Kimberly Oliver 1

CPS 8640

Article Review 2- Handout

July 6, 2008
Pfohl, W. & Pfohl, V. A. (2002). Best practices in technology. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes
(eds.), Best

Practices in School Psychology IV (195-207). Bethesda, MD: The National

Association of School Psychologists.

Overview

• Technology has had a profound effect on society

• School psychologists deal with technology in personal, professional, and

educational fronts

• School district use of technology (P.L. 101-407)

• Computer and Internet accessibility

Selecting Hardware and Software

• Computer technology evolves rapidly

• The needs of the user must be considered

o Report writing

o Scoring software

o Internet/E-mail use

o Video Conferencing

o Available space

• The use of a desktop, laptop, and PDA’s

• The cost of maintenance

• The need for supporting items

o Printers

o Scanners

o Fax Machine
 Kimberly Oliver 2

CPS 8640

Article Review 2- Handout

July 6, 2008

Assistive Technology

• The use of technology to help modify the learning environment of students

with disabilities

• Guideline dictate that assistive technology begin with low-tech modifications

and increase as necessary

Using the Internet

• E-mail

o Fast and cheap means of quick communication

o Security measures must be taken to ensure confidentiality

• Websites and Web Surfing

o Addiction to web surfing

o Easy access to information

o No quality control for the information presented

o Schools and School Systems can use websites to get across important
information

• Distance Learning

o The use of online courses

• Privacy

o Increase in identity theft

o Tracking cookies

o Communication can be seen by third parties

• Viruses

o Can destroy hard drives

o Can provide outsiders with confidential information

 Kimberly Oliver 3

CPS 8640

Article Review 2- Handout

July 6, 2008
• Web Databases

o Virtual libraries

o Government databases

 www.firstgov.gov –primary master website for all U.S.

Government websites

 www.ed.gov – U.S. Department of Education

 www.nces.ed.gov – The National Center for Educational Statistics

 www.mentalhealth.org – Mental Heath

 http://npin.org –National Parent Information Network

• Listservs

o National Association of School Psychologists

o Global School Psychology Network

Ethics and Technology

• Telephones

o Can be used for individual communication and conference calls

• Computers

o Can help promote communication when face-to-face communication is

difficult

o Communication can be intercepted if it is not encrypted

o Dependent on availability of the internet

• Training

o Methods of maintaining confidentiality

o Use of computer scoring software

o Securing information on computers

o Securing computers
 Kimberly Oliver 4

CPS 8640

Article Review 2- Handout

July 6, 2008
• Practitioners have an ethical obligation to use the most current computer
software available

The Future of Technology and School Psychologists

• Learning to manage the changes in technology and information sharing with

ethical obligations.