Bridging the Digital Divide

It is nice to see schools have computer labs and internet access, but realistically we should have seen a major change in education by now as a result of technology. It seems that educators are timid to introduce technology (if they have it) or perhaps do not know how to effectively use it and teach with it. We have the world at our finger tips and yet the classroom is still very similar to the classrooms of our parents and grandparents. I believe it has a lot to do with our comfort level; we are comfortable with the old way, it is familiar and for a long time has been effective. Now we are living through a transition period in education where the old way is proving to be ineffective, which is making the education system play catch up. The education system could have been on the frontier of using technology to enhance learning, since the technology has been available beginning in the 1980's, but instead many students and teachers still do not have or know how to use the great technological advances we have available to us. I hear many people complaining that the government does not adequately provide funding for technology, and this may be somewhat true, but I was in elementary school in the early 90's (at a not so well off school) and I had a computer in my classroom that had Mathblaster and Oregon Trail as the extent of its educational contribution. We have come a long way since then, but we must blame our selves for the lack of funding. If we/educators were able to show people the true effectiveness of technology in the classroom, which I think will be easier with high speed internet connections, then our country, in my opinion, will be more willing to hand over funds to equip classrooms.

I think it is extremely important for students to have digital access. Without it they are behind those that do and cannot compete in many areas of the business world without excellent digital knowledge. If we educate every person to make them more effective citizens and ensure that our country has a somewhat educated citizenry able to run and participate in the republic we have, then why have we been dragging our feet in the technology department? This website sums up my point very well in the statement, "Our nation’s commitment to equal economic opportunity, educational advancement, and democratic participation can only thrive if everyone has equivalent access to these critical communications networks." To have what we all want, that being a stable, intelligent nation to live and raise our families in peace and safety, we need to quit being scared of change and spend some money on bridging the digital divide in our own country.

I know that last statement will probably echo into oblivion; we seem to care more about ensuring our quadruple bypass will be affordable after fifty years of fast food and no exercise than creating a more intelligent and connected citizenry. I do realize that the school I teach at may have technology (computer labs, dvd players, maybe even a smart board) that does not allow students to get personal with real- world functional applications. Technology is most useful when we use it to enhance our students learning and they can actually invest their time with the tools because they know it will help them and be there for them. Why does a student get excited about using computers for thirty minutes a week in a computer lab when they do not have exposure the rest of the time? My solution is to get my student their own classroom set of Netbooks, expecting the school has internet access of course. I would go about this by having fundraisers, car washes, candy sales, etc. I remember in high school that every single day someone was selling something, usually candy for sports, if that makes sense. I love sports but really, where are our priorities? According to the article on this LA teaching website, technology has more of an impact on disadvantaged students (digitally divided students) that sports can. One excerpt from the above article that I felt was powerful and worth sharing is, "In the old days, the only way to get out of the ghetto was sports. The new way is technology. Only one out of a thousand went into the NBA or to Pro Football, but with technology we're having a 100% impact." With a class set, or as many as possible, my students will grow familiar with the tools of the real world. The students will be able to use the access to build knowledge themselves.

Through fund raising my class will at least be able to buy a few netbooks for the class to use and expand the classroom walls. After a few years, expecting prices to continue to fall on netbooks and other less expensive devices that will bridge the digital divide, my classroom should be well equipped to connect with students and information around the world. Advances in Cloud computing will also help to keep the netbooks useful and longer lasting, compared with the older computers on the late 90's that were pretty much worthless after a few years because the technology was in such a transition period. I envision cloud computing to help bridge another form of 'digital divide', which is schools with lower performing computers and internet access. With more info being stored away from the computer itself this opens up a huge opportunity to bridge this divide by buying lower performing machines that still are very effective. For more information about the advantages of Cloud Computing for educational purposes here is a short article that may give you a better picture of it.

Many teachers find grants or non-profits that are willing to donate technology to their classroom. A website that lists many technology opportunities for teachers to apply for can be seen here. However, I think that more can be taught to the students by having them raise their own money for the technology they receive. My strategy will qualify as part service learning, part community service (for the students that will benefit from it in the future), and part fundraiser. Instead of crying for somebody to come in and save the poor technology-less classroom, the students will play an active role in the process. Having the technology is only half of the battle. Teachers need to be able to use the technology to make a difference in the classroom, which has not been so successful. This website shows that teachers have to catch up to tech-savvy students, in communities where the digital divide is large teachers still need to bring the students up to speed. It seems that change will have to happen because of necessity. As educators we do not have a choice anymore, we must teach the digital tools the world uses everyday or change the meaning of why we teach.