School technology policies for meeting the academic and health needs of today's students

This presentation will present data on behavior, attitudes, consequences and school policies and recommendations on multitasking with regard to using technology.

As a result of our distracted driving simulation study, over one third (35.7%) of the 168 students in the study agreed or strongly agreed that they were good at multitasking while driving. After completing the simulation, fewer students were confident that they could multitask while driving (15.5% posttest and 23.2% final posttest).

Multitasking by using technology increases communication, aids different learning styles and can enhance creativity. However research shows that multitaskers are easily distracted, have memory disorganization and are worse at analytic reasoning. Using devices for multitasking may be creating people who can't think well or have the ability to solve complex problems. Health hazards may include consequences from sexting, cyberbullying, and accidents from inattention while walking, driving or other tasks.

Schools are concerned with student academic performance and safety. The NASBE report of December 2012 “Born in Another Time” provides a framework for the challenges schools face addressing the impact of rapid technological change affecting teaching and learning. School policies have been developed in a number of school districts regarding use of technology. Our survey of all state's Board of Education (2013) indicated that all states, District of Columbia and Guam provide a state model for district policies. The US Virgin Islands have a territory-wide policy. Key NASBE recommendations will be highlighted for use in meeting academic and health needs of today's students and developing appropriate school policies.