Reflections on EdCamp

I found it interesting that we could choose three topics we found most interesting to us. Most of the topics had overlap, and so it was nice to have them be grouped into a more general category. Then, when we were put into breakout rooms, it was nice to have a GoogleDoc made for our group to share and take notes in.

My group’s topic was about phone bans and access to technology in the classroom. We discussed a lot about the efficacy of it, but realized quickly that students will find ways around certain restrictions like blocked social media or phone sleeves either way. We concluded that the different grade levels impacts what we think about technology restrictions because at younger ages, moderation is important. At higher education, we discussed that their responsibility increases with age, so ultimately their learning (or not) is up to them.

As for a solution, it was difficult to come up with any fixed ones, but having a set expectation for rules is important regardless of those who might work around them. We also discussed about personal device use when a teacher asks for students to bring their own device to use for a project, etc. and realized that this can be a discriminatory practice. Therefore, having all students use the school’s technology (iPads, Chromebooks) would be much less ostracizing.