Technology is now a major part of every student’s school day. Some school districts utilize the latest technology. Some don’t have the budget for the newest technology, but do their best. Regardless of where they go to school, the technology that our kids will learn on today is far ahead of what we used when we were kids. So, it’s important that parents ask the right questions in order to understand the experience from the student’s perspective.
Here are some of things you should ask about:
• What much access will my child have to technology in the classroom? Daily? Weekly?
• If the school has a media lab or media cart, how many hours a week does my child have access?
• How does using the available technology (iPad, laptop, whiteboard, app) reinforce the intended learning goals?
• What kind of training do teachers receive to help them get the most out of the technology and to incorporate it into their lesson plans?
• What sort of tech support does the school have? If something breaks, does it get fixed right away?
• How reliable is the school’s wireless network, and what type of access to the children have?
• Does the teacher or school use email, a portal, Facebook, Twitter, or other online systems to communicate with parents and students?
• Will the student’s assignments involve either the school’s or our home-based technology?
• How often is the technology (hardware, apps, network) updated?