So what did I mean in promising to be a resourceful conduit to the community— the words that so bothered my mother-in-law?  To explain, I enjoy exploring subjects of educational concern people want facilitated.

Huh?

Alright then, let’s just call it coffee with the candidate, which if elected, I vow to do regularly.  I’ve been having quite a few of them lately (though not always with the black stuff)– and have found quite a few families who wrestle with reasonable use of electronic devices by their kids– both at home and in school.

Regarding kids’ screen time, we’ve all been there in one form or another with the limit setting, consequences and maybe even a Use Agreement or two.  But with personal electronic devices permitted in Mounds View Schools since a January 2010, metropolitan area superintendent meeting decided the times called for it, the challenge to regulate these devices for educational purposes has grown– and created a major obstacle to maintaining quality time & learning experiences.

Not only do many people in the 621 attendance area believe this, but the very people who work at the center of the tech industry in Silicon Valley do also, per this New York Times article. (Executive summary: A Waldorf School in CA is heavily populated by the families of employees at Google, Apple, Yahoo, and Hewlett-Packard, because of technology’s  inappropriateness prior to 8th grade.)

Currently, the Mounds View district generally permits the use of electronic devices in schools, leaving the interpretation of the policy up to individual classroom teachers.

If you are one who happens to believe this issue area is one requiring more careful deliberation, the good news is contained in Minnesota Statute Section 120B.11— a section of new state law which broadly charges local boards & their communities with the ability to make critical curriculum & technological integration decisions in their respective districts:

Subd. 2. Adopting Plans and Budgets.

A school board, at a public meeting, shall adopt a comprehensive, long-term strategic plan to support and improve teaching and learning that is aligned with creating the world’s best workforce and includes:

(5) education effectiveness practices that integrate high-quality instruction, rigorous curriculum, technology, and a collaborative professional culture that develops and supports teacher quality, performance, and effectiveness.

Since the reference to technology is more closely related to the technology that will further student education (and not personal use of electronic device matters directly) please consider the following published response I made to a candidate questionnaire requesting an improvement in Mounds View Schools:

One area needing improvement is technological integration in the classroom, which every one of my fellow challenger candidates in the 2011 board race– Lee Porath, Tim Husnik, Jonathan Weinhagen, and Marilyn Bunzo– believed as well.  I agree that schools should help students prepare for the 21st century, but simply allowing electronic devices in the classroom for educational purposes could actually move learning back, not forward, due to the technology not truly being embedded with learning.  Right now, devices are largely used for convenience, be they for accessing assignments online, taking tests on a cellphone keypad, or quick communication.  In my opinion, there is a significant need for a core informational technology class running from K to 12 that covers things like electronic note-taking and other applications, research and collaboration techniques, and knowledge theory– the last of which is a cornerstone for the International Baccalaureate Programme.

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Thank you to the people who shared their views and provided resources to make this campaign entry possible.