The Report is excited to announce we'll be contributing a commentary to the Mooresville Weekly every other Friday, beginning today. Below is today's article. Have your own opinion regarding Mooresville's laptop program? Share it here or at http://mooresvilleweekly.com/opinion/2010/10/305/
Mooresville Graded School District students are participating in a science experiment of sorts. But in this experiment, they are the mice.
Students in grades 4 to 12 are toting school-issued laptop computers between home and school. The district is on the leading edge of the conversion from textbooks to laptops and is a model for other districts across the country considering the digital change.
But the school district is learning as it goes, cutting its digital teeth on the backs of its students. And that has proven to be both good and bad. Were administrators truly prepared for the underbelly of this digital conversion? Are they capable of controlling it? Are they even acknowledging it?
Unfortunately, a 2-hour meeting this week with district Superintendent Mark Edwards and Chief Technology Officer Scott Smith, while informational, did little to ease my biggest concerns.
The computers certainly open countless windows of opportunity for students. Just recently, Edwards said, a group of students were able to monitor live seismic activity from their laptops, while another group studying the state of Illinois was able to “Skype” (video-call through a computer) a classroom of students in Illinois.
Skyping, Edwards said, is much more interesting than reading a textbook.
But so is playing Solitaire.
Some students say playing games on the laptop is a common pastime in classrooms. Edwards, however, said his teachers would take personal offense to that suggestion. “They would say ‘that reflects poorly on my teaching, and it’s not true,’” he said.
Administrators and teachers apparently tell students not to play games in class. But if they don’t want them tempted in such a way, why include games on the machines in the first place? Why do the laptops have search engines with associated chat rooms and e-mail programs? If the laptops are used strictly for educational purposes, why aren’t they stripped of all the bells and whistles?
Though the district subscribes to “Nettrekker,” an educational search engine, it has not disabled other search engines that have associated e-mail and chat-room programs. Why? Because “there’s a lot of good stuff out there that Nettrekker does not find,” Smith said.
Edwards said the district pays a subscription fee for a service that blocks student access to inappropriate websites. The district can add its own blocks and override the service’s blocks. “It’s not perfect, but it catches almost everything,” Smith said.
“By default,” added Edwards, the filters will block chat rooms but not e-mail programs. The district, he said, “does not endorse ‘outside’ e-mail use by students.”
He admitted that “no filter is perfect, and students find ways around (it).” Indeed, students have learned to access sites like Facebook and YouTube, even though filters supposedly block those sites.
“Parents are the best filter,” Edwards said. But many of the issues are happening in the classroom where parents can’t serve as filters. In fact, Apple Remote Desktop, which allows administrators and technology personnel to remotely peek at students’ computer screens while they’re in the school network, “does not work in student homes or other public locations,” Edwards said, so the district can’t determine if policies are being broken once the laptops leave the school network.
At school, students are punished via in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension for “misuse of school technology,” which Edwards said includes bullying, viewing inappropriate content and even adding stickers to the laptops. According to data provided by the school district this week, 44 Mooresville Middle students received in-school suspension and two received out-of-school suspension last year for misuse of school technology.
While Edwards and Smith said after-school detention is used only for “excessive tardy offenses,” middle-school students were, in fact, placed in after-school detention last school year for misuse of school technology. The district said this week it would compile that information, but it has not yet released it.
As of Oct. 15, five middle-school students have been sent to in-school suspension for the 2010-11 school year for misuse of school technology. In the same time at the high school, six students have received in-school suspension and two have received out-of-school suspension.
Last school year at the high school, 45 students received in-school suspension and 10 received out-of-school suspension for misuse of school technology.
Edwards said the “information about our filter and its limitations is shared with every parent during the parent training when students first received their laptops.” But parents were also told at Mooresville Intermediate School in August 2008 that students would not be able to access chat rooms or instant messaging on the MacBooks, and the school district, at that time, would not allow student-to-student e-mailing.
In regard to giving students more freedom with their laptops, Edwards said the district is simply trying to create conditions where students make the right choices. “I truly believe the vast majority of our students are responsible with [the laptops],” Edwards said. “They do what they’re supposed to do. They’re conscientious about it and follow the rules.”
