Turning a blind eye to personal computer use
Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 06:15AM 
http://www.dilbert.com/2013-12-05/
http://www5.untangle.com/e/2902/campaign-Prospect20Infographic/2ng8j8/389639085
Hmmmm, using the school computer to buy Christmas gifts - during the school day? Say it isn't so!
As tech director, I have always turned a blind eye to the personal use of technology by teachers. You want to use the computer to by a shirt from Lands End, research vacation spots on the Mayan Riviera, or have an e-mail fling with your son's Boy Scout troop leader, knock yourself out.
Here are some things to consider:
If a teacher uses the school telephone in the teachers' lounge to place a catalog order, book a vacation, or flirt with the his son's Boy Scout troop leader, nobody would bat an eye. You want to sell your used patio furniture by tacking a "for sale" poster on the bulletin board in the lounge - go right ahead. So why is it suddenly a cardinal sin to do these things using A COMPUTER. Get over it. The computer is not longer that strange thing everyone is in awe of anymore.
Also remember that teachers (actually most professionals) have to get the work done on some sort of deadline. If the lesson is not prepared, the papers aren't graded, the report cards not completed, that is the problem. Not working on school work during a prep period is not the problem. A teacher wants to watch funny cat videos at work and grade papers at home in the evening, who am I to say no? How conductive to productivity is a climate where no one is trusted and therefore micromanaged?
Oh, and all that "lost productivity" described in the infographic above? Maybe we need another infographic that compares the measley 10 days Americans use to take vacations vs. the 25 to 30 days most Europeans take. Life seems to balance itself out, despite the best efforts of managers and HR directors.
Give your teachers a holiday gift of trust, of professional courtesy, and of adult respect this holiday season.
Lighten up not just the Christmas tree.
Reader Comments (3)
Totally agree. Also, while they are using the school resources for personal activities - such as making that video of their kids or creating birthday invitations they may be building skills that will transfer back into the classroom. We can't on one hand wish that teachers would be better users, consumers, instructors, and creators with technology and then bash them when it isn't for our vision of use. Curiosity and need are sometimes the best motivation for real learning.
Hi Hank,
Good to hear from you! Great points - thanks for sharing.
Hope you and yours have a great holiday break!
Doug
Another dangerous idea is to extend this to the classroom. Kids aren't robots either, and even when a teacher is crunched for time to "cover" two hours of material in 48 minutes, the time can yield better results if kids are treated like the interactive & networked critters they are, just as we are.
Give the gift of being human to humans... Happy Holidays, Doug!