FAQ

Are you against technology in schools?
No. We're against unexamined technology in schools. Well-chosen tools — used at the right age, for the right purpose, with evidence behind them — can absolutely serve learning. Our position is simply that this bar should be met before adoption, not assumed after the fact, and that parents, teachers, and the district are aligned on what's age-appropriate.

Is this about banning cellphones?
No. Personal devices — phones, smartwatches — are a separate issue. AFIT focuses on school-provided technology: how much of the school day students spend on district iPads and computers, which digital curricula are used, and homework that sends kids to the open internet.

Are you criticizing teachers?
The opposite. Many teachers share these concerns and know firsthand which tools help and which don't. What they want is support: clear digital citizenship guidelines and training to help them teach in an ever-evolving landscape.

Isn't technology necessary to prepare kids for the modern world?
Preparing kids for a digital world means building the cognition to navigate it — attention, critical evaluation of sources, writing in their own voice, understanding how persuasive design works. Those capacities come from deep reading, writing, discussion, and effortful practice. Familiarity with apps takes days to pick up; the underlying thinking skills take years to build. And age matters: what serves a high schooler doesn't serve a kindergartner.

What outcome are you actually working toward?
A district-adopted framework: a written philosophy of technology use, an evidence-based evaluation process for adoption, grade-by-grade digital citizenship goals, and an ongoing review cycle — durable enough to stay useful for years as specific tools come and go.

Who's behind AFIT?
We're a volunteer group of Albany parents, in growing partnership with teachers and community members — part of a national movement of similar groups working district by district.