While we all wish that were true, it smacks of denial, especially when the chief technology officer acknowledged that monitoring students’ Internet usage “is a constant job, and we’re trying all the time to catch the holes.
“But the kids are smart.”
A Mooresville High School senior who plans to attend a four-year college said she believes the laptops are good for research. However, she said, they’re primarily good for games – and cheating.
Some students say they cheat on homework by downloading it onto USB flash drives and sharing it with others. A 2009 Mooresville High School graduate, now in college, said laptops make cheating on tests easy, too. She and her classmates would e-mail or chat with friends – some who had taken the test earlier in the day – to ask for answers to certain questions.
Students also used search engines to find answers to questions during tests, she said. In a matter of seconds, a simple Google search yields answers to countless questions. An inquiry about the largest desert on earth produced, in less than a second, the answer to that question and the names of the hottest and driest places on earth. How many calories are in a Big Mac? More than 500. What’s 23.62 percent of 4,615.23? 1,090.11733.
Students have also learned to selectively delete certain visited websites from their browsing history so teachers won’t be as suspicious as they would be if an entire browsing history was deleted.
It’s also easier to cheat off a neighbor’s computer screen than a piece of paper on a desk, students say, especially when a teacher is on her laptop or otherwise occupied in class.
Edwards said state tests prohibit the use of any outside aides other than a calculator on certain math assessments, and SATs are conducted outside the school district. He said the numbers speak for themselves: Without the use of laptops, Mooresville’s average SAT score increased by 10 points in 2010 even with an increase in students taking the test.
But some local tests allow use of the laptops. Edwards said the district is testing software that “locks down” the laptops during an online assessment.
“Preliminary testing has been good,” he said. “If this software continues to be successful, it will be deployed to all machines.”
Smith, the technology officer said teachers can digitally arrange questions on the same test, so question 5 on one student’s test may be question 20 on another’s. Edwards added, the district encourages alternate layouts of classrooms so teachers can keep a better eye on laptop screens, but that’s been difficult in some of the smaller high-school classrooms. Administrators are also stressing to teachers the importance of walking around instead of teaching in one place, Edwards said.
The laptops offer a wide new world to students – one that could certainly prove beneficial to them in the long run. But in all the hoopla of the digital conversion, it seems students are becoming secondary to technology. To suggest parents are the best filter to the risks, when the issues are happening in the classroom, is dismissive and unfair.
When teachers are stretched too thin – especially with the added burden of “constantly” staying on top of kids’ computer use – and when administrators live in a rose-colored world where 1,500 hormonal high-schoolers “do the right thing,” it makes it natural for parents to speculate if the adults responsible for our children Monday through Friday are actually able to protect our kids while they’re being educated by Mr. World Wide Web.
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31 comments:
Way to go Jamie. Moving up in the world!
That's hot!
Last year at the high school 55 students out of, let's say, close to 1600 were in trouble for inappropriate use of the laptops. Sounds like a small number to me. Wonder how many were in trouble for being disrespectful, fighting, using foul language, etc? If the only thing my son does is play games in class, I'm okay with that, as long as he is learning, which I believe he is and he is also learning a great skill in multi-tasking which will be very beneficial out in the 'real' world. I believe that laptops are the least of the worries at the high school level. Anyone who thinks it is not just as easy to cheat on a test given on paper has their head in the sand. Unfortunately, cheating has been going on for many years. But the kids must be learning something since laptops are not allowed to be used on the EOCs and MGSD's scores are up. Thanks MGSD for taking the initiative to better prepare our children for the world outside of high school.
Kids have been having sex for years. Since we know they're going to have it anyway, we might as well go ahead and introduce them to it now. Them doing it in the classroom is the least of our worries at the high school level. Besides it'll help them be better at it when they're in the 'real' world.
I don't believe what the kids are telling you about being able to cheat better on the computer either. I believe the school people. They don't have anything to lose if it is exposed by a blog that the kids say that they are cheating on their computers and playing games in class instead of learning.
Let them kids play games!!!!! They don't need an education in the real world anyway!!!!!
***(Note sarcasm in all of the above, please)
Thanks for keeping them honest.
Edwards is misleading people regarding problem with the laptops. The kids routinely download porn and watch it at school. But because Edwards is such a tyrant, the school administrators do not report much of the problems. He simply doesn't want to hear something that contradicts what he believes.
