Teaching responsibility with technology

"Part of our job is to teach students to use technology responsibly," says David Britten, superintendent of Godfrey Lee School District in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Britten has just flicked the Wi-Fi switch at his schools which will allow all students, fifth grade and up, access to the Interent. He has also assigned each student a school email account. Britten, an advocate of technology and a user of Twitter and other social media tools, is a huge fan of technology in schools. "If a student writes something inappropriate, you don't take away his pencil. You teach them about consequences."
Britten's school district was written about this year in the Grand Rapids Press, a news outlet in Grand Rapids, Mich. Not only may students use laptops, but they can plug in using iPhones, BlackBerrys and other technogadgets to help them in class. Teachers were a bit wary when the Wi-Fi switch came on. In fact, one teacher a student goofing off with her iPad, when in fact the student had the dictionary.com page open. Another group of students were thought to be using a PlayStation PSP in class. But the device was connected to the Internet and the students were working on their vocabulary.
I love these kinds of stories, and I know there are lots of pitfalls that must be avoided: Inappropriate sites and students playing games. But to try to keep technology out is mere folly. And it appears that Britten knows this.
The benefits his school district is experiencing as a result of the switch this February, are more engaged students. And the more electronic, the less paper is wasted. For example, students are using Google Docs for their assignments. They had been using thumb drives, but kept losing them. Google Docs allows students to access their work from anywhere and at anytime. And there's no fear of losing anymore thumb drives. And teachers there are working on relationships with cell phone makers to partner with them. That way, students who have no regular access to computers, can do so.
It is clear that, with careful consideration and gentle monitoring and involvement by teachers, the electronic classroom will grow exponentially.