Social Media Arms Race in School? Seriously

An unnamed blogger who posts under the header "What's the PONT?" recently threw out a title that really caught my attention. And then it got me thinking. And then it got me researching who he or she was to make me think so. And then it led me to write the following sentence starter, which I shudder to think of how many times will be written.


According to Wikipedia, "The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers ofweapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation. Nowadays the term is commonly used to describe any competition where there is no absolute goal, only the relative goal of staying ahead of the other competitors, essentially the goal of proving to be "better".


Now to jump back, I like to think that I am above my students with regards to critical thinking abilities, so when the aforementioned blog above ran the headline "Stop the Social Media Arms Race in School",  I needed to evaluate the accuracy of such a statement. The blog even went on to include a photo of Wikileaks leader Julian Assang, asking who is he the pupil of? At first I thought this may be another person advocating against social media because of its potential use in bullying, but upon further reading the author draws out an establishment vs. students vs. teachers scenario with some telling truthfulness. So I will examine this three sentence definition as I see it applying metaphorically to schools today.


First, is there a "competition between two or more parties for the best [technology]" in schools today? Certainly there is. Nearly all stakeholders in education are jockeying to get increased and improved technology into schools. Budgets are fiercely debated to maximize the coverage of technology, pilots programs are offered looking for innovative ways to leverage technology, teachers write proposals for new devices, and kids smuggle their often "against the rules" devices in daily.


Second, in our schools does, "Each party competes to produce larger numbers of [devices] greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation"? No, but I almost wish this were the case. Imagine for a moment if students were able to use all the "weapons" at their disposal? I bet there would be some significant increases in engagement if students knew they could use any media platform and device to demonstrate their learning. I know many students can text blindfolded, but struggle with penmanship. Why not allow them to put the "weapon" they can brandish with frightening accuracy in their hands for learning? Rules that are counter-productive to the escalation of technology.


Lastly, "Nowadays the term is commonly used to describe any competition where there is no absolute goal, only the relative goal of staying ahead of the other competitors, essentially the goal of proving to be 'better'." Sadly I would say this applies in the reality that the "What's the PONT?" author cites noting that students are keenly aware how to get around blocked websites and rise to the challenge of accessing information of diverse sorts. I would also contest that staff often are in competition with one another, IT departments and administrators when trying to gain access to devices or install software. Again I believe this comes back to the outdated rules governing access to much of the emerging technology of the Internet and fear to change things.


So when all is said and done, is there something like an arms race occurring in schools today? Yes, I would say that metaphor is quite applicable. This doesn't make me particularly happy to write given the outcomes of historic arms races. But it does help me to identify the two areas in which I feel progress is needed with technology in our schools. One, remove barriers to students and staff possessing or seeking information technologies. And two, support those students and staff with relevant guidelines that clearly model and enforce the ethical use of technology.


Image "Late 50s Cold Warriors" by X-Ray Delta One http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/4142181603/sizes/m/in/photostream/