Edwards has destroyed the morale of the educational staff. They all refer to him as "Hitler" in their conversations. He is a dominating bully who is too stupid to listen to the classroom teachers and too arrogant to realize he doesn't have all the answers.
Anytime anyone says anything that doesn't agree with his thinking, he simply tells them they should probably look for another job. This year the MGSD will see record numbers of teachers leaving due to this bullying tyrant.
He makes no secret that he wants to be a professor at Wingate. To that end he is willing to use our children as lab rats for any of his experiments.
I know this is true. I'm a MGSD teacher.
We've already had a superintendent, Sam Houston, that used our system as a stepping stone. Edwards is no different. Our problem is Karen Hart. She gets dreamy eyed and wets her pants any time she hears his name.
he sounds like a Holliday wanne be
From the sounds of your article it appears to me that you came in with your opinion already formulated, found some statistical facts that supported it (although minor statistics at best), and then confirmed your theory in print. My opinion is this is an attempted hit job at Dr Edwards and the entire Mooresville Graded School District. The school is only three years in to this one-on-one laptop use and they continue to work at making it better. I believe you would have better served yourself if you had followed Dr. Edwards and let him show you what some of the teachers and kids are capable of producing and learning from this initiative. This is nothing more than journalistic muck raking…
Sincerely yours,
A MGSD Parent
I am very up to date on the workings of MGSD. I am a volunteer, and see first hand how Edwards is taking us back, and not FORWARD. He disrespects his subordinates, and if you don't kiss his behind, you're done. Again, our moronic school board has chosen a winner, and MGSD will be the loser of many many good teachers because this tyrant from hell. He is way behind in good sound management skills. Managing by fear, only will go a short distance, and hopefully, his job here will be short lived. Parents need to back up your teachers, and send him packing.
The benefits that your children are receiving from the opportunities that they have by simply being students of MGSD are the types of benefits and opportunities that students and teachers in other school districts only dream of. As a Mooresville graduate and current teacher in another local school district, I wish that I had understood the kind of advantages that I had as a student just because I was fortunate enough to live within the Mooresville school district. A computer in the hands of every kid. Charter buses to every event, varsity or non. An inviting school environment on every campus. The best instruction money can buy. Unlimited academic and athletic resources. Administrators, both district and school based, that are visible members of the community.
I know as well as anyone that teachers, administrators, and school board members are not perfect, but it has never entered my mind that anyone associated with MGSD in any capacity would ever compromise the education or opportunity of a single student for the purpose of self-advancement. I am also confident that none of these educational representatives would ever consider your children to be lab rats in an experiment. To even suggest this is shameful. I would invite anyone who thinks that their child’s education is being compromised by the opportunities that MGSD provides daily to withdraw their child from MGSD for one week and enroll them in any of numerous surrounding school districts. I would invite any MGSD teacher who feels that they are not appreciated, or not provided with the necessary resources that allow their students to be successful, to teach for one week in a classroom outside of MGSD. Your points of view would be immediately, and permanently changed.
Perhaps I am naïve. Perhaps having the opportunities that MGSD provided me with as a student has distorted my view of what a true education should be. However, having lived outside of the US in a third-world country, and then having taught in NC school districts outside of MGSD for my entire career, the one thing that I am sure of is that I know what it means to be appreciative. I have experienced first hand what it is like to have everything, and also what it is like to have nothing. I hope that one day your children will know what it means to be appreciative.
I did take my youngest daughter out of MGSD when she was in the 2nd grade b/c she was reading at a 5th grade level and we asked for her reading program to be modified. We were told that she simply needed to slow down her reading. That child is now attending Overton Elementary in Rowan-Salisbury School System, which, by the way, offers just as much technology and quality instruction as does MGSD. We have considered moving our other two children as well. How many parents pulled their kids out of MGSD to go to the charter school, to ISS, to private schools, or to home school? I think you'd be surprised by that #.
As for computers, kids will always find a way to stay ahead of us stupid adults. I do think a majority of kids do their best to follow directions and to not break the rules. The system will never be perfect and we shouldn't expect it to be.
Next topic for investigation -- how in the world does MGSD get away with bussing EC students to Rocky River instead of allowing those students to go to the school closest to their home? If you think Dr. Edwards is trying to put a positive spin on computers, wait unti you see him dance trying to justify this one.
