Technology Equity

Technology Equity

As we near the conclusion of this on line class, it is pretty apparent how much is available to us for educational use with the click of a button. This is not just available to us but students and people in general. Technology is here to stay. It’s a part of daily life and we have become much more dependent on it. An example that use of technology doesn’t discriminate against age, my 60 year old father and a 10 year old kid at the school I work at both have email accounts and use cell phones. More and more jobs when available are requiring computer skills and other technological device experience just to be considered. I think when I become a teacher, at the forefront of making fun and engaging lessons; technology and computers will be intertwined with the learning.

The main idea presented in the two articles we read discussed the use of technology for teaching when access for some students is not available. In the “Who Are Today’s Learner’s” article it stated studies showed no real difference in computer skills based on income, it was access. The first thing I would do in class after initial procedure type stuff is have a getting to know you questionnaire involving computers, experience, and accessibility, etc. This way I would be able to find out how much of my lessons would be computer based or used, and what could potentially be finished in and out of school. Assuming all families and students have access to a computer and Internet would be a mistake. I feel I will be teaching using technology so it is crucial in getting to know my students and their technology habits. Those who are limited in experience or access would have tutorials and extra time available if needed or additional arrangements could be made.

At this point in time I do feel schools or myself would be doing the students a disservice if technology of some kind were not used in the classroom. It is a fact that technology is being used daily and today’s students are some of the biggest users. This generation of students are digital natives and from what I have seen, they learn with computers as well. Not only does it create engaging and interactive lessons, we are providing and teaching skills they ultimately will use for outside of school. If all but a few students had access to computers for a particular lesson, I would see to it that the others were taken care of. Whether that means finding them a computer to take home or setting up a time to complete the assignment, depends on the situation.

In the article “Social Justice: Choice or Necessity”, they provided examples of where students who don’t have computer access can go to gain accessibility. This includes the library, school computer lab, and Boys and Girls Club. In addition, people have old computers they donate or you can buy cheap on Craig’s List, etc. The school I work at, which is a lower income school, gets things donated all the time and received a grant to buy new computers for the lab and library. If a student needs to use a computer or a lesson calls for it, its available. I would also allow for students who needed additional time to be able to go to the labs or library to complete a given assignment, even if it meant missing part of a class. I feel very strongly that these skills are going to help in life after school as well as during, so it is my duty to implement technology use in my curriculum and all students be included. As I said before, it is very important to recognize early who has access and who doesn’t, then plan accordingly. Times have changed, and the students and the way they learn have changed. We need to provide the same opportunities students in other leading countries have, no matter what the socioeconomic status is of the school and its students. By that I mean preparing students the best we can with skills that will help them get a job and be successful, and using technology is a part of this.

Gaming In The Classroom

This was a very interesting discussion and it’s a topic that is being brought more and more to the forefront.  Mr. Gee had some tremendous ideas and compared it to traditional learning in a way that makes me think forms of video games with educational backing indeed need to be transitioned to the classroom.  The way this generation of kids is growing up with the technology available to them truly makes them digital natives.  If using these media tools in daily life is part of their routine, then some continuity must cross over into the classroom.  I am not saying playing Madden all class, but there are many games that practice money management skills, city and community planning, and running a business to name a few.  All helpful in learning skills for when school is completed. 

            I don’t think games in the classroom should take the place of all educational teachings, because you need someone facilitating and leading the class weather text teaching or game based teaching.  I do think it could be interesting as well as educational to incorporate curriculum-based games in class to allow the students another aspect to learn and apply the material.  One that is interactive, provides instant feedback, and supports collaborative problem solving.  I don’t feel that having video games in the classroom steps over the line of “edutainment.”  As I stated before these students are from the digital native generation.  Its how they are wired and using technology for learning and outside of school is part of their lives.

            In the paper “Good Video Games and Good Learning”, Gee discusses his learning principals in relation to gaming, and a couple of them struck a cord with me.  The principal: Explore, Think Literally, and Rethink Goals can be applied to students in and out of the classroom.  Not going 100 mph to finish the task but exploring findings involving a subject or assignment, thinking and examining it, and then possibly rethinking what you may have thought before and changing your view.  That’s a part of daily living.  Another was customization, stating “not just about self pacing in school, but also about real intersections between curriculum and the learners interest, desires, and styles.”  The learner can customize what they are going to do first in the assignment, and learn about it the way they function best, as well as use several modalities to maximize learning and store it long term.  Something the Mr. Gee stated in his online interview was the comparison between game manuals and textbooks.  A person may be playing a game and want to know how to do something or find how something works, they can go to the manual, read, and then apply it.  The manual is the textbook.  In science class the textbook is so dry and not very interesting until you see some examples where the material can be applied.  I think what I am learning so far in my Master’s experience is how much the use of media tools can help make a lesson flow as well as engage the student, compared to when I was in school and many teachers just stood up at the front of the room, lectured, then told you what page to go to in a huge textbook.  I feel many of Gee’s examples as well as his opinion of a move for acceptance of video games in the classroom for an educational tool are on point and I can see myself using lessons including games or finding games that can teach what the curriculum calls for.  I think that is where we are as a society.

            I do plan on finding a place at certain times for video game type learning in my classroom.  It won’t take the place of me being the teacher, but maybe once a week or a couple assignments a term; games could be used as the educational tool.  It would be interesting to assess how the student learns the content doing it this way instead of the classic teaching model.  I liked how Gee discusses how students like to be producers and not just consumers.  There are times when the student may teach the class and teacher how something may work or the program can do this or that.  The main objective that I see happening is we all will be learning together.  Sometimes only a few students get what a teacher is presenting.  This way there is constant feedback, on demand information, and community discussions such as the comment section on a blog or wiki.  I am learning a lot that I will be able to apply in my teaching career and I realize things are changing so learning how to use media tools in class will be crucial.