This weekend, I was reviewing our progress on our District foci, goals and indicators. One of our identified areas of focus is technology. At MOC-Floyd Valley, we utilize technology to deepen learning, increase connection with the world, and prepare our students for a future saturated with technology.
Thanks to the commitment of resources by our School Board, the technical expertise and leadership of our technology team (Sandy Groom-Meeks, Ryan Noteboom, Aaron Norman, Jack Bonnecroy, and Joel Bundt), and the wisdom and professional judgement of our teachers and para-educators, technology is an extremely valuable tool in the teaching and learning process. Technology allows for personalization. We are better able to monitor learning and adjust instruction than ever before. Information is literally at our fingertips. We are empowering our students to interact with the world, create, learn and grow. We are helping them develop the skill of efficiently sifting through vast amounts of information to access and utilize that which is relevant and important.
While we clearly see the value of technology as a tool for learning, we also see how technology can be detrimental. Our students – all of us – are becoming less authentically engaged. The filters and follow-through that are a natural part of face-to-face communication are lost when our main mode of interaction is via devices. We are becoming anxious, confused, isolated, and anti-social. This is wreaking havoc on our mental health and has real consequences for our children.
I encourage you to watch this 60 Minutes segment entitled Brain Hacking, which aired in April of 2017. Finally, thanks to Amber Leusink’s leadership and the generosity of some local sponsors, you are invited to a “Parent’s Awareness Night” at Christ Chapel on March 28, at 6:30 p.m. Collin Kartchner of #SAVETHEKIDS will be sharing a message and giving insight into how we can help our children. In addition to the Thursday night event, Mr. Kartchner will be sharing his message to area youth group students on Wednesday night, March 27, My Choice students on Thursday morning, March 28, and middle school and high school students on Thursday afternoon, March 28. Here is a short preview clip about the event.