Even before the tremendous advances in technology over the past 20-30 years, kids have found ways around the systems. Whatever the system of the times were, kids figure out a way to circumvent them. Eventually, adults figure out what the kids are doing and intervene, but by that time, they kids have moved on to the next workaround and we are in the dark once again.
Regardless, it is our job as parents to instill in our children the importance of honesty, ethics and proper behavior. Kids have been sharing test answers with each other for years, even without computers. So, what difference does it really make if a student cheats on a test via technology, or if he hides a "cheat sheet" in his/her shoe, or writes the answers on his/her arm? Cheating is cheating and is ridiculous to assert that having a laptop, contributes to or somehow worsens the offense. If as parents, we don't pay attention to what our kids are doing and they cheat, misuse technology, etc., this indicates that there is a problem with our student's moral compass. Rather than admit that perhaps we are failing our children by not emphasizing the importance of these character traits to their future development as positive contributors to society, we prefer to blame the district, technology and our School Superintendant. People need to look in the mirror and take responsibility for raising good citizens and not pass the blame for their bad behavior onto someone or something else.
Technology, computers, microchips, etc are not a fad, they are here to stay. Nobody is going to turn in their Mac in 2 years in favor of an abacus. Of course the conversion is not without faults, and there are always pros and cons to every situation, certainly this is no exception. However, to assert that the bad outweighs the good with regards to technology is ludicrous. The students of MGSD will enter higher education, the business world and life with a distinct advantage over those who are not so lucky.
By the way, trashing someone personally on a blog (whether you are an employee, or simply a taxpayer or parent) perfectly illustrates the problem. How could we possibly expect our children to grow up with values and moral character, if we behave so poorly and childishly? And if you are brave enough to say it, then be brave enough to use your name.
Most of you, in your fervor to criticize the success of someone else’s ideas and initiatives, seem to be forgetting some of the true benefits of the MGSD laptop program. There are no doubt, a certain percentage of the district’s students who would be, even without the laptop program, fortunate enough to be acquainted with modern technology via their own laptops or home computers. There is little doubt however, that there is also a sizable percentage that would not have the same luxuries. The MGSD laptop program does one thing very, very well. It does a good deal with regards to leveling the playing field for all students regardless of socio-economic background. It provides many children, starting in fourth grade, with the exposure to technology that they will need to become more competitive in the real world. This will have a direct positive impact on their futures as both students and professionals. Many students, as a result of the MGSD laptop program, will become better able to compete for college entrance and/or job offers. Do not let yourselves believe, even for an instant, that the laptop program does not increase the interest level, engagement, and focus of a large number of students who otherwise would care less. If they are enjoying school more because of the laptops, then they become more interested in school, and that can only have beneficial result. You are concerned about kids finding new ways to cheat? Give me a break. It was being done long before our grandparents were in school, or have you never seen an episode of the Little Rascals? Call it creative problem solving, an important ability in the business world and life. And do I really need to make a comment about your concerns about what they may be getting exposed to? Do you watch TV? For that matter, is a blogger really criticizing a program that has the potential to increase her audience?
There are always kinks to be worked out in any new program. That is where terms like “cutting edge” come from. The title of the blog mentions risks. Yes, there are definitely some risks and I am thankful someone is willing to take them. No measure of success has ever been reached without taking a few of risks. I wonder if Ms. Gatton and her fellow naysayers will be as quick to discuss the program’s success when in a couple of years, MGSD is the top-ranked school district in the state based on test scores that are not computer-aided. What will everybody say when it is shown that more of the kids that were dropping out are now staying in school? What will be said when it is shown that more of the kids that were not interested in college are now going to college? What about the kids that would not be able to afford college who will suddenly be receiving some scholarship money based on their success at MGSD? And those kids who would have gone to college anyway? I am willing to bet that they will be going to better schools. Am I the only one that can imagine the profound and wide-reaching impact that this can have? If these are the results that Dr. Edwards’ program brings to MGSD, I for one would hope that his stay here is indeed short, because it would be important that he is able to positively impact more kids with his good work! Oh by the way, if you do not have kids and don’t care, but are still a property owner in the district, I think you will be happy when you see that property values go up as a result of more people wanting to move into the district as opposed to living somewhere else. I can’t imagine anybody would argue how that would be a good thing…unless you lived in a different school district. Then again maybe that is the real issue.
