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Response Sample

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One thing that really resonated with me in the readings this week was the PBS video on the digital divide. The video mentioned the divide being due to economic, education, and ethic factors. The one thing that really struck me was the divide was narrowed down to passive participants, and active participants (PBS News Hour, 2013, timestamp: 4:40). Those affected the most in the digital divide, poor, people of color, and less educated people were more passive users of the internet, like watching videos, movies, or playing video games. Conversely, the higher educated, more well off people were active users, and used the internet for taking educational courses, applying for jobs, seeking financial aid, etc. (PBS News Hour, 2013) I had not considered passive vs. active users before. My son wanted a new mouthpiece made of gold for his trumpet. It was going to cost about $200. I told him that was a lot of money, and he spent about an hour online researching a place he could get it cheaper. He found a legit gold mouthpiece for $89.00. My other son wanted to know more about wolves, and he opened up a web browser and began searching for answers to his questions. The more he learned, the more questions surfaced. They both enjoy the passive part of the internet and playing video games. They can also use the internet to search for ways to solve certain games, use hacks to advance levels, and learn strategies for the best way to play. They are active users of the internet. We live in a poor school district, and I know that some of my sons' friends don't have that kind of access, the tools to use it, or the knowledge to become active users. One of my son's friends only had access to a smartphone, and ended up dropping it in some water (I suspect the toilet), and they were too poor to get another device. We ended up getting a used/old one for him, simply so that he wasn't cut off from friends, family, and internet. I would imagine that he is a passive user of the internet due to the research in the readings we did this week. I enjoyed learning a new perspective this week.

PBS News Hour. (2013, March 22).

Cut Off From Opportunity Without Equal Access to Internet [Video File].Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X537MiN6COI

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I found all of this week's readings really interesting. I was really interested in the discussion of access to technology in schools. The Dolan article stated that as of 2008, 100% of schools in America had internet access and one or more instructional computer  and 58% of schools had access to carts. The article expressed that the discussion of access has shifted from if technology is present in schools at all, to the type of technology available and how much of it is available. I, personally, feel really lucky because of the technology access I have had in my classroom. Both of the districts I have taught for has had 1:1 Chromebooks, and the districts are not in high income areas. I cannot imagine teaching without the technology I have, and I think it is a huge problem that there is inequality in technology access among schools. I also think that simply have Chromebooks is not always enough because there are certain programs/activities that are not compatible. Access to diverse types of technology is of huge importance in education today. I wonder how we can fix this divide?

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Throughout all the readings, I have felt a common theme of differences that included, gender, class differences, racial and ethnic differences, and location of school differences. I saw these main themes in the Pew Research Center, Dolan, and Donlevy. After completing these readings, I could easily see connections from my personal experience throughout my schooling experience because I attended both a public middle school and private high-school.  In the public middle school, computers were limited to a computer lab that had to be reserved by a teacher to insure that no other teacher needed the room. Computers would sometimes work and sometimes they would not work; however, that is when we shared with a partner or worked in a group to complete an assignment. Now going to a private high-school there were multiple computer labs with Macs in both rooms along with a computer section in the library where everyone had access unless a teacher needed to reserve a room for a class. The computers were up and running from the start of the day until after the school day for students who stayed after school to complete homework. It was after the readings, I was able to understand the differences of location of schools and community differences that affect technology use within schools. I was able to see how the accessible to the computers could affect a student who might need to print out a paper before school but does not have access to the computers or a group project needs to be completed after school but the computer lab is closed or students are not able to go in after school hours. All these situations affect how students operate in school with technology and how it could help or harm them. These differences are major factors in a students' learnings even if we do not think about. There needs to be answers on how these differences can be fixed or helped out a little to ensure that students are able to complete homework and participate in school.

Sources:
Dolan, Jennifer. (2016). Splicing the Divide: A Review of Research on the Evolving Digital Divide Among K-12 Students. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 49,16-37. DOI 10.1080/153291523.2015.1103147

Donlevy, Jim. (2002). Teachers, Technology, and Training: No Child Left Behind: in Search of Equity for all Children. International Journal of Instructional Media, 29, 257-259.
Perrin, Andrew. & Duggan, Maeve. (June 2015), “Americans’ Internet Access: 2000-2015”. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://canopy.uc.edu/courses/1/2188-1_18IDT7130001/db/_1167577_1/embedded/Pew%20Research%20Center.pdf

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Reply 1- Erin Young
From these readings I was really able to connect with the main ideas of the articles when looking at technology equity and access in learning.  I currently teachin in a small farming community where internet access is not readily available to my students outside of school.  Many of my students come from poverty and do not have home computers or are lacking internet access at home.  When classroom teachers are creating assignments, they must keep this in mind so that all students are able to complete their work, even without access to technology.  With this idea in mind, our elementary school does not assign any homework for our students, except to spend 20 minutes a night reading at home.  In addition, we make sure to include instruction in technology use as a part of our library curriculum for our elementary students so that they get the technology exposure needed to be successful in all areas. Prior to teaching in this school, I did not really consider that technology equity was something that teachers needed to consider and be mindful of.  I was really able to relate to these readings.

