What is the digital divide?When I first began researching this (thanks to the resources provided by Bethany Smith), I thought the digital divide had to do with the disparity between those students whose families and schools had (more or less) unfettered access to technology. Upon quickly flipping through the list of ten resources Bethany provided me, I realized how dated this definition of the Digital Divide had become. According to the Digital Divide Institute, the "21st century definition" of the Digital Divide considers the difficulty low-income families and neighbourhoods encounter when trying to find affordable broadband internet to connect their technology with. “Digital Divide” refers to the gap between those who can benefit from digital technology and those who cannot. ”Closing the Digital Divide” therefore means more than just giving the poor the same technologies already received by the rich. Closing the Divide involves restructuring the telecommunications sectors in each nation so that broadband’s benefits can flow to the masses, not just the elite urban sectors of emerging markets. Eve access to smartphones is quite limiting considering that most data plans offer a pittance of cellular data access for a hefty price -- it is in the best interest of both the consumer and cell phone provider to have the user access wi-fi as much as possible. So much that the provider assigns grievous penalties for data overuse to preserve their precious bandwidth cap, pushing consumers to always be searching for the next wi-fi hot spot and turning on the wi-fi function on their cellphones as they walk through the front door. In other words, it is not the access to technology itself that is the problem, but rather the quality of access to internet and applications on devices. For today's media and visual-rich internet, nothing but a high-speed broadband connection is acceptable to suitably run and process even a basic image and information search. However, InternetWorldStats.com is quick to note that this issue is not a clear and simple divide. Residues of the 20th century digital divide linger in some populations: The digital divide is not indeed a clear single gap which divides a society into two groups. Researchers report that disadvantage can take such forms as lower-performance computers, lower-quality or high price connections (i.e. narrowband or dialup connection), difficulty of obtaining technical assistance, and lower access to subscription-based contents. I personally remember the excitement in my house when we first had dial-up access. Being rural, this is still all we can access, and it has nothing to do with being affluent. Providers are simply not willing to invest in the infrastructure. A general trend in the sources I consulted also reflected that this was the case in low-income neighbourhoods across towns and cities of any size in the United States. For further consultation, I will include these resources at the end of this post. Bridging the GapSince internet access and usage has become almost inseparable from a quality civic life, it is really important that solutions be explored to meet the needs of low- or no-access households. This includes rural and low-income housing, as well as the often-forgotten disabilities access (which, according to my resources, suffers from an abysmal and lacking discussion, at best). Some common programs beginning to be implemented:
Bringing This All Together: How Does This Apply to Me & You?A common assumption now is that everyone has access to technology. Implicit in that assumption is the secondary assumption that everyone has access to high-speed internet that can support all the flashy visuals and graphics that we have become so used to. The first thing as a teacher is to get rid of this assumption altogether. Do not build your lesson plans to focus exclusively on a computer-based assignment. Removing this necessity from your computers not only removes any situation where a student may feel dis-empowered or discriminated against for not having internet/technology access, but also allows both student and teacher to open themselves up to more creative (and perhaps more expressive and meaningful) modes of reflection and learning. The second thing is to allow class time (or through an offer to run/monitor an after-school computer lab) for computer work. Computer and internet literacy is a requirement to function in our society. While it is not safe for teachers to assume that all students have equal access to quality technology and internet, we cannot ignore obligations to equip our students with necessary skills to function in society. Personally, I feel it would be my responsibility to implement some kind of after-school program if the school I am employed or placed in did not have that option already. It's such a simple thing to run in terms of extracurricular responsibilities, but so absolutely imperative to the technological and cultural literacy our students need to have to carry them successfully through their future. What are your thoughts? Do you have other ideas to strike a balance between technology integration and unsafe assumptions? Resources
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I just finished responding to a question posed in my educational psychology class that asks how my knowledge of cultural shifts in Canada inform my future teaching practices or ways in which you approach instruction/assignments in class. Just prior to this, the class came up with at least 20 entries each for shifts in family, school and cultural shifts in Canada that have occurred within the last fifty years (at least).
Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I haven't answered the question at all. Below is my response. Let me know what you think! Challenge me where you do not agree. Show me how I can add to it. When I consider all the issues that came up in class with regards to familial, academic and societal shifts, the job of teacher seems daunting at best, to be honest. It seems almost impossible to contend with or attempt to include a space in the classroom where all these issues can safely and neatly fit while still leaving room for the students themselves to grow and explore. Simply being tolerant is not enough; as teachers, we must also learn the art of living in peace with others (and teach our students to do the same). I can never hope to fully understand all the extenuating circumstances surrounding a particular student or situation, but I can do my best to remind myself with each word I write or speak that I have a responsibility to teach my students how to talk about differences as if they are normal. As if every little thing is normal, accepted and not hiding in some deep dark closet of our minds so that we do not think of or discuss it because it makes us uncomfortable, angry or afraid. To assign acceptance or normal to every single thing I discuss with my students, to not have to justify a person’s circumstances because of their status as, say, a different colored human being or a human being with learning exceptionalities or someone who is homosexual, bisexual, pansexual … the list goes on. My point is, if I assign acceptance rather than judgement to differences, I believe I am teaching my students the art of living in peace. To assign acceptance rather than judgement, in my view, is to consider that each student comes to the class with a whole world in their hearts and minds that I will only just tap into in my short time with them. It is to consider that maybe a stricter consequence in one instance is too much, because the student in question was hiding under their bed to avoid listening to their parents fight. It is to consider that the quiet student in my class doesn’t have near the same vocabulary as other students her age because she has lived in three different countries before she came to me. It is to understand that my world is not THE world, and to get my students to understand the same. I feel as if I have been thinking too much today, so maybe I have just put words onto a page that are inaccurate or insensitive. What are your thoughts? I am coming off a wonderful high of especially spectacular group work and collaboration today. This morning was primarily spent participating in the microteaches of fellow classmates. Shout out to Dan Lafferty, Lauren Grover, Andrew Crabbe and Ian Cooke for doing such a wonderful job! Let's talk about this group work, though. The microteaches were all centered around a different KSA that we as teachers have to work towards and adhere to in our teaching career. In every instance, our teachers did not simply rattle off some information about these KSA's to us for 15 minutes -- they had us work together to learn it ourselves.
- considering formative and summative assessment results in my classroom; if students are continually struggling with material, repeated difficulties and stumbling blocks apparent in formative/summative assessment will indicate where my teaching needs to be improved - accessing my PLN or other teachers in the school to evaluate/audit my teaching
Then, I topped my day off by spending 3.5 hours with the lovely Kim, Johannah and Cheyenne working on a group lesson that is sure to be informative and thought-provoking -- the No-Zero Debate! If you haven't heard anything about this, Google it. I'll even make a pause in this wall of text for you to take a moment and Google it. This is a picture of what your screen should look like right now. I'll give you a moment to come back to me. After that refreshing Google break, let me tell you why all of this rocked my socks.
