Home | Education & Distance Learning Articles | Article

Computer technology and the 21st Century school counselor

Professional School Counseling - December 1, 2001

Computer technology has affected virtually all aspects of life, including the way people communicate ideas, conduct business, and provide education. In the nation's schools, the use of computer technology is increasing at a rapid rate, including more Internet connections to classrooms, computer labs, and libraries (Trotter & Zehr, 1998). The percentage of public elementary schools with Internet access rose from 30% in 1994 to 88% in 1998. In addition, public secondary schools increased their Internet access from 49% in 1994 to 94% in 1998 (The Condition of Education, 1999).

Trilling and Hood (1999) emphasized that even though billions of dollars are being spent on connecting schools with information infrastructure, school counselors need to be more actively involved in implementing computer technology. Computer technology can significantly affect the work of counselors in the areas of information retrieval and dissemination, distance learning, college and career exploration, counseling interventions, networking and support systems, and training and supervision. The purpose of this article is to focus on different ways school counselors can utilize computer technology to work more efficiently and help students succeed.

Retrieving and Disseminating Information

Electronic Mail

Technological advances impact how people retrieve and disseminate information. School counselors can use computer technology to retrieve and disseminate information involving students, parents, and others (McLellan, 1999). E-mail, for example, is becoming a universal means of communication. It is opening communication and providing an expedient and efficient means of posing questions, requesting information, and responding.

McLellan (1999) recognized that email could be used to assist students and parents by providing direct channels of communication. For example, a parent might e-mail the school counselor to express concern about his or her son's adjustment to school and to ask if his behavior is typical of teenagers. The counselor could respond with a few general comments and describe a parent group where mutual concerns and interests are shared. The exchange of information is typically brief, can save counselor time, and provide parents with a timely response (Jongekrijg & Russell, 1999; Myrick & Sabella, 1995). In another example, students from one school can exchange notes and messages with students from another regarding common interests or concerns and become computer pals.

Web Sites

Counselors can also disseminate information to others through Web pages linked to their school's Web site. For instance, a guidance homepage can include links to a school's mission statement, the principal's goals for the year, or faculty profiles. A guidance Web site can also include descriptions of special opportunities and activities for students and parents offered through the guidance department such as small group counseling sessions and peer facilitator programs. In addition, a guidance department can create and post a master calendar that lists important events and dates such as days for standardized tests and college admission deadlines. An online guidance calendar, with supportive links and Web pages, also promotes public awareness about the role and functions of a school counselor.

One example of where this type of computer technology is being utilized is at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois. This high school's Web site (http://www.d230.org/sandburg/) has guidance links that connect to information on financial aid, career and college exploration, standardized tests, and summer internships and job opportunities. In another example, the Orange County Public School System in Orlando, Florida, has developed a Web site (http://www.ocps. kl2.fl.us/framework/sd/index.htm) to promote the county's academic and emotional expectations for students. The Web site contains educational frameworks, one of which focuses on guidance and student development. This particular framework touches on three areas or strands of development, including social and emotional, career, and academic. The curriculum expectations can be accessed through the district's Web site and are presented by grade level. A parent can choose a particular area of the curriculum and download student goals to access the educational requirements and expectations for students. The information on this Web site can assist parents in understanding how student development goals are related to the educational development and academic success of all children.

Parents, students, community members, and district personnel can be better informed about a school's guidance program when they consult the department's Web page. Drug aware ness programs (e.g., Red Ribbon Week) and career days can be promoted, and the community can learn of opportunities to donate time as well as money and participate in tutoring, mentoring, chaperoning, and other services. Parents might also view Web pages containing announcements about parenting resources or support groups.

Electronic Newsletters

Electronic newsletters provide tremendous amounts of information to large audiences in a relatively short amount of time with little cost. Electronic newsletters can be viewed through a set of Web pages and/or distributed through listserves that contain a listing of subscriber names and e-mail addresses. One example is Bits and Bytes (http://grove.ufl.edu/-wrsmith/f4.html), the Florida High School guidance newsletter, which features various topics of interest to students and parents accessed through the school's Web page. Each issue contains sections or linked Web pages that focus on career development, current events, and "hot" sites on the Internet, while also providing an arena for students to share their thoughts and opinions on a particular issue.

EdInfo (http://www.ed.gov/MailingLists/ EDInfo/) is a free electronic publication that can be retrieved either through a Web site or mailed directly to a subscriber's e-mail address from the U.S. Department of Education. It describes educational initiatives, including grant invitations, learning activities, special programs, ideas for parents, and news about recent events in education. There are also numerous links to educational resources. Another newsletter, ACAeNews, is produced by the American Counseling Association and can also be subscribed to through its Web site (http://www.counseling.org/enews/). It is published bi-weekly and delivered via e-mail to listserve members or can be accessed through its Web page. It provides current information relevant to counseling including grant opportunities, professional resources, conferences, and news regarding state and national counseling-related events.

Online newsletters can also assist counselors with technical support. SchoolCounselor.com (http://www. schoolcounselor.com) is an electronic newsletter designed to answer counselor questions regarding technology and ways it might be applied. Using this site as a resource, school counselors can obtain help setting up their own electronic newsletters for distribution to selected stakeholders such as parents, students, and administrators.

Online Journals

Online counseling journals are another example of how new technology is affecting the dissemination of information. Counselors from all over the world can tap into current research and new techniques that are presented in journals on the Internet. One example is the Journal of Technology in Counseling (http://jtc.colstate.edu/). This online journal publishes articles on aspects of practice, theory, research, and professionalism related to the use of technology in counselor training and counseling interventions.

One distinct advantage of an electronic journal or newsletter over other types is that the full range of available Web resources can be linked to other resources. In addition, animated graphics, audio, and video can be incorporated. The information can be downloaded, saved to a disk, e-mailed to colleagues, or printed for use.

Distance Learning

Computer technology and the Internet are tools that allow education to be more accessible and convenient to people regardless of location. Classrooms and guidance offices in the 21st Century are no longer tied to resources in a traditional school building. Learners can obtain information from virtually anywhere as technology has opened the door to distance learning.

1 2 3 4 Next »

If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this article with hundreds of other Education & Distance Learning enthusiasts from around the world, please feel free to visit the discussion forums & post a message.

Discuss this article in the discussion forums now.

Popular Education & Distance Learning Discussions From The Past

Can the pain of arthritis be simulated? (1 posts)
by zlou - Last post on: 10-08-04 13:41
If, for example, you apply a hammer and damage the acromioclavicular joint, can you call that "instant" arthritis, as opposed to the kind that "percolates" and is associated with the normal, aging process. ... (Read More)

Re: About the Doctorate you sold me Dr John Bear! (1 posts)
by Rich Douglas - Last post on: 07-23-03 20:20
Actually, he has. (Well, he's traded them for donations.) And he's documented these things in his books. It would be more accurate to say he's never sold a DEGREE. The fake diplomas were all in good fun. -- Rich Douglas BA (Sociology), The University of the State of New York BS (Busine... (Read More)

Biomed reasearch: PhD or MD? (2 posts)
by Danguard - Last post on: 12-02-03 10:17
Do you think that to do biomedical research a PhD in Biochemistry or Biophysics is OK, or an MD would be better? Thanx for your opinions! Bye Dan ... (Read More)

www.Nursing.net (1 posts)
by Business2003ww - Last post on: 07-21-03 09:45
Please visit http://www.Nursing.net We've Been Serving Nurses WorldWide since 1994! ... (Read More)

You must register before posting in the Education & Distance Learning discussion forums. It's free & only takes a few seconds. Please also remember that no advertising is allowed...
Enter The Forums Here