Chapter 4: Integrating Technology and Creating Change

Focus Question:

What are "digital inequality" and the "participation gap"?

     Digital inequality is the "idea that access to the latest computer technology varies greatly within society with low-income and non-white Americans less likely to be able to afford and use the newest tools."  This means that even adding more machines to a home or school will not diminish this inequality.  The machines added have to be of the "latest" technology.  This digital inequality leads to there existing a participation gap.
     The participation gap means that "the students who lack 24/7 access to the latest technologies lag behind their peers technologically and educationally."  Meaning those students who cannot afford to have the newest software will inevitably fall behind the other students who can afford it.  Due to the fact that in this day and age students practically do everything on the computer, those who "do not have the same experiences navigating the Internet, playing Web-based games, or engaging in online conversations" will end up having "a diminished degree of media and technological literacy."

Tech Tool Link: Edutopia

     Edutopia is described as a website that has "Information and Inspiration for Innovative Teaching in K-12 Schools".  This caught my interest, so I moseyed on over to the website as directed.  I came across an article by Marc Prensky entitled Shaping Tech for the Classroom.  It was quite an interesting read.  Prensky speaks of technology adoption in the classroom as being a four step process.  According to Prensky, "It's typically a four-step process:

• Dabbling.
• Doing old things in old ways.
• Doing old things in new ways.
• Doing new things in new ways."
• 
  
•      Prensky goes on to describe each step.  He describes how, that until recently, we have been in the dabbling stage.  The dabbling stage consists primarily of bringing in some new technologies here and there and simply testing the waters with them.  The next two stages are simply stepping stones: when we get a new version of something familiar (such as a new Mac when we are used to a PC), we typically use the new in the old way.  Some refuse to move on from the old because they are already so comfortable with it.  The last stage is when the technology has been truly adopted into the classroom.  Once we know how to use this new technology in new and innovative ways, there are new and effective ways to do everything!  Introduced are new ways to teach and to learn and to explore!
•      Overall, I found the article amusing, and the website to be quite nice.  The website itself offers more articles to peruse, videos to watch, and educational resources for every grade level.  

Summary and Connections:

     This chapter was full of useful information about moving forward in the classroom with new technologies.  I personally found the section on technology integration issues the most interesting.  The section describes how "successful technology integration is affected by a number of issues that arise within the work of classroom teachers."  Some teachers lack administrative support.  In order to successfully integrate technology into the classroom, teachers generally need professional development training and sufficient resources.  Without administrative support, many teachers are not able to integrate much needed technology because they lack the required training and funds.  According to research, teachers could not get the resources they desired because they were attacking the problem individually rather than coming up with a support group of teachers to push the cause.  
     I personally have witnessed teachers with this predicament.  My mother is a kindergarten teacher and her K-Team have many issues with the new technologies they are being made to use.  When the technology is implemented, a lot of the time, the teachers who are being made to use them do not like the programs they are being forced to use.  I observed an algebra class recently in which the teacher complained about how he was being forced to use a certain math program that he was very against.  It seemed, however, that he was going to do nothing about it but complain.  In order to fix an issue, teachers must band together and face that issue head on.  They need to look at alternatives and come up with an argument of what they collectively think they should be using.  It is in fact the teachers, not the administration, that interacts with the students and knows how they learn and how they are reacting to new technologies. 

Resources:

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2011). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN:10 0-13-159611-X, ISBN:13 978-0-13-159611-5 

Prensky, M. (December 2, 2005). Shaping Tech for the Classroom. In Edutopia. Retrieved February 2, 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/adopt-and-adapt-shaping-tech-for-classroom.