4.1 Digital Equity
Candidates model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. (PSC 4.1/ISTE 5a)
Artifact: Equitable Access
Reflection:
This artifact is a blog post reflection of the readings on Equitable Access of technology. It was posted on the Weebly blog and responded to by several colleagues. This artifact shows mastery of this standard as I have investigated the problem of digital equity and touched on some of the possible solutions.
After reading the report Zero to Eight: Children’s media use in America, (Rideout, 2011) I am left with overwhelming and conflicting feelings about media use among young children because of the potential for misuse. It appears the lower the socio-economic the group, the less aware they are on how to use technology appropriately. Television gets the lion share of media use in most households, as the report indicates many children from low-income groups have a television in their room and are doing homework with television running in the background. This leaves students free to monitor themselves and begins a damaging habit of multi-tasking. Additionally, many families from all income groups have access to a smart-phone, however, many low income families aren’t aware of the many educational apps they can use with the phone. This indicates that they have something they could use for their child’s education but they simply don’t know how. The term technological fluency seems a good description for what is not happening among low-income groups. Yet this is a term Barron, Walter, Martin & Schatz (2009) used to describe a set of skills required by students who create personally meaningful artifacts. Students whose parents are unaware of how to use technology are at a significant disadvantage of being successful in school.
Barron, Walter, Martin & Schatz’s (2009) report also finds there is a significant difference in the computer fluency of students who have access to a computer at home and those who do not. To add to the problem many of these same students do not even have access to a friend or neighbor’s computer. All of this influences how proficient a learner will be, will they remain a beginner or can they somehow move to the more proficient level of generalists? Hohlfeld, Ritzhaupt, & Barron’s, (2010) report indicated that Florida schools were more committed to contributing to the technology education of their students’ parents. This is encouraging for those low-income families whose parents may not use a computer in their job. It seems our time would be better spent if we followed Florida’s lead and educated more parents. From these articles, I have learned this is not just a school problem but problem of our society. Is it possible to offer computer literacy classes for parents in the schools? I wish I had researched this vein of the problem more and investigated how Florida schools are educating parents. Hand in Hand uses several online methods to inform parents of upcoming events at school such as; Facebook and the school website. These articles make me wonder how much of this information is actually making it into students’ homes. Therefore, we continue to duplicate the information in paper form and send it home.
Some parents who do not have access to a computer at home have their child come to their office some afternoons after school; this is one solution to the problem. I try to give students who do not have access to a computer, more time during day to use the educational games, as they are often the ones who need it the most. Many libraries use sites like TumbleBooks, which offer children talking and animated e-books, which not only read the book, but put the print on the page allowing the student to follow the words. This is wonderful platform for students to see the connection of print and the spoken word. As I visit libraries I see the students using the computers, but I also see many more waiting for one to become free. This is must make them anxious if they looking at a deadline for a project. The digital divide is among many divides between groups and yet it seems technology could be a more leveling influence with more access and guidance on effectively using it.
References
Barron, B., Walter, S., Martin, C., & Schatz, C. (2009). Predictors of creative computing participation and profiles of experience in two Silicon Valley middle schools. Computers and Education.
Retrievedfrom:https:Kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/view.d2l?tdl=8592599&ou=344434
Hohlfeld, Ritzhaupt, A., & Barron, A. (2010). Connecting schools, community, and family with ICT: Four-year trends related to school level and SES of public schools in Florida. Computers and Education, 55.
Retrieved from: https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/view.d2l?tId=8592598&ou=344434
Rideout, Victoria. (2011). Zero to eight: Children's media use in America.
Retrieved from: https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=344434&tId=8592596
This artifact is a blog post reflection of the readings on Equitable Access of technology. It was posted on the Weebly blog and responded to by several colleagues. This artifact shows mastery of this standard as I have investigated the problem of digital equity and touched on some of the possible solutions.
After reading the report Zero to Eight: Children’s media use in America, (Rideout, 2011) I am left with overwhelming and conflicting feelings about media use among young children because of the potential for misuse. It appears the lower the socio-economic the group, the less aware they are on how to use technology appropriately. Television gets the lion share of media use in most households, as the report indicates many children from low-income groups have a television in their room and are doing homework with television running in the background. This leaves students free to monitor themselves and begins a damaging habit of multi-tasking. Additionally, many families from all income groups have access to a smart-phone, however, many low income families aren’t aware of the many educational apps they can use with the phone. This indicates that they have something they could use for their child’s education but they simply don’t know how. The term technological fluency seems a good description for what is not happening among low-income groups. Yet this is a term Barron, Walter, Martin & Schatz (2009) used to describe a set of skills required by students who create personally meaningful artifacts. Students whose parents are unaware of how to use technology are at a significant disadvantage of being successful in school.
Barron, Walter, Martin & Schatz’s (2009) report also finds there is a significant difference in the computer fluency of students who have access to a computer at home and those who do not. To add to the problem many of these same students do not even have access to a friend or neighbor’s computer. All of this influences how proficient a learner will be, will they remain a beginner or can they somehow move to the more proficient level of generalists? Hohlfeld, Ritzhaupt, & Barron’s, (2010) report indicated that Florida schools were more committed to contributing to the technology education of their students’ parents. This is encouraging for those low-income families whose parents may not use a computer in their job. It seems our time would be better spent if we followed Florida’s lead and educated more parents. From these articles, I have learned this is not just a school problem but problem of our society. Is it possible to offer computer literacy classes for parents in the schools? I wish I had researched this vein of the problem more and investigated how Florida schools are educating parents. Hand in Hand uses several online methods to inform parents of upcoming events at school such as; Facebook and the school website. These articles make me wonder how much of this information is actually making it into students’ homes. Therefore, we continue to duplicate the information in paper form and send it home.
Some parents who do not have access to a computer at home have their child come to their office some afternoons after school; this is one solution to the problem. I try to give students who do not have access to a computer, more time during day to use the educational games, as they are often the ones who need it the most. Many libraries use sites like TumbleBooks, which offer children talking and animated e-books, which not only read the book, but put the print on the page allowing the student to follow the words. This is wonderful platform for students to see the connection of print and the spoken word. As I visit libraries I see the students using the computers, but I also see many more waiting for one to become free. This is must make them anxious if they looking at a deadline for a project. The digital divide is among many divides between groups and yet it seems technology could be a more leveling influence with more access and guidance on effectively using it.
References
Barron, B., Walter, S., Martin, C., & Schatz, C. (2009). Predictors of creative computing participation and profiles of experience in two Silicon Valley middle schools. Computers and Education.
Retrievedfrom:https:Kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/view.d2l?tdl=8592599&ou=344434
Hohlfeld, Ritzhaupt, A., & Barron, A. (2010). Connecting schools, community, and family with ICT: Four-year trends related to school level and SES of public schools in Florida. Computers and Education, 55.
Retrieved from: https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/view.d2l?tId=8592598&ou=344434
Rideout, Victoria. (2011). Zero to eight: Children's media use in America.
Retrieved from: https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=344434&tId=8592596