I have always worked in schools that had populations with a relatively low SES. Before I became a teacher, I had no idea how differently some students grew up than I did. Even though technology when I was growing up looked a lot different than technology today, we had a computer and always had the latest technology. When I was in school, I guess I just assumed that everyone else had the technology that I was privileged to have. Once I became a teacher, I quickly learned that was not the case. My students’ families usually focused on one item, such as a big screen television, satellite TV, cable, or a computer. Rarely did that computer have internet access. Some of my students did have internet access, but that was from using the computers at the public library. Since I started teaching, I have been more aware of the Digital Divide (although I never knew it was called this), and have been cognizant of the assignments and homework that I send home for my students to complete. Now being in administration, I have seen a whole other side and at times have not been completely prepared for the stories that I hear from the students and parents. Being in charge of 200 students rather than a classroom of 26 has multiplied my encounters with students and parents. Sometimes I will find that behavior issues that end up in my office are a result of things that have happened at home. For example, this year we had a child that misbehaved due to not sleeping because he was at Wal-Mart at midnight looking for a heater because they had no heat in their house. There was another student that lived with her mom and four sisters, along with her mom’s friend and three kids. All of the kids shared a bedroom. It is very important to understand these issues in order to understand why the child has misbehaved.
It was interesting as I was reading about the Digital Divide, because I was able to make connections to Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. One thing that could happen is that households that are run by digital immigrants wouldn’t be as likely to have the technology that households with Digital Natives would have. This could even be true at the higher SES levels. However, as the kids got older, they would probably ask for these types of electronics, and the parents/relatives would get them for them even if they didn’t know what they were. But at the lower SES levels, the kids aren’t as exposed to this technology, and don’t have the luxury to ask for it for a gift, so therefore, as they get older, they become Digital Immigrants in a sense. It is kind of like a cycle where some students, even in today’s technological age, are still Digital Immigrants.
2 comments:
I feel the same - when I began teaching I was not completely aware of the circumstances some of our students come from. I consider myself somewhere in between the Digital Immigrant and Digital Native. I grew up in Pakistan where we had absolutely NO technology in schools and once I moved to America, I was one of the first to have a computer and internet access at home. I am comfortable learning in an envrionment with or without technology and that was hard for me to adjust to. When I began teaching, I assumed my students would be the same as well but they are not. About 50% of my students do not have internet access at home even if they do have a computer; most of their parents work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Just like you mentioned, because they do not have access to this technology at home, they do not know how to use it. This becomes a problem in the classroom, because you end up teaching them about the technology instead of the lesson.
Sumia Mustafa
Jessie,
I was also naive when I began teaching when it came to the backgrounds of my students. I grew up one way with my parents and I assumed that other kids grew up the same way. I knew that the students I went to college with had lives that were comparable to my own, so my students would be similar too – so I thought. While I remember my parents complaining at times about homework I had to do at home that required technology, they made it possible for me to do my homework. As a teacher, when I assign projects that require technology, I have to make sure that I take class time to do the projects. The large majority of my students have technology, but some do not have access. I have to remember and consider that not all students grew up like I did.
Jessica Bower
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