I have spent the last few weeks among a group of inspired, passionate, motivated people who are all looking to better the world with their existence. It has been absolutely rewarding, entirely insightful and extremely refreshing to be around this kind of enthusiasm all the time. We are students, teachers, colleagues and friends. We are on level with each other. From this group of people come some super juicy ideas, viewpoints and perspectives I had never considered and resources and strategies that I would love to make my own. I have so much to learn from these people. The group projects we have now and the group projects we'll share in our future are going to have me always reconsidering my stance - am I truly being fair and just? Can I incorporate that method to make this lesson better?. It will force me to consider whether what I bring to the table is ultimately the best professional I can present. This group of people will constantly be making me think about how I can be a better teacher. Similarly, I look forward to (and have already enjoyed) the ability to help my fellow students be the best they can be. How lucky I am to be a part of this To begin with, I would like to include the video that was shared in class and which inspires and informs this post: In this video, Ned outlines his "Gr8 8" -- the set of conditions under which he (and ostensibly, most students) receive an optimal learning experience. In this video, simply laid out, is a formula teachers can use to create a Powerful Learning environment -- all they have to do is substitute themselves into the equation. One simply has to ask themselves how they will make each of these Great 8 possible. In this post, that is fully what I intend to do. Admittedly, this is a bit difficult, given that particular approaches may not always be age appropriate. I don't know what sort of situations or educational backgrounds my future students will have. There are so many things I won't know about each group of students I meet, at least not right away. But in my response to this video, I would like to share some general ideas of what my Great Eight will look like. A Teacher's Great Eight1. How will I make my students feel okay? I think the most important part of this has to do with the relationship established with the students in the first few weeks of class. I hope to engage in a lot of ice-breaking activities with my students so they will feel like part of a community. When students are feeling more comfortable, I would like to discuss the kinds of behaviors they would benefit from in the classroom. Together, we would come up with a list of class expectations based on these behaviors. Monitoring my students on a day-to-day basis is also important. For me, I would like to have an open-door policy so students can come to me whenever they need to. An after-school program, if not already available at my school, would be something else I would be interested in starting. If school is the only safe place a student has, or they simply don't want to be alone at home, any number of activities or homework help would be available. Additionally, I think it would be beneficial for students to reflect on their days with a daily journal -- completely confidential. This may alert me to anything they are concerned about (home life, grades, bullies, etc.) or at least through general monitoring of writing styles and patterns give me some idea of how the child is doing. Of course, talking to colleagues about students is also key. In some schools, there are lunch programs that have extra food for students who don't have a lunch. If my school does not have a lunch program, I would like to rally my colleagues to start one. Additionally, I would like to keep some lunch snacks on hand just in case. Things like throat lozenges would also be handy. At the very least while my students are in school, they will have what they need to stay reasonably healthy. 2. How will I show my students that what we're doing matters? The nice thing about new textbooks is that they often aspire to make real world connections with the material that students are learning; however, I do not wish to make this my crutch. I think it is a good place to take my cue from in terms of making what the class is learning relevant to their daily lives. The easiest way for me to think about this is to think about how the topics we discuss is relevant to my own life, or the life of my younger siblings, perhaps. If I can consider every lesson thinking about my own real-world applications of it, I'm sure I can find a similar connection in the lives of most of my students. For me to effectively reflect on my own life like that, it seems to demand some degree of really knowing the material I am going to be teaching. Ideally, I would have all the time in the world to read the texts of classes I'm teaching (but never majored in), but that may be too optimistic. This is where a general Google search and my PLN will really empower me. The internet has resources for everything, and so will my PLN. If I can't think of a way to explain something, or am unable to assign a relevant and engaging assignment, I have these resources to turn towards. Considering things from a general perspective now, after discussing a particular topic, a simple assignment to engage the student and show that the material is relevant to their lives is to go home and talk about it with their family. 3. How will I make sure that the way I teach the content allows for an active learning environment for my students? I am a strong believer in group work. I think student discussion and collaboration can go a long way to having students take an active role in learning. This is why I would like to take the opportunity if I can with every concept to have some degree of group work. Even discussion of a particular topic in the lesson can happen in pairs and return curiosities and different perspectives to be shared with the class. Before or after delving into the topic, having students explore some general things about the topic on the internet can be a great way to engage students in hands-on learning and find things they are curious or interested in (for younger grades, perhaps selecting a few general topics they can look up would be better). This sort of exercise doesn't necessarily have to be an assignment so much as a chance to discover the topic. For example, a blog still exists from my Bio 30 class in high school where students had to take turns listing the homework assigned, briefly reviewing the topic and introducing new subject material on the topic that they had researched. Something as simple as this can be engaging for students, and also contribute to the value and skill of blogging in education which 21st century teachers are beginning to explore. 