Home Access for teachers ... ?
There are increasing expectations that teachers and pupls will access virtual learning environments from home. Good for pupils, but is it fair to teachers' work life balance? I can find no guidance or policies articulating an expectation that teachers work online from home. Learning platforms are capable of recording when teachers log in and it doesn't require technical skill for school leaders to monitor activity if they choose to do so, and to see which teachers are 'enthusiastic' and who are 'less enthusiastic' and to manage accordingly, indeed personal targets have been set by some schools for the number of logins by each teacher.
The Home Access initiative aims to ensure that every household with a child has broadband and a computer (bridging the digital divide), and all schools are required to provide learning platforms / VLE's to extend access to learning, so:
- Do schools expect teachers to buy a computer and broadband at home and use it for work?
- Do schools provide laptops for every teacher, and can they be used with home broadband?
- Do any schools provide teachers with home broadband? If so, what are the expectations in so doing?
- Are teachers relaxed about using their home computer and Internet for work? Is it a non-issue?
- Should there be guidance to set out expectations?
Interestingly I was discussing this with a number of teachers who offered the following opinions.
- "They should provide teachers with free broadband before they give it to kids!"
- "I can't imagine not having broadband at home, and I don't mind using it for work if it makes life easier for me ... but if it becomes expected I'll probably stop".
How do your schools manage teacher access to technology?