I cannot believe the responses from people saying it is okay to cheat. Dr. Edwards must be cringing.
This is more of the same. People attacking the messenger while paying blind loyalty to people in control. I appreciate someone asking questions that can improve anything being spoon fed to my grandchildren, and the few of you should be ashamed for attacking people who are merely concerned about the education of our children and asking simple questions that could lead to the program being better. This blogger did not say one time that the computers were bad. I believe the computers can be a good thing but I am so pleased to see parents talking about the real issues. It's a shame to see the others trying to bully other parents into shutting up when they have legitimate questions about the tools being given to children in the classroom. I hope you know how that makes you look. I thought the world of academia promoted open minds and questions.
11:00PM when students in Mooresville are tops in the state for scores on tests without computers, you will have MS. GATTON AND THE OTHER NAYSAYERS to thank for exposing the loopholes and forcing the schools to close them.
I personally don't see why people are getting so offended. The article was much more informational than it was confrontational. I'd say it barely passes as an opinion article. Looks like it hit a nerve though.
Why aren't the laptops left at school? If a kid doesn't have internet at home, how are the laptops leveling the playing field? Computers at school level the playing field.
OK guys and gals, as a MGSD teacher, I initially said, "I'm staying as far away from this discussion as possible."
But I can't resist chiming in.
I will ask this about our laptops: Is a device that allows a student to film his or her own movie from scratch about something they learned in class a bad thing? I mean: conceptualize a movie theme, research, plan and write a script, act and film, edit and produce, and share and publish with classmates. That, folks, involves higher order thinking and learning.
How about a device that allows a student to compose a song about Civil War battles, in which he or she composes lyrics, lays down musical tracks, sings and records it, and edits and produces it to be published in ITunes? Creative and challenging? Absolutely. Boring? No. Sure beats a worksheet.
Both of the previous classroom activities can easily be accomplished on a MAC Laptop.
Will games be played? Will students chat? Yes, I imagine so. That just means a teacher has to monitor a class more closely. We teachers do that daily.
And folks - the new testing security browser works - period. No more snooping the internet or EMailing or chatting answers to friends during a test.
Just a view from the ground floor.
At least in the middle school and high school the laptops are taken home.
The students don't NEED the internet at home to complete assignments. Does it make it easier? Sure. But, the teachers are aware that not all students have internet access at home. The Mooresville community has embraced this initiative though and that's why the local library has internet access, as well an numerous local businesses.
As for our state test scores, they come from tests that are given at the end of a course or the end of the year. The previous poster brought up a good point that the laptops are NOT used during EOCs and EOGs. They were simply stating that if the kids are performing well on these tests, then it is a reflection of what they are learning. They can't cheat on their laptops on these tests.
The problem with attempting to equate this digital conversion with all the improvement in test scores is that there is no way to isolate what factors are creating improvements. We have a variety of different "new" programs in place -- which started about the same time -- and the potential impacts of those programs on student success are going to be difficult to measure.
MGSD has historically had higher test scores than the rest of the state, but that's because it's a small district that doesn't face nearly as many obstacles as the larger districts. Our behavior issues are not nearly as problematic as CMS or ISS or WCPSS or other districts. MGSD has been protected for so many years and rested on her laurels. I'm glad they're doing something different, and I think there are more pressing concerns than laptops in MGSD.
As for not having internet at home. You can acquire services from MI-Connection as a substantially reduced rate if you can demonstrate a financial need. I think it's like $10 a month for internet, but don't hold me to that as I don't have the figures anymore. So you can get a free laptop and almost free internet.
So if you don't have a computer at home..guit bitching and stop using the church computer to air your gripes and complaints
11:34....I am assuming you meant that you are an MHS STUDENT. If that is so, why are you on a blog at 11:34 AM on a school day? Also you may want to pay more attention in your spelling and grammar classes instead of playing on your computer.
