DEPUTY PRINCIPAL REPORT

Making Technology Work for Learning

One of the more common conversations I have with parents is around technology and being able to help our students harness it for the good of their learning. As adults we may well struggle with being able to control our technology usage, whether it is around a predilection for Facebook or an addiction to YouTube clips of baby goats. It is little surprise, then, that this is a much more common problem for young people. These devices are relatively new to them, and being able to connect at will with their friends via social media (and the other enticements of smart devices) is way too enticing. 

There are a variety of parenting and teaching options we can take to try to control this situation with our learners. This can range from using surveillance apps to view where our students go and what they access, to a more laissez-faire approach in which we shrug and think ‘meh, what can you do’. The approach at The Riverina Anglican College very much lives somewhere between the two. Our goal is to encourage students to self-regulate and learn how to control technology and make it work for them. The College applies a range of filters and software to ensure searches inside our domain are safe and secure, but with the advent of VPNs came an opportunity for students to be able to work outside of our system and potentially circumvent those controls. The ubiquity of VPNs means it is even more vital that students learn to self-regulate, understanding that this is the lifelong skill that will be so vital for the world post-school. Please rest assured that teachers also take a proactive approach to actively monitoring our classroom environment for engagement and on-task application. 

As part of the quest for self-regulation, we recommend that technology can be part of the solution. A range of apps and add-ons, including Time for Family, Rescue Time, Focus Keeper (using the Pomodoro method), Forest, SelfControl (a Macintosh app) and Moment are wonderful at monitoring screen usage and/or encouraging efficient use of technology without distraction.

We also welcome parents into the world of the Google Classroom, providing Guardian Summaries weekly that allow an overview of work from the preceding week. In the same way my Mum checked my school bag and books for key information on where I was up to (and month-old bananas), you should feel empowered to have a look in your child’s Google Classroom and see the work being done there. That isn’t helicopter parenting or overt surveillance, just active, interested parenting! 

As always, if you have any queries or concerns regarding your child and technology I would love to have a chat about the way forward.   

Anthony Heffer | Deputy Principal - Teaching, Learning and Innovation