The Article “Bridge the Digital Divide for Educational Equity” by Christine Y. Mason and Richard Dodds, presents the opinion that the proper implementation of technologies in schools can help bridge the achievement gap. It further explains that technological advances have the power to both hurt and hinder our most needy students. The Digital Divide is having the largest effect on none-Asian minority students. Less than half of African American and Hispanic youth are able to go on-line at all. While at least two thirds of Caucasian and Asian students go on-line. It also has the potential to have a huge effect on students with special needs such as special education students and ELLs. We need to make sure these groups of students are given the specialized technology needed to help them equally access technology and the internet.
Mason, C., & Dodds, R. (2005) see increased funding for technology and principals as the driving forces to use technology to make education more equitable for our most disenfranchised students. They believe it is up to principals to hire technology specialist and make smart spending decisions. Principals must work to purchase the most inexpensive technologies to fulfill future needs.
I do believe individual principals make a huge difference in the schools they work, but under out current economical and political climate more funding is unlikely. Strangely, more and more classrooms continue to receive technology such as laptops and smart boards. I do believe these tools are useful and work to engage students. Yet, I am uncertain that new technology is the best way to use limited educational funds at this time. I don’t understand how schools continue to put in smartboards while they lay off more and more teachers. Technology is very important, but the numbers prove that smaller student-to-teacher ratios increase student success. At risk students need access to technology but not before good teachers. The article also mentioned computer technology Universal Design for Learning (UDL). They said that when technology comes with it there is little need for teacher preparation. I will research UDL further.
UDL
I think technology is important, but I see the issue here about being smart about purchasing it. It seems that school districts often do an all or nothing, where all or none of the classrooms get a piece of technology. I can't see the point in purchasing something for a classroom if the teacher is not willing to, doesn't have the training, or doesn't have a use for it. I work with some special education kids who are sensitive to loud noises, so the redcat microphone we received in our small classrooms wasn't a good fit and therefore a waste of money.
ReplyDeleteGood Points, Beth. We have debates in our district as to whose responsibility it is to bring technology into the classroom. Of course, the district has to provide a certain amount of hardware/software but a lot of what I've learned has been on my own, as part of my professional responsibility to bring the digital world to my students. We must continue to be creative.
ReplyDelete