Alabama’s commission studying screen-based instruction is moving toward recommendations on when and how technology should be used in K-12 classrooms, with members focusing not simply on how much time students spend on screens but whether that technology serves an educational purpose and improves learning.
Rep. Jeana Ross, R-Guntersville, who chairs the Governor’s Commission on Screen-Based Instruction, said the group is making progress as it examines the many ways students and teachers use technology in classrooms. Members have broken into subcommittees and are beginning to narrow that work into recommendations.
The commission must submit recommendations to Gov. Kay Ivey by Dec. 1.
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Ross told Alabama Daily News after the meeting that she wants to make sure people understand what the commission is trying to do.
“This is not a ban on technology,” Ross said. “It is to just ensure that the technology that is being used with our students at school is effective and it’s implemented in the proper way, and it’s something that supports learning, not replaces that important teacher, adult-child interaction.”
Ivey in July directed the commission to study how classroom technology affects learning, student health and preparation for college or work, to compare Alabama’s practices with research and practices elsewhere and consider age-appropriate limits, guidance for educators and ways to make sure technology supports rather than replaces teacher-led instruction.
Tuesday’s discussion focused less on setting limits on screen time and more on what students are actually doing on screens and whether that use helps them learn.
Members repeatedly cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach, noting that technology can serve very different purposes depending on a student’s age, subject, needs and access to teachers or courses.
“Technology is not going away,” Houston County Superintendent Brandy White said, adding that the commission’s goal should not be simply to increase or decrease screen time, but to determine how schools can use technology with “balance and purpose.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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