Week 2: The Innovation-Policy Gap

This week's readings were focused on digital privacy. It is clear from from both Davis (2014) and Leatham & Robertson (2017) that there exists some major discrepancies between innovation, the use of technology in education, and policy. In particular, as I was reading the Leatham & Robertson (2017) article, I began to question my own practices and choices of digital tools in the classroom... do they protect student digital privacy or am I unknowingly putting my students at risk here? I will certainly be examining the digital tools that I choose much more closely to ensure that this is not the case.

I found the following quote from Leatham & Robertson (2017) particularly interesting: "Teachers, and in particular, early adopters appear to be caught in the cross-currents of multiple and contradictory technology imperatives" (p. 3). This quote really caught my eye because it is linked to the leadership theory that I am working on with my group for Assignment 2, which is Rogers' Theory of Diffusion of Innovations. Innovators and early adopters are among the first to try new digital tools and innovate their practices within the classroom. In the Halton District School Board where I work, one of the main goals for the Multi-Year Plan is that all staff will contribute to collaborative and inclusive learning environments to enhance innovative practices and build a strong learning organization. Another goal is that resources and technology will be optimized through innovative and creative opportunities and partnerships. The push for innovation has been very evident over the past year; however, similar to scenarios presented in the Leatham & Robertson (2017) article, very little, if any, discussion of how to be innovative while protecting student digital privacy has taken place. For example, how can we, as a board, ensure that the resources and technology that we choose to pursue or partner with is protecting our students?

I plan to take what I've learned this week and start asking the questions that need to be addressed in order to decrease the innovation-policy gap that currently exists, even if it starts with just my school. As the use of Web 2.0 and 3.0 digital tools increases, so does the need to have those challenging discussions around digital privacy.

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