Nicole Laster says...
Reading about the digital divide and learning about the different statistics really didn’t shock me all that much on paper, however, seeing the digital divide in class was very disturbing. Just listening to what other teachers and students have access to and what others don’t- made me a little frustrated. I could only imagine how teachers feel that don’t much available, listening to teachers who seem to have it all.
I think that what makes me the most frustrated is the unequal distribution of funding within school districts. I understand that sometimes it is all in the power of administration but I think certain things should be mandated: technology! I also think that more people should be aware of the power of UDL. There is no way that students can actually be ready for the “digital age” if schools around the nation are at a digital disadvantage. I feel as though the schools that are Title 1 and have more of a Hispanic and black population seem more likely to have access to Internet and technology that most other schools. I have two nieces that attend Whitaker Elementary School which is 6.6 miles from where I work. Whitaker is one of the most affluent schools in Winston-Salem and they don’t have half as much technology that our school has. I think that the digital divide is sort of segregating people all over again, which is a tragic situation and should be figured out immediately. Schools that have all the technology also need to be trained on how to use it otherwise it is just as pointless as not even having it.
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2 comments:
Nicole...I agree with your comments!! Viewing the digital diving among schools was shocking! My district only has 4 schools and I see that we are blessed to have as much technology as we do. The main thing we need to do to close the gap is to be sure that students have the opportunity to use the technology. I think alot of the teachers at my school do a great job of doing this and it is amazing to see how quickly students pick it up even if they do not have technology at home.
I agree with you that it was shocking to see the digital divide among schools within the same district. You are also right that Title I schools get more funding, but what are principals doing with those funds? From my experience, the two principals I worked under, bought technology without the support of teachers and they bought it because it "looks good". I would rather have technology that I will use, otherwise, the funding should be given to another school. Also, we have not been trained on how to use any of the technology, so it is even more useless!
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