Closed System Support

Ethically, a public school district should not introduce technology to its staff or students that it can or will not support. Just because a district can obtain a certain technology does not mean it should. While the district might be able to afford a certain technology, if it does not have the will or means to support it, providing it without proper support would be unethical. Both closed and open systems can be supported. The dilemma that arises is the likelihood of the district actually doing so and how much of a burden it places upon its students, its staff, its information technology department, and its supporting taxpayers.

Compatibility Within Its Own System
A closed system works well within itself. I can attest first-hand as an Educational Technology Coordinator that working in a closed system district (Ladue, Missouri) ensures compatibility issues rarely if ever arise. As our District Technology Coordinator has told me face-to-face, we are "an Apple district." Updating our MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, and iPads ensures compatibility within our system because Apple keeps tight control over the updates that occur. The responsibility for our hardware working lies at the feet of one company. Our support system is simpler than it would be if we used multiple manufacturers or used an open system manufacturer.

Standardization
A true benefit of a closed system is its sameness across different devices. Much of our society, and indeed most public school students, are familiar with Apple's devices, the iPhone and the iPad. This familiarity is engendered in the nature of a closed system. Since there is a single source, standardization of the interface, in both hardware and software, makes the end-user's task in figuring out the technology much simpler. Ethically, we should not present tools to our society because they are "cool" or just for technology's sake. We should only present tools that enrich other people's lives. A standard interface can make that easier. As Janice M. Novello (2012) discovers in her interview with Pam Varnado (a keynote speaker in 2012 at the Teacher's Professional Development Day of the Diocese of Venice, Florida), "Many...[students and teachers at Loyola]...had already embraced the technology of the iPhone; choosing the iPad was the next logical step because of its user-friendliness" (Novello, p. 12). This standardization results directly from the closed system method. Since only one entity (Apple) has control over the system, it has the potential to keep its use consistent so that end-users can focus on the task and not the technology underlying the task. An ethical use of technology in a public school district should keeps its focus on curriculum, instruction, and student needs; logically, standard interfaces across a district can help facilitate this focus.

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Novello, J. M. (2012). Using technology in the classroom: An interview with Pam Varnado. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 78(4), 12-15.