Today I choose to read the article Multicultural Education and the Digital Divide(September 2001)by Paul C. Gorski, Hamline University and EdChange. As a TESOL student I am interested in and currently studying multicultural education. Multicultural Education is not, as many may believe, simply teaching about other cultures from other parts of the world. Rather, it is an approach to Education that work towards equity and equality for all people. It strives to have teachers use teaching techniques which help to even the playing field for all students in a classroom. The article grapples with the fact that in 2002 Women surpassed man in access to the Internet. That means more women were using the Internet then men. The authors believe that allow this is a giant stop towards equality they do not believe it is the end of the digital divide between the sexes. This is because the technology we use is often works to subordinate less systemically favored characteristics and individuals. They also discuss how privileged groups often look at equal access for all groups as the main goal in bridging the digital divide. The authors believe that this makes it even more possible to keep the privileged, privileged and the disadvantaged, disadvantaged. I agree with this sentiment. Simply increasing access to technology will not bridge student achievement gaps. When working with technology teachers should use a multicultural ethic and meet all students where they are.
The Article
Sara, When I was talking Social Foundations of Educaiton I picked multicultural eduaction as the topic of my research paper. As a TESOL graduate student it of course a topic of great concern. I was interested in your findings that more women, then men used the internet in 2002. I am curious as to why that was or if the article mention a reason for that. Hopefully they are not all home unemployed face booking!
ReplyDeleteYour article made me think about another consideration which is accessibility of computers in low income neighborhoods/schools. I think as long as schools are funded 50% by the local tax base this inequality will continue.
I do agree with the issues stated in this article review. I think that technology access is taken for granted now. I believe that educators assume, as well as society, that everyone has access to a computer. This is not always the case. Even if students have access to local library computers does not mean that they can get their or they will have a computer available once their. I think that heavy reliance on technology is not always ethical in educational settings. As I have noted in previous comments, we must know our students. This means not just knowing where they live and who there family members are but also knowing what access they have to technology. Also some students may not be experienced with enough technology to know how to complete certain assignments. I think this is where a level of scaffolding needs to come into play. Education involves an ever evolving set of situations that we must take into consideration when planning our teaching.
ReplyDeleteLaurie brings up a major point. Unless we see what is exactly happening on the screen, the study loses it's value. We can acquire information, communicate, and create....or play games, watch funny videos, update or status. I'd be more interested in knowing how men and women use the internet.
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