On Monday, the Shawnee Mission School District explicitly barred the Shawnee Mission Post from attending a meeting of the Digital Learning Task Force that is reviewing the district’s multi-million dollar 1:1 technology initiative, which provides an iPad or Macbook to every student. In 2014, the board of education approved the expenditure of approximately $20 million on the devices on the recommendation of then-Superintendent Jim Hinson — and the district has spent millions and millions more in the intervening years to update and replace them. Administrators at the time extolled the virtues of the initiative, saying it would provide boundless learning opportunities for Shawnee Mission students. Hinson noted that it was “one of the largest rollouts Apple has been a part of.”
From the outset, however, the 1:1 initiative has been beset by problems. Many teachers complained that they did not receive nearly enough training on how to incorporate the devices into their classroom plans. The network used to connect the devices to the Internet or to classroom display screens was often glitchy, forcing teachers to troubleshoot technology issues instead of focusing on teaching. Other teachers found that the devices proved a serious distraction in the classroom, with students surfing the internet or watching videos instead of paying attention to class. Dozens and dozens of parents have expressed concerns about their students being exposed to inappropriate content — from sexually explicit advertising to violence to pornography — on their district issued devices. Even students have raised red flags about the amount of time Shawnee Mission kids are spending on the devices each day.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)