorities are notified. This could help tremendously in the school system. 


3) Drills---Practice, practice, practice. Whether it be a fire drill, tornado drill or lockdown drill. DO IT. Practice often. You will be thankful you did. It's so important to inform your staff and students what to do in any situation that could be life-threatening. They need to know what to do, calmly, if something should arise. 


It sucks to say that we can't feel safe in most places anymore. Airports, schools, malls? Sometimes I psych myself out thinking something could happen when I'm in one of these places because it can happen. It's terrifying. 

What else can we implement? Visitor management systems, panic buttons, metal detectors, mass messaging systems. Bulletproof windows/doors? Panic rooms? Yes to all. But guess what the drawback is? Money. 

As a school, we are funded by the state; we only get what we can. Money goes to books, equipment, computers, uniforms, etc. Why aren't schools good enough to get a stipend for safety/security? Can schools get these kinds of options? Absolutely, but only if the budget allows. Don't think for a second we don't work for it and try to implement everything we can to help our children with their education and yes, safety when they're in our hands. It's a tough situation that we can't control.


Why do people of a higher level like in politics, get an armed person with them at all times for their safety but we can't have a resource officer at every school? Why is the option to put guns in teachers' hands when we could have retired veterans at our school protecting us? 

Technology is a helpful solution to safety in schools, but we need the help. Not THE solution, but it can get us there. 



"Safety is Always the Top Priority"--Anna Folmnsbee

Is it a benefit or downfall to insert technology in education?

I grew up on a farm in rural Minnesota, our technology in 1995 included one desktop computer, a landline phone with the longest cord possible and dialed up internet. The computer was a Packard Bell and ran Windows 95. This computer DID have a CD-ROM drive, 6GB of hard drive space and around 64MB of RAM. I laughed typing those specs because today my new computer at work was built in 2019, runs Windows 10 Pro Edu, 256GB SSD, and 16GB RAM. Let's compare:

Pretty comical to see the difference in 24 years isn't it? My monitor is 3x bigger than the computer console. :)

In school, we had the blue iMacs that were released in 1998. Remember these?

I learned typing basics, used Mac Word and probably Googled "cats" and made it the background picture. Besides learning my "home row," fundamentals of a document, and games there wasn't much to do on a computer in elementary school. Today there are so many games and websites out there for elementary students that are based on their curriculum.
In high school, the work got more complicated because as you get older, there's more papers and research to do. At home, we always had a PC, and I couldn't save what I had done on One Drive or the Cloud and get back to it at school. The formats were also different between the operating systems too so I usually just did my work at school and saved it on the server. Not that it was too complicated for me personally to work on both a MAC and PC, but I didn't get a big benefit out of it either. Today I still use both OS in my everyday life. My home and work computers are PC, and my phone and tablet are Apple.

Today you may see both OS being used throughout schools whether it be computers, laptops, or tablets. Technology in education has changed so much over the years that there are too many to count but here are some that come to my mind: 

1) Technology and grade books--I remember seeing stacks of papers on my teacher's desk and they would have to put in the grades into a grade book that gave you only so much space. Today there is Power School that is an electronic system where student/teacher information is collected and shared. You can manage grades, attendance, demographics, courses, and photos all in this system. I've luckily never had to worry about putting in grades the old-fashioned way, but I can promise you I would never want to!

2) Activ Panels-- Activ panels have become the new thing in schools and are replacing projectors. They can display something instantly and makes it easier for teachers to explain a concept with visuals. When I was in school, we always had Overhead Projectors. Whatever you wanted to show had to be on a transparent sheet to see and could use a dry erase marker to show your work. When I started my job, the school still used computer projectors in every room. That made a quick turnaround when they purchased Activ Panels. 

Activ panels are interactive boards that can do the same on your smartphone/tablet. The touch feature is impressive as you can have up to 10 fingers touching the board at once without conflict. 

They connect to your computer and TV/DVD players to display on a big, bright HD screen. Now at the school, almost every room has an Activ panel, and we have made projectors obsolete. These boards run on Android as well so the Google Play Store comes in handy when teachers want educational apps and games to help with their teaching. 

The boards are either hardwired in by ethernet cable or connected via Wi-Fi. Some teachers don't even use their computer when teaching and let the panel do all the work because everything is accessible within it just from using the internet. With One Drive, you can open up your files right there on the board and make changes when teaching.  

I have been so fortunate to be part of this process and huge tech update in the school it just makes me giddy inside. (nerdy I know) The teachers are getting more comfortable with them and use them to show a video from Youtube, explain a concept with Khan Academy, and much more. 

