The Digital Divide

The digital divide refers to the discrepancies in access, quality, and kind of technology and connectivity that different students have.   I expect that most teachers are somewhat aware of this, but may not be wise to all the nuances of it.  As an urban teacher and youth worker I am very aware of reality of the digital divide.   Though it is true that most students have cell phones this does not mean they have regular, consistent access to a variety of resources.  They may have a “smartphone” with which they can get on facebook, snapchat, and browse the internet, but that does not mean they have the ability to create documents, download large apps, or edit and adapt things online.  My experience has been that internet use in the classroom often excludes those applications that are the most easily accessible for students.  This have many implications for learners.  It creates barriers for low-income students to develop true 21^st Century Literacies, which puts them as a disadvantage when they move beyond high school.   One simple example is the current state of standardized testing.  Tests are in the process of being “digitized” and given on computers.  This is a positive step for many reasons, however, it highlights the discrepancies of the digital divide.  For instance, I work with a small charter school in Indianapolis that serves over 85% low income students.  Last year as students took the ISTEP and NWEA online for the first time teachers observed that students really struggled.  It was not the material in the test they had difficulty with, but rather how to maneuver dynamic test questions, basic mouse skills, and trouble navigating the screen.   The school knows that while many of these kids have internet access in some form it is most often via phone or tablet so they were lacking some very basic computing skills that students in other demographics often use regularly.    In this instance students test scores were dramatically affected.  Paper tests indicated that they knew the material in question, but they did not score well (and in many case did not even finish) the online tests due to the lack of necessary computer skills.  The school is now continuing to find ways to help their students develop these skills.  They even created an additional “specials” class (along with music, art, and P.E.) focused on technology and received numerous grants to increase access (in both quantity and quality) for these students.     

I especially appreciate the article about digital divide on Mashable where a teacher discusses how students responded when she assigned certain things that required technology to complete.  They simply did not do the assignments.  This is something I have observed as well.  As a result, I have seen teachers in schools where students lack access simply not use technology as a primary tool.  To some teachers it may be the easier approach and seem to be a more fair way of presenting the content.  This may bridge the divide in their own classroom, but it only creates a wider divide between their students and the skills they need in today’s world.  I have been reminded that we have to continue to find new ways to help students with even limited access develop these skills or we are only contributing to the problem and setting our students up for failure.  I have to remind myself the content is always readily available, but if I cannot teach them how to appropriately use it in today’s world knowing it may not matter much.

21st Century Learning

As I have read about the expectations of 21st Century Learners I found that since I have been out of the education world much has changed, but much has also stayed the same.  When I last taught full time (9 years ago) most of my students did not have a cell phone, or even regular access to email.  Now students, much like my own children, are true digital natives that have been immersed in technology all of their lives.  It was fascinating to consider how this has changed the way they think and process information.  Understanding these changes makes me more fully understand why education must adapt.  I was especially struck by the quote in  the Aug, 2010 ACD Education Update that said, "Students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach"... "They think and process information fundamentally differently"  This is a profound statement on the nature of education itself and has major implications.  This same topic is addressed in one of my selected readings (Why School by Will Richardson) and I am continuing to wrestle with the fundamental questions of what is the goal of education and how do we achieve it.  I look forward to continuing to learn more and continue to grow.
On the other hand it seems to me that the students I work with (though I am not teaching full time I am still involved with middle and high school students) are much the same as they always were.  Many of these "new literacies" are things that I have always believed are important in education (such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, etc).  What seems to be different is how student acquire these skills now.  Through my readings this week I have learned that there are a plethora of ways to encourage and grow these skills in the classroom that I would have never occurred to me.  It has also become increasingly clear that the way education has been done traditionally is not meeting many of these students where they currently are.  I am glad to continue to learn and discover new ways to encourage true 21st Century literacy in my students.

Here we go.....

Greetings.  This is the first of many posts I will make on my venture into the wide and ever changing world of technology.   Don't get me wrong, I am not completely technologically illiterate.  I can navigate Facebook and Pinterest with the best of them, and I've got an assortment of apps on my phone that I find very useful.  I do know the basics of current technology, but for the most part I rarely use it for more than recreational and social purposes.  Though I am not particularly old (36), I have been called  "old school" when it comes to my use of technology.  I prefer to talk face to face and read books with real pages.  Given the option I might still choose to supplement class notes with an overhead projector and a felt tip marker.   Yet, here I am taking a course completely online, making my first twitter account, and blogging about it all.  Why?  Because this is 2016.  I am very aware of the fact that in today's world I MUST stay up to date and continue learn how to navigate world of technology to stay connected and relevant to my students and colleagues.  This is especially important if I am going to have any chance of  keeping track (even a little) of what my own children are up to (or will be in the more-near-than-I-care-to-admit future).   

I am a biology teacher by trade.  I graduated from Taylor University in 2002 and taught in IPS at Tech high school for 5 years.  I loved it!  I loved teaching, I loved science, and I loved the kids.  However I made the decision to stay home after my first child was born.  I am so glad that I had the opportunity to do this, but I also really missed the classroom. 
So, while my children were my first priority during this time, I was intentional about staying  involved in education.  In addition to taking a few classes and keeping my license active I have directed an SES tutoring program, volunteered in many classrooms, substitute taught, and currently I serve on the board of a local charter school and am participating in effort to create a community Innovation Network School in partnership with IPS school 15.   Now, 9 years and 3 kids later, my youngest is approaching kindergarten and I am eager to return to the classroom.  I know that the educational world I will be re-entering is in many ways very different from the one I left a decade ago, but I also know I still love teaching, I still love science, and I still love the kids.  To be honest I am actually excited to venture into some uncharted territory for me.  I know there is a wealth of knowledge and networking out there and I have only touched the tip of the iceberg. 

For this class I will be reading Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom by Sylvia Libow Martinez.  I am very interested in learning how I can use technology in the classroom and at home to encourage creativity and critical thinking.   Critical thinking and inquiry have always been the foundation of my educational philosophy and I am always looking for ways to encourage that in my students.  I will also be reading Why School  by Will Richardson.  I was intrigued by this book's questions and feel that it will be of particular interest to my work in helping develop a community school on the Near Eastside.  I feel that we should constantly re-evaluate our approach to education and that is exactly what this books seems to attempt to do.  I am very interested to see what the author proposes. 

So, here we go.  I am ready for an adventurous summer and I am excited to see what I will learn and do.  Maybe I can even take my "old school" ideas and reinvent them for today's new school.  I am open to a world of possibilities.