A “Scouting in the Electronic Age” Survey
stevejb68 on October 13, 2010 in Leadership, Scouting Blogs
I, like many Scouters, read several Scouting related blogs. One of them, Scoutmaster, found at http://scoutmaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/ , recently posted a survey featuring questions about the Scout program in this electronic age. How does your troop use computers, cell phones, and mp3 players? It caught my attention so I took the survey.
Our troop has a policy that asks the boys to leave their mp3 players and cell phones at home when we have a troop activity, like a camping trip. The adults will usually have one cel phone along in case of an emergency, but we ask that they do not use it and set a good example for the boys. If our trip is a long distance from home, we do allow the boys to bring their mp3 players along, but we store them in the car once we arrive at camp. I have talked to several local Scouters who have a troop policy similar to this.
I am curious as to what the results of Clark’s survey will be. I bet he will be sharing them on his blog and his podcast. You can take the survey at Scouting in the Electronic Age.
The double standard of allowing devices for adults but not scouts just didn’t sit right. So, last year, our PLC decided to allow electronics at scouting activities. Instead of banning, they chose to train for proper use. The result is at http://troop479.org/techchiptraining.pdf
They treat their ‘tech chip’ with the same respect ast their Totin’ Chip and Fireman Chit – and I’ve notice very responsible use of their devices with self-monitoring working just fine.