iChat Debate

September 26, 2004

Chat@Hays High prompts debate

KALEY LYON

Hays Daily News

The scene appears typical. A Hays High School teacher stands in front of the classroom, delivering the daily lecture. His students appear deep in concentration, taking notes on their new laptopcomputers. While these students seem to be paying close attention, the majority of them are not. As a matter of fact, some students probably have no idea what their instructor is even talking about. These students spend 90 minutes of their day in his classroom, and they will walk away with nothing at all. While this situation is slightly exaggerated, there is concern that this could become reality for Hays High School, due to the increasing popularity of one feature the new student laptops offer.The computers are programmed with iChat, a form of online instant messaging. "Students have said it's addicting," Principal Mike Hester said. And, indeed, this does seem to be the case. It is evident by the number of students who are seen wallking through the hallways with their computers slightly open, just enough to save their current conversations, and by students sitting in a classroom with five or more conversation windows open at the time. However, there comes a point when the iChat craze has gone too far. Some people believe that time has arrived. Students have begun using iChat in the classroom when they are supposed to be using the computers for educational purposes. This not only hinders their learning capacity, but it can also break trust between the students and the instructor. "It is kind of hard to know when that laptop is open if they're using it for iChat or for what they're supposed to be doing," HHS debate and forensics teacher Dan Balman said. "It has really become a trust issue for me and my students." There also have been concerns voiced about students using iChat as a method of cheating - and the content of some conversations. The administration does have the ability to monitor the chatting, and in some cases, they have not been impressed by the language and vulgarities they have found. They have even monitored a conversation of illegal nature, which of course, gave them the ability to step in and intercede. On the other hand, iChat in schools has a positive side as well. "A student was absent from a science class," Hester said. "The student turned on iChat, pushed the audio button, and by another student in the class also pushing the audio button, the kid at home listened and took notes on the lecture at home." "Say a student is very active and misses a day of school for an activity," Hester continued. "He doesn't have time to run down his teachers for his assignments, so he gets them through teachers from iChat." Many people also believe that iChat is a positive social benefactor as well. "They definitely shouldn't delete it permanently because it's one of my main ways to communicate with people outside of school," said senior Alexis Wilson. "It's a lot cheaper and easier than using the phone." Because feelings on this issue are extremely mixed, finding a solution has proven to be a lengthy and complicated process. The administration attempted to block student access to the program by placing a simple lock on it, but this proved ineffective. Technically advanced students immediately found a way around it, and within 15 minutes, students were back to instant messaging, which did not set well with the administration. "It was a simple fix - it just took one smart person to figure it out," said HHS technology instructor Mary Woods. The administration knew it was time for a different approach to the problem. Their solution was to gain student input. Just last week, students brainstormed with their classmates, searching for a fair solution. "Our technology is in front of our policies and we're developing policies to catch up to our technology," Hester said. "It's the age-old issue of responsibility. It's like anything we do in school - if we abuse it, we lose it." At this point, the situation has reached a critical juncture. The administration must find a way to manage this situation on a more individual basis or the program will be completely shut off. As of now, it is expected that the resolution to this controversy will be announced in mid-October. Students are anxiously awaiting this decision. "I think that they gave it to us and they don't have the right to take it back," said senior Jamie Herzog. "Otherwise, if they don't trust us with this, we won't try to earn their trust anymore."

Kaley Lyon is an intern for The Hays Daily News and a senior at Hays High School. She can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 138, or by e-mail at 5klyon@hayshighindians.com.