One of the greatest task of a leader in educational technology to make sure that all students have the same resources and opportunites regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds, culture, creed or gender. In education and in many other areas, there has always been the case of the "have" and the "have nots". You may want students to be able to access the Apple Store and download applications that have a fee associated with them. But what if some of the students don't have an apple account secured with a credit card? How do you get around that? One way is to look for some open source applications that may be similar and are only lacking in some of the features or to allow students t download trial versions of an application that will allow them the same experience as many of the full versions. With the economic crunch that our society is experiencing that are going to be many more resources and avenues to explore that will allow all students equal technological opportunities.
Ellit Solloway in his presentation " The Digital Divide: Leveling the Playing Field" talks about how the cell phone and its capacity to access the Internet will even the playing field for the disenfrancised. I can see how it cn help for some but there will still be some "have-nots" that will not be able to use its full features. The reason for this is because cell phone service providers charge a higher monthly fee for having Internet access. There may be some students who can't afford an upgraded plan and have to settle for a basic plan without unlimited texting and Internet access. So, I don't see where his plan is a "catch all " for everyone. Sadly, we will always have those who will benefit more from new technology.
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the smartphone is not a "catch all" but it is a start. They are much cheaper than computers.
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteIf given an opportunity, I think everyone can benefit from new technology. A favorite quote of mine about how children learn is from William Spady, "All students can learn and succeed, but not in the same day, in the same way." I think learning and teaching with technology relates to this very well. We can all use and benefit from technology; it may not be in the same way or on the same day.
Thank you for a great learning community this quarter!
Sincerely,
LeAnn :-)
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You've made some very good points as well. As educators we should have the desire to want to provide the necessary access to all students. A rural county near me, has implemented a 1-1 initiative and with help from Apple have provided students with their own laptop to use throughout the school day and the option to check-them out for the year for home use is made available to Middle and High School Students.