How is PUSD Using Technology in the Classroom?

We hear it at every school tour now: how are screens being used in the classroom? What’s that giant “Promethean” board used for? Is my child using a Chromebook every day? Is it coming home with him? Is screentime being used as a reward? A “freetime” option? A substitute for teacher instruction?

Screentime is not exactly a new concern, but the usage, content, design, and ubiquity of screens in our lives today gives parents more to worry about than when our grandparents were scolding our parents for spending too much time in front of the TV. 

Before the pandemic, schools were showing off their computer labs. PUSD’s 1:1 chromebook assignment (coupled with the distribution of hotspots for households without internet) allowed our district to pivot quickly when the pandemic hit and everything shut down. When students returned to the classroom, online learning tools like iReady made it easier for teachers to individualize instruction, and to focus on working with students in rotating small groups while their classmates did online lessons tailored to their skill levels. More recently, the State of California has required diagnostic assessments and authorized the use of tools like Amira for early detection of reading difficulties (including dyslexia).

But teachers and administrators could see that, beyond whatever academic challenges remote learning had posed, students’ ability to interact in person, to navigate friendships and manage interpersonal conflict, had taken a significant hit. And while the development of “smart” devices and tech-based tools for assessing and individualizing learning showed much promise, the juggernaut of artificial intelligence was developing exponentially faster than anything resembling guardrails. 

There is a lot to unpack here. Groups like Schools Beyond Screens point to evidence for myriad adverse effects of “excessive” screen time, regardless of the content. Social media apps have come under critical scrutiny for addictive-by-design algorithms and their association with increased depression, anxiety and pyschological distress, especially among adolescents. Parents are newly concerned about their children’s privacy. The larger societal questions about artificial intelligence sometimes obscure the distinctions among specific types of AI applications.

This past April, LAUSD passed the resolution Using Technology with Intention: Establishing Guidelines for Student Screen Time and has developed guidelines for student screen time policy. At its August 27 meeting, the PUSD School Board passed a resolution Supporting Developmentally Appropriate Limits on Screen-Based Instruction in Elementary Schools. The district Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) began meeting this fall, with members of Schools Beyond Screens Pasadena participating. 

This month, the Board Policy Committee is expected to recommend a policy on the use of artificial intelligence, recognizing both “the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to increase student access to information, support teacher effectiveness, and facilitate the administration of student assessments, as well as the potential for AI to undermine student achievement, health, and wellbeing.”

This is the first of an ongoing occasional series of posts explaining how PUSD currently uses screens and technology in the classroom, exploring concerns and sharing updates on what parents and the district are doing to strike a balance between the promise and the perils of technology in the classroom. We welcome your questions!