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I did not notice any glaring differences. We all seemed to notice the same sorts of things through the readings and our own experiences. I touched on the idea that I was struck about the topic of active and passive users of technology. The more educated or well-off, the more of an active user one is. The more poor or undereducated a person is, the more of a passive user they are. I think what Erin said goes hand in hand with this notion. She mentioned that her students come from a poor rural area with not much exposure or availability to the internet and technology, and they actually have to build in time to educate the students. I think that is an important concept. It isn’t only about providing the technology. Jessica touched on this very same thing and said that even if a school is equipped with 1:1 Chromebooks, that doesn’t mean that every lesson will be compatible. And, Emily summed this all up really nicely when she said that the differences play a big role in learning, even if it isn’t something we think about. I feel that through the readings, and with our initial thoughts, that we all are more mindful about these impacts, which in turn will help us try to close the gaps in our own ways.

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There were many commonalities between our responses. Everyone mentioned the technology divide in some way and the impact that lack of access can have on students and communities. Jenna explained that individuals impacted by the digital divide are more likely to become passive users of the internet and really miss out on a lot of the benefits that the internet could provide. I connected this to Erin's post because she mentioned the need for specialized instruction in technology use for her students to help provide exposure to those affected by the divide, potentially this may move those students toward being an active user of the internet. All in all, it seemed everyone is in agreement that it is essential to work towards providing equal access to all students.

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After reviewing my classmates' responses I was able to see a couple of connections and an overall theme from the post. The connections I saw were that Jenna and I focused more on the digital divide that is happening between the different groups of people. Jenna mentioned active participants and passive participants which was another factor that could be considered when mention the digital divide. Jessica and Erin talked about the access of technology within the school. Jessica's teaching experience allows for each student to have a Chromebook whereas Erin's teaching experience struggles to have access to the internet at school. These two different views opened up my eyes however I was able to see that both still had items that they would improve on. Overall I feel like our group created a theme of accessing technology or being able to access technology. These themes could be applied in the school setting, at home, or personal experience. I did not see any glaring differences from our group.

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I noticed that we all have many commonalities and connections. We all seemed to touch on the divide and had our own experiences as well.  Jenna's response really resonated with me when she was talking about her son and the instrument piece.  This is something that I would have done has well and really shows what experience with technology can do.  Without prior technology experience, it would be very difficult to conduct this type of research. I know that my students would have no idea where to start if I gave them this task and would really struggle with it.  I didn't notice any glaring differences, but did notice that the farming community I taught in seemed to have a large divide that did need specific teaching that others may not have needed.

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This weeks discussion really made me consider the amount of individuals who do not have adequate digital access. This isn't something I have really spent much time thinking about, but it does have a huge impact on those individuals and communities. Additionally, I never considered that even some who do have some access, maybe because of a phone, are passive versus active users. This really helped me understand that simple access isn't always enough. Education is essential, and every student deserves equal technology education.

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I really think this group jives well together, and we have great discussions that bring out interesting perspectives. My biggest take away is that we are all open to understanding new perspectives, and we are all open to admit we are still learning. As far as the content, this small group and our experiences seems to be representative of the digital divide that is a part of the larger community. I appreciate the rich discussions and the new insights each of the group members shared. Go team go! :-)

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From these past weeks of discussing technology and the current divide I have been able to have some awesome takeaways. I was able to read about how technology is used in classrooms even though it may not be accommodated with the ideas the teachers had, how children at home are using technology to research answers to their own question, and how some schools are limited on technology in the school but still try to include it throughout the day. I can tell that everyone is on the same page of using technology in the classroom; however, the amount of time that is allowed to use technology may vary or what students are using technology for. This discussion was insightful to me because I was able to learn from everyone's point of view and experience that will help prepare me in the classroom and at home when Bentley is older. Way to go team on the fantastic discussion this week!

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My biggest takeaways from this week were that students don't have equity and fair access everywhere. It made me really reflect on where I teach and that access is an issue for students and that I do need to pay more attention to it. This week had me reflect on how important equity is in and out of school and how curriculum may need to be adjusted because of it. I always knew that my school did not assign homework and even know that it was because of students not having internet and technology access, but this had me reflecting on how much of an issue this can really be and that I need to be aware of this and keep it in mind as an educator.