New software implemented at the Milken Community High School in Los Angeles will allow teachers to access the desktop of any student at any time, according to the Jewish Journal. The school requires that many students have laptops, and it intends to use the technology to mitigate misuse.
A student can benefit greatly from technology like a laptop, document camera or
DLP projector. However, concerns about potential misuse make integrating network technology problematic. Search engines and social media make student laptops potential vehicles for distraction, and school officials hope that the monitoring software will keep students on task.
Teachers note that while laptops at the Milken Community School have presented the occasional issue, their ability to shift the educational paradigm - from traditional lecture to independent, engaged student research - is immeasurable.
Some courses have embraced the use of technology to the point that they center discussions around its ethical use.
"We’re not using technology just for the sake of technology," Betty Winn, head of the school told the source. "It provides us with very effective tools for [students] to access and process information as well as help them so that they will be well prepared for the world in which they’re going to live."