No one here is anti-technology, but I'm glad to see parental concerns being aired and addressed. These are not answers that you get in the parent meetings about the computers. None of us should expect that the school is going to harp on the harmful aspects of the computer program. I hope that the school leaders do not act like some of the people posting on this blog on their behalf. All of the concerns raised by skeptical parents are valid concerns. We are the ones dealing with the kids and the computers at home, where the computers are primarily used for anything BUT homework.
The comment posted at 11:34 a.m. has been deleted. Public officials are fair game, but unsubstantiated allegations against private citizens are not tolerated. Here's the unaffected portion of the comment:
“Just because some students got in trouble for misusing the laptop, doesn't mean all of the kids here are … why don't you talk to your kids about they're computer and what's on it instead of suggesting what other kids are doing on there's. I'm an MHS and saying that we are a science experiment is somewhat offending.”
Copy & Paste: I'm curious to know how the school district can afford all this technology, but are promising to take away the teachers' supplements for the 2011 - 2012 school year and threaten more budget cuts.
It doesn't make sense to me - purchase millions of dollars in technology and teachers receive a pay DECREASE on top of not receiving a raise in a couple years. Oh yeah, and a couple of years ago your idiot governor taking a day's pay away from the state employees. I also hear that some schools are forcing teachers to "volunteer" at evening events??? Forced volunteering - hmmmm? More hours to work for less pay; sounds like a dream job. I hope the students and every one appreciates what these teachers do for the kids and how hard they work.
The Gatton Report has lost a lot of my respect for this hastily conceived and blatantly biased article.
MGSD has improved graduation rates from a meager 69% in 2006-2007 to an impressive 86% in 2009-2010. The statistics don't lie.
The laptops have closed the gap that has seemingly taken over the rest of the country and in many cases the world. The Achievement Gap, the gap between rich and poor. The gap between black and white. The gap between privileged and unprivileged. The laptops have set students in MGSD on a fair field of play. Someone is missing the big idea, the idea of justice.
As a parent and an MGSD employee I'm all for the laptops. I've seen students actually get excited about learning again! This is HUGE! The world is at their fingertips every day. When you put a child in front of that computer, their curiosity is immediately engaged. It starts with wanting to master this new tool. This leads to a wonderful process where one bit of information takes them to another, then another. We live in a world of technology and our kids are going out into that world knowing how to navigate their way to the top. As for the administration using Mooresville as a stepping stone; SO WHAT! If their efforts to accelerate their careers bring about innovative learning tools for my child I don't care what the motives. Is anyone here saying that they don't work towards moving up in their career choice? The negative comments posted by staff and volunteers sound like sour grapes to me. I've never heard any administrator called Hitler, ever. Some people do not deal well with change and resent being pulled into the 21st century. Before I came to work for the district, I contacted Dr. Edwards about an issue my child was having. His response was immediate and it showed care and concern for my child's well being. He backed his words up with immediate action. That spoke volumes to me! As for busing the EC students? I'm not aware of why this is happening but my first thought is this; with the cuts in funding the district received from the State, maybe they had to make a choice between 2 mediocre programs with a few students in each or 1 outstanding program. I definitely think that these kids deserve the latter, even if it means busing them. Again, I've never heard a word about this so this is just hypothetical. It all boils down to this. If you don't like MGSD, transfer your child or come and at least observe a few classes. If you don't like Mooresville, move. If you're not happy working for the district, QUIT! If you're this unhappy and disgruntled, I definitely don't want you teaching my child! I chose to seek employment with the district because I want to make a difference in some child's life instead of griping about how they turn out. Ms. Gatton, get out from behind your computer and join the real world. Go to the high school and judge senior projects; observe for yourself how the technology is being used.
I am a parent who likes the laptops. I also happen to believe that this article pointed out some of the flaws of the laptops that would have never been addressed otherwise. Since this article was written, the Schools have cracked down on some of the very issues that were brought to light in this article. To suggest that only "bad kids" are misusing the laptops is an insult to every rational parent in the School District. I have been glad to see the changes on the laptops that this article has inspired. I wouldn't expect for the officials posed as parents and teachers on here to give credit to this article, especially when they ironically tell the author to "get out from behind your computer" even while championing children's use of laptops in schools. Still parents appreciate what was brought to light here and the changes that have been brought as a result of it. Thank you.
"they ironically tell the author to "get out from behind your computer" even while championing children's use of laptops in schools."
That's funny. I don't care who you are.
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