4. How will I make sure that the way I teach the content allows for my students to be challenged? A good way to gauge how students are doing and where you can find weaknesses or strengths in the material you are about to cover is to simply ask at the beginning of the lesson what they (think) they know. Of course, even if students know it, the material still has to be covered if it is in the curriculum. Perhaps a good way to make what they know challenging is to see how they can apply it to new situations after the topic is discussed. This sort of challenge can be posed to students by offering a hypothetical situation or case study they have to consider. In another shape or form, this can be achieved through offering a bonus/puzzle question at the end of the lesson which may require some of the skills of a subsequent lesson, but can still be puzzled at with the skills/knowledge they already have. For students that are struggling with the content, a beneficial arrangement would be to place them alongside a student who understands the material well. In group or pair work, the advanced student can challenge him or her self to teach what they think they know, and the weaker student can reach a level of understanding through the support of his/her peer. 5. How will I make sure that I am a "coach" or guide for my students? First things first: make myself available during class and even outside of class. If students are doing group work or even working individually, that is not necessarily the best time for me to absorb myself in checking emails or marking. I need to wander around the classroom and ask for updates. "How are things coming along?", "Anything you're struggling with?" or "Any questions?" are good ways to start that dialogue. This also offers room for students to share something new they have learned or a different way of thinking -- not exactly related to this Great Eight topic, but a boon for the classroom nonetheless. It is imperative that I take the time to go through the examples with my class and one on one with students who are struggling with the material. It clarifies to myself in the students what sorts of things I will be looking at if I quiz/test them, but also offers them a platform to make mistakes and ask questions. In my Ed 2500, I found a nice way to do this in math was to walk students through four or five examples as a class. Then, I would give a few questions that students had to solve on their own. Upon completion individually, we would discuss the questions and write them on the board -- offering the chance for student volunteers to come up and do the problem for the class, or by asking different students step-by-step how to solve the question. I think this sort of approach can be adapted for almost any subject matter. 6. How will I make sure that the content learned is constantly in use by my students? I think finding ways to apply new knowledge to what students have already learned is important and ensures that what they learned in the past is still being considered in the present. To be quite honest, #6 and #7 are two of the Great Eight that I am struggling with trying to address at this point in my teaching career. I don't want to be that teacher that pulls out a review sheet whenever I see students getting rusty. In some cases, the nature of the content itself guarantees that information students have previously learned will be in constant use (basic physics formulas, for example). In classes like English or Social, I struggle to find a way to consider how constant use of content can be accomplished. Is it as simple as asking students to look at current content through the eyes of perspectives studied in past content? Readers, your input here would be valuable! 7. How will I make sure my students think back on what they've learned? I think a way to continue making things relevant to students is to reference what we're learning currently to topics that we have discussed in previous units or even in different subjects. If I have done my job correctly, I have already made that material relevant to my students -- tying current information to that already is one way to do things. Asking students to share with a partner or group one or two things they learned that was interesting from the lesson or unit is a fast and simple way to ask students to think back. Once again, I personally struggled in trying to think about how I would have my students actively engage in the review process outside of doing worksheets, so I turned to the internet. This blog post has a couple of neat ideas and this site offers a number of games that can be easily adapted for basic review (not review for an upcoming test). Additionally, and very basically, periodic reviews through simple review sheets can briefly jog students' memories. Another option may be to ask students to briefly peruse a crib sheet and share with a partner one thing they had forgotten. 8. How can I encourage my students to plan their next steps based on the lessons we engage in together? I don't see why this sort of reflection can't be achieved through class discussion upon completion of a unit, or even as new ways of living or thinking occur in different lessons. Having students ask themselves if this is something they would like to introduce into their own life is a good start to having them plan their next steps and build on what they have learnt -- perhaps this can be shared in a performance/presentation assignment for the class. If students wish to be more private, the daily or weekly journal may be another option. I am not an expert or even a full teacher yet. I am pre-service. I don't have the answers and my responses to each of Ned's "Gr8 8" reveal that. I do think I have a good start and that the ideas I present will encourage a collaborative, positive and supportive learning environment. This is the sort of post I would love to revisit as I encounter more teaching and lesson planning strategies. There's nowhere to go but up.
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Meagan Fullerton-LeeMeagan is an aspiring teacher, voracious reader, tentative motorcyclist, and passionate gardener. In all things she sees education. Here she shares her passions. Archives
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