Closed System and Information Technology Philosophy

The philosophy of a closed system presents an attractive solution to public school districts searching for proper technology that will integrate well with their curriculum. The information technology industry presents an increasingly bewildering array of choices and constantly seems to progress in a state of flux with various company takeovers and mergers and the continual introduction of newer and purportedly better devices. By choosing a closed system, a district reduces the number of choices it must make. Also, with a single source, technologists in the district can work longer and in more depth with tools that come from a closed system of integrated technology.

Fewer Distractions
When a public school district adopts a technology, it needs to do so with the long term in mind. District administration would be unethical were they to make choices that work in the moment but not for future years. Even in the ordinary consumer world, the array of choices in technology presents a confusing challenge. The closed system, by its nature, as J.P. Herrell states in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, enables a "consumer to make choices at the macro level so that he only needs to concern himself with a limited number of options... [c]onsumers make choices that more adequately align with their needs" (p. 449). While our society encourages choice and the freedom to make decisions, at times, too many paths can paralyze a public school district's ability to make a proper choice that serves the best interests of its students. If a district makes a good choice with a closed system, the decisions within that system are easier to make and less likely to be improper decisions that do not work.

Single Source of Success
As an educational technology coordinator for the public school district in Ladue, Missouri, I have found that almost any technology can work well in a classroom if it is fully integrated into the curriculum. While the one-to-one concept is new to most of the country, as published in an Electronic Education Report (2013), a public school district in Irving Texas that began one-to-one implentation over ten years ago stated in their technology plan "the single most important factor for determining the success of technology in the classroom is a teacher who is able to use technology in instruction" (Irving, p. 3). When a teacher can learn a single, closed system, the teacher is more likely to have time and ability to find ways to truly implement the technology in a way that actually elevates instruction. In their heavily researched case study of the implementation of iPads for instruction, Evgeny Kaganer and other educators found that "[s]uccess with mobile-learning initiatives requires a close fit between course design and the mobile functionality being offered" (p. 68). When a teacher is using a closed system, the technology by design is tightly integrated within itself, making it much more likely they and the students will gain a firm grasp on the tools being used, increasing the likelihood the technology itself can "fit" into the instruction.

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Herrell, J. P. (2011). The copyright misuse doctrine’s role in open and closed technology platforms. Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 26(1), 441-489.
Irving one-to-one implementation changes over time. (2013). Electronic Education Report, 20(3), 1-3.

Kaganer, E., Giordano, G. A., Brion, S., & Tortoriello, M. (2013). Media tablets for mobile learning. Communications Of The ACM, 56(11), 68-75. doi:10.1145/2500494