WFDD, along with the Forsyth Education Partnership and the Wake Forest University Political and International Affairs Department, hosted a community forum on technology in the schools -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The CyberCommunication discussion was moderated by Austin-American Statesman technology culture writer, Omar Gallaga, and focused on technology and social media’s use in the schools, its effect on students and teachers – and even the future of education. Wake Forest communication professor Ananda Mitra pointed out that children have taken to new technology much faster than their parents. "Look at the middle school or elementary school kids today – these are the digital natives," he said.
Mitra said that social media provides a network for kids to explore their own voice in a network of their peers. But that network can also become a dangerous place, where trolls and cyber-bullies lurk. Allison Tomberlin, attorney for Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, said schools have unexpectedly become the police force for what their students do online, including cyber-bullying. “I believe that we’ve done everything that we can, to go right up to the line of not violating someone’s first amendment rights," she said. "I really don’t know what else the schools can do, but we really need the parents to be more involved and to take ownership of that as well, and not just let the schools be the police of bullying and harassment.”
Forsyth County Assistant District Attorney, Kia Chavious, said a lot of this behavior is turning up, including sexting – which she warns can be a felony. “Most of the time when we see this come up, two students are dating and one sends a nekkid photo of themselves to the other, and so that person is carrying it around on their cellphone, and that is definitely possession. If that is sexually explicit photo, that could be considered child pornography, and that carries serious consequences.” Mitra pointed out that people young and old alike forget that a social network like Facebook mis masquerading as an interpersonal tool, but it’s really a mass communication tool.
Similarly, Terri Mosely, Assistant Superintendent for Surry County Schools, said teachers need to remember what the technology is in the classroom for in the first place. “What are you teaching, what is the objective you want to get across?" she asked. "It’s not about the technology, it’s just a tool. It’s about the instruction, so we have go back and refocus that for teachers, and that is a big challenge, and they know that technology can make their job easier, but it can also make it more difficult.”
Whatever role physical schools will play in the future, and what effect this technology will have on learning, language and literacy won’t be known for years to come. But one thing Betty Wyecker, Assistant Superintendent of Technology for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools said she is certain of: the answer won’t be as simple as a single test score.
