I am starting to realize that many of my 5th grade students do not share my enthusiasm for technology in the classroom. Technology use in school is potentially creating a bigger wedge between the “haves” and the “have-nots”- those who have access to computers in their homes and those who do not. During an impromptu question-and-answer session about the realities of middle school, my students learned that it is a requirement of most middle school teachers that assignments be word-processed. For some of my students this is a serious problem. It was easy for some to advise those who don’t have a computer at home to go to the public library to use the computer. This is not as easy as it sounds. Many of my students are not allowed to leave their homes after school because it is too dangerous. Their parents are worried for their safety. Also, many students in Yonkers are bussed to school. They don’t have the opportunity to stay after school and use the computers in school. This makes the average word-processed book report more difficult than it needs to be.
The program that provides affordable laptops for children in small villages in Africa could be a huge benefit to some of my students in Yonkers. The technological revolution we are currently experiencing is leaving many American students in its wake. All students should have the opportunity to benefit from advances in technology.
Hi,
There are a number of $200-$400 mobile, wireless, laptops about to be released into the US market.
AVUS is one of these. I had a chance to use one this week and I was impressed.
pete
Comment by Pete Reilly — January 17, 2008 @ 12:58 am
First, I thought that this was a great post; it makes you stop and think of the harsh realities others face.
The sad truth is that while it may be difficult to near impossible for some of your students to gain access to computers it is also probably one of the more important things for them to do. Ten or fifteen years ago having computer skills helped you get a good job; today for most jobs it is a requirement.
Comment by kevin brady — January 17, 2008 @ 2:02 am
How true! Even in my small “neighborhood” school, we have students living in multi-million dollar waterfront homes and students whose families scrape by from paycheck to paycheck. The number of students without access to a computer or Internet access is small, but it is a significant concern when designing assisnments or disseminating information to families. We have several Alpha Smarts (portable keyboards with storage for word processing) available for students tio check out. But we can’t count on everyone having Internet access. Also, there are only a couple of computers available for students at the public library. It’s a tough situation. We want to prepare our students to be capable and successful in their 21st century world, but we still can’t give them all of the tools they need.
Comment by Anne Corsetti — January 17, 2008 @ 2:25 am
I agree with the fact that it is not as easy as it sounds to send students off on their own to do a computerized assignment when they don’t have the means to do this. When giving an assignment on the computer in a school like that, it is absolutely vital that students are given ample time to work on the assignment (at least a week). Additionally, these assignments should be group projects because then they can be paired up with other students who have access to this technology at home. Otherwise, the students will be embarrassed that they were unable to do their assignment. Maybe your school can make phone calls or write letters to organizations that sponsor computer donations. That would be a great start to building up your students knowledge of computers, and giving them a taste of what it feels like to be in an environment that offers them the best possible learning scenario.
Comment by Sari Shuster — January 22, 2008 @ 10:47 pm