TEMPLATE LETTER - Copy & Send TODAY - May 4th deadline for your principal to OPT IN
We made a letter template for you -- and time is almost up! Your principal has until MONDAY, May 4, to opt in to a better tech setup. Please EMAIL YOUR PRINCIPAL TODAY. Write again even if you already wrote to them. Simply copy and paste one of the letter templates below -- there's one for elementary and one for middle -- and add your and your principal's names.
Let's present a united and relentless front, county-wide. Tell all your friends and neighbors. This is truly the last chance to push until next year. TODAY IS THE DAY.
High school parents, please keep pushing for change too even amid the disappointing continuation of 1:1 (more on that another day). Write to info@dmvunplugged.org if you have questions or want support.
LETTER FOR ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS:
Dear ______,
I am writing to urgently ask that you opt in to the pilot program for grades 1-2 if you have not already done so. These young students deserve analog as default in their classrooms; independent research confirms, over and over again, that face-to-face learning, books, pencils, and paper are better for focus, depth of thinking, and social development. (Of course, the crucial exception is assistive technology for students with special needs.)
The constant presence of iPads, even if they're on a cart, would set us up for another year of routine device use. Routine device use is harming students. It's de-skilling them. Even short stints on iPads can rewire kids' brains, and countless APS parents have witnessed this happening. And it's important to note that we can't separate access from use; access drives use -- and what's happened in classrooms since the rise of 1:1 proves this. Please seize your opportunity to stop routine device use for these young kids.
The logistical concerns that some have voiced about testing are surmountable. This pilot program shouldn't even be called a pilot; pilot implies doing something new, and we're not asking you to do something new or experimental. Before the adoption of 1:1, Arlington's elementary schools figured out how to manage digital state testing while using shared devices. Periodic testing needs absolutely do not justify in-the-room access to iPads; again, in-the-room access inevitably leads to heavier use. The only way to guarantee change and do right by these children is to change the physical setup. We need friction -- not seamless access -- because what we've learned after more than a decade of the well-intentioned Ed Tech experiment is that these devices are not good for kids or learning.
Please do not make students wait another year for the course correction they deserve. Opt in by Monday, May 4. I really appreciate you and your leadership.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
P.S. For additional research and resources, please see the bottom of the attached petition.
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LETTER TEMPLATE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS:
Dear ______,
I am writing to urgently ask that you opt in to the laptop pilot program if you have not already done so.
iPads are basically giant iPhones. Touch screens invite the most shallow, distracted forms of thinking. Analog learning is superior to screen-based learning (excepting, of course, specific assistive technologies) -- and, when tech is truly needed, laptops are better than tablets. Laptops are better suited for writing, research, and more purposeful academic work.
We need to shift towards analog as the default in classrooms and for homework, for the sake of the students -- and a first step can be shifting away from equipment that is notoriously gamified and excessively easy to use. Changing to laptops sets the school up to pursue and support a deliberate change in practice among teachers: a shift toward tech minimalism. Unless a skill is BETTER taught on a device (e.g. research, coding, long-form essays...not much else...), the laptops can stay in backpacks.
Whatever logistical concerns you might have are surmountable. In this case, the transitional costs are absolutely worth the benefits, and you'll have the backing and support of Dr. Mann and his office.
We need change now because we've learned, after more than a decade of the well-intentioned Ed Tech experiment, that these devices are not good for kids or learning. Please do not make students wait another year for the course correction they deserve.
Please opt in by Monday, May 4. I really appreciate you and your leadership.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
P.S. For additional research and resources, please see the bottom of the attached petition.