I was just re-reading some of the material in our text today and reflecting on how limitless the technology resources are for teachers in their classrooms, for parents reinforcing learning at home and for students to explore their interests. I get very excited when I read about new resources on the web and find myself spending a lot of time clicking around websites. It's really just amazing how technology has opened up so many possibilities for education.
The down side is that there are still so many students who do not have access to technology. In the county where I live, (Palm Beach County) there are some very wealthy towns and some extremely poor towns. Out in the Glades and Pahokee, they still don't have dsl for Internet access, while in Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Wellington, many of the teachers are using websites, wikis, on-line texts, on-line homework help and other technologies to augment classroom learning for students and parents.
In more affluent towns, the public libraries have 30 public Internet and word processing computers for adults, 25 Internet and word processing computers in the children's area and 5 Internet and word processing computers in the teen area. At the public library in Pahokee (a rural, agricultural area) there are 12 Internet connected computers for adults (only 6 have word processing) and 3 Internet connected computers in the children's area (only one has word processing). Similarly, in Belle Glade, the library has 2 online public computers for adults and 4 computers with Internet access for children (only one with word processing).
I find this a serious concern because the students in the rural areas of the county are also from lower income families that are not as likely to have home computers or access to the Internet. So, as enthusiastic as I am about technology in the schools, I am equally concerned that the digital divide is becoming an ever growing chasm.
Just my thoughts for today.
Julie
Take a look at the State Educational Technology Directors Association report, "Maximizing the Impact: The Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21st Century Education System. (click the link)
Watch clips from "2 Million Minutes" a documentary comparing the educational journey of a typical American student, a typical Indian student and a typical Chinese student. Take the "Pop Quiz". You might be surprised at the answers.
Here's an interesting article on digital equity. (click here)
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I know...I know. The disparity b/t the HAVEs and HAVE NOTs is disturbing. I was once again reminded of this fact not too long ago. I volunteer as an editor for an elementary school newspaper, and recently decided to go fully digital with the paper in order to save money and other school resources in light of these tough economic times.
ReplyDeleteI asked our discourse community to email me if anyone would prefer or need hard copies, and the result surprised me. Many asked for hardcopies NOT because of preference, but because they do not have access to email/Internet. It struck me, not for the first time, the inequity faced by these students and how many more? Boy..I can get on my soapbox, but I won't because this is not the forum for it.
As for the 2MMinute segment-- AGAIN, what a disparity! It makes NCLB almost laughable.
Great reflection, Julie, and thanks for sharing those links. Best, Jennie