3) Chromebooks--With the new 1:1 initiative, I think computer labs will become obsolete. First off, Chromebooks are cheap! Between the vendors, I go through to buy computers, a chrome book on Amazon can cost $169 where a PC laptop can cost up to $800. Which one do you think I will choose?
They are entirely cloud-based, easy to use and secure. I see elementary classes use them to listen to their lesson online, type papers on different states and submit their assignments right to their teacher through Google Classroom. The high school students can have a Chromebook during class and do their work and bring it with them without having to be tied to a desktop computer or a lab.
At our school, we are a Google Apps for Education school we have access to multiple applications, usernames and a domain within our building. Chromebooks allow students to collaborate while completing group projects, reports, a power point, or videos. Access to their work can be anytime and any place.
We do two different types of testing throughout the year, NWEA Assessment and ND State Testing. From recent studies, students seem to do well when testing in their learning environment. To enforce results from that study, the Chromebooks are in their classroom when they test. Being an administrator for these devices, I can easily install the app on my computer and push it out to all those devices in seconds.

4) Tablets--Tablets are a popular device to have in schools nowadays. They can be connected via Wi-Fi, and you can access almost everything you need on it just as you would a computer. The tablets are nice to have for the younger crowd as well. By around age, 5-6 children should be able to use a tripod pencil grip when writing. Although touch screens are so handy for the little ones, our tablets have a stylus that is connected that I think is a great benefit for kids to keep up with those motor skills. I have had the opportunity to go into the elementary classrooms and teach a lesson using technology throughout that time. We utilize the tablets and the activ panel at the same time which gives not only the student the benefit of using those devices, but the teacher gets more comfortable with them too.

So what is the downfall of having technology in education?
Have kids access to games? Too much screen time? Distraction when you're teaching?

These can all be possibilities in reality, but as a teacher, you control what happens in your classroom, and you control the use, time and path of technology in there too. We make sure devices are out and used only when it is time to use them. We have software that can be connected to all devices to monitor the students when on these devices to make sure they are appropriate, safe and not cheating.

As educators, technology isn't the only way to differentiate your teaching, but it is what can help your students progress by giving them that opportunity. Maybe having visuals is a more natural way for them to learn than to read 15 pages alone.  If you create your lessons with collaboration, students remember to work with others and not become socially disconnected from the world. You never know until you try, right?

It can be overwhelming having to adapt to technology and utilize it more in your classroom but take the time. Research, ask other teachers, Pinterest, Teacher Pay Teachers, are all great resources to get started. We owe it to our kids to give them all we can offer and prepare them for the real world, including technology use in schools.

"We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher's hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world." -David Warlick

Effects of Technology on Communication in Modern Society

By modern society, I am referring to today in the year of 2018. I am a "millennial" technically speaking being that I was born in 1990, but I have seen how technology has changed over the years and what it can do to people. Technology has simplified the access to many devices people need in education, medicine, communication, transportation, etc.

The first thing that comes to mind with technology and communication is, of course, a cell phone. I received my first cell phone, back in 2003. I used it as a means of communication with my mom when I was done with sporting events or any other extracurricular activities to make sure I would get a ride home, or she knew if I was staying at a friend's place. My phone had a green screen, it cost to text and call, and I had one game, snake.

Today, I see first graders with a smartphone. It makes me wonder why they have one. Did they ask for it for Christmas? Do their parents have defined child-safe features on that phone for them? Is this a benefit for the child, or is it entitling them to something I had to wait 14 years for even to get a flip phone? Will it make them addicted to their phones at a young age? Will they lose the meaning of human contact and close themselves to their rooms? Will their self-esteem be solely on the amount of "likes" they get on Instagram? Will some parents find it easier to parent and deal with their children by shoving a device in their face to keep them quiet for a while? In my opinion, yes to all of this.

Cell phones have had their pros and cons with me in my life so far. I received phone calls both times when I learned about my father's passing and brother's passing. But with so much pain it has given me, I have endured joy; learning I was going to be an aunt for the first time, calling my mom telling her about my engagement and when my boss called about my receiving of the job I am currently at that I love. To me, this source of communication has also shaped me into who I am today.
In education we all use our phones for communication, whether it be a call, email or text. Sometimes it really is, the simplest form of communication. (not a priority though)

The second thing I think of with communication is video chat. Skype, FaceTime, Hangouts, etc. My first time meeting one of my nephews was via FaceTime. Apparently not the same as in person, but it still had the same loving effect that took over my heart instantly. My best friend from high school lives in another state, and our way of seeing each other is video chat through Facebook Messenger.

In education, you can now go on "virtual field trips" using Skype or Google Expeditions. Working in education has shown me what is truly important in teaching and that is differentiation. Instead of having your students stare at a textbook about whales, take them on a "field trip" where they can see live footage of whales on Skype and learn about them from a teacher on the other side of the world.

Technology had both enhanced communication for disabled people and made it possible where it previously wasn't. My nephew was born with Down Syndrome and has kept his parents on their toes for three years so far. Technology had saved him with medical equipment when he suffered RSV, pneumonia and allergic reactions. Technology has given him the opportunity to use a tablet with words that he can choose to select to tell us what he needs when he cannot.


Technology can always improve the world and make surprising discoveries, but if we are not careful, it can ruin us in a second.

“Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who do not use technology will be replaced by those who do.” – Hari Krishna Arya, India