| MILD VS. WILD - STUDENT AGENCY AND 1:1 | |
| Author: Nick Sauers, 1-to-1schools.net | July 30th, 2013 | |
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How does your school handle student agency related to your 1:1 initiative? Many 1:1 schools involve students in some ways, but the extent of that involvement varies greatly. I’ve worked with schools that have had students on the 1:1 planning committee, but really had no power because of the domination of teachers or other adults on the committee. I’ve observed other schools where students were actually empowered to make the decision about which device to use. Those two examples may highlight the extremes of student agency in planning for 1:1, and I’d argue that neither is appropriate. Students should have a real voice in the 1:1 planning process, but they shouldn’t be the only voice. Teachers, administrators, and technology coordinators certainly have valuable insight into which device will provide the best learning experience for students. Unfortunately, student agency seems to routinely disappear once 1:1 initiatives begin. The rest of this post will focus on ways to continue to involve students with your 1:1 initiative after deployment of devices. I’ve categorized these ideas into two categories, mild and wild. The context of your 1:1 setting may have a lot to do with which ideas are more suitable for you. Mild: -Have students create a plan for creating a positive digital presence for your school. Allow students to implement that plan! -Let students be actively involved with technology support as members of the tech team. Give them truly meaningful roles on the team. -Allow students to positively contribute to the school’s presence on social media. Encourage them to share their work on your school’s YouTube channel, twitter hashtag, and facebook page. Wild: -Allow students to create your acceptable use policy and consequences. Routinely share discipline data related to your 1:1 initiative with them. Have them help develop other procedures and rules to help with the management of your program. -Give students freedom each week to explore a topic of their choosing. I recently finished Daniel Pink’s book Drive which highlighted the successes many companies have had with allowing employees to explore a topic of their own choosing. This time would be similar to the approach that many people know as Google’s 20 percent time. -Have students lead professional development for teachers on ways to use technology to improve the learning experience. These are just a few simple examples of student agency. For even more ideas, brainstorm with your students and staff. Real student agency just isn’t about student choice; it also should include true student voice. |
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