Swain and Edyburn's article, Social Justice: Choice or Necessity, discusses the social justice implications of using technology in the classroom. They offer information about the division that is created between those who know how to use technology and those who don't.
I did not grow up without computers or Internet access. When I was a kid, my dad fell in love with computers and went to college to learn more about them (he had not previously held a degree). I don't actually remember a time when we didn't have a computer, so I clearly did not want for technology during my school. Similarly, because I lived in an affluent neighborhood, I did not know anyone who didn't have a computer by high school. I'm sure that there were some students in my area who had to go to the public library if they wanted to use the Internet, but I couldn't actually point out anyone in that situation.
Having the Internet at home definitely made a difference in my schooling. Almost all of my classes required some sort of paper or work outside of the classroom involving research, so having the Internet as a research tool was vital. I additionally used Sparknotes for many of my English classes, which helped me to see things in readings that I may not have otherwise. We also had to do PowerPoint and video projects in a lot of my classes, so not having a computer would have made assignments like those a challenge.
As a teacher, I do feel responsible to bridge the gap, but that's a lot easier said than done. It's not as though I can buy all of the computer-less families their own laptops, but it would be unfair to expect students who don't have computers to complete research work in the same way or timeline as those with computers. To attempt to bridge this gap, I would probably take a survey of my students at the beginning of the year, asking which of them do and do not have computers. Then, if I decide to assign projects that would require a computer, I could make an effort to pair up students who don't have computers or the Internet with those who do. I will also let the students work on research in school at the library or computer labs. Hopefully this will help to even the gap a little bit in terms of the grades that those without computers could get in relation to those who have computers. I would also make sure not to place students into categories - those who can use computers for education and those who will need to use computers in a vocational setting.
A lot of my high school classes also required the use of Powerpoint, and I too used Sparknotes in order to help me gain insight into novels we were reading in my English classes. I do think that if I wouldn't have had Internet access at my home it would have been slightly more difficult for me to try to stay after school to complete homework; I usually worked every day after school my senior year, and I think it would have caused extra stress on me if we didn't have access to the Internet at home. I'm sure many of my peers also worked after school and did not have home access to the Internet, so I know that I was quite fortunate to have had the luxury of completing my homework at my convenience.
ReplyDeleteJust like Kaitlynn said, I had many classes where Powerpoint was needed, and Sparknotes was a life saver in clearing up issues and concerns I had within novels. Many of the students that are within my placement do not have internet access at home, or do not possess the necessary skills to work through projects and papers without constant guidance. This is something I'm learning to adapt to and will continue to improve on, but it is difficult when you are not as familiar with these types of situations.
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