I just wanted to add this personal note:
I finally have my own computer! I shudder to think how long I have gone through college without a computer of my own, and I won't deny that it was pretty hard. Professors (and everyone else for that matter) assume that everyone has a computer, so they assign work accordingly.
There is a lot of frustration in not having a computer of ones own, and there is a certain amount of embarrassment too. You don't want to admit that your one of the only people who doesn't have a computer or internet access at home. I'm writing about this partly because I'm happy to finally be connected (kind of, I still don't have internet at home but my laptop has wireless.) I'm also writing to bring the uneven distribution of technology into conversation.
Teachers can not assume that students have equal access to technology. Technology can be a status symbol, so some students my never even tell you that they don't have a home computer, or that it's hard for them to get computer time.
What can we do for these kids?
About Me
- Chandra Leigh
- I'm a senior music education major at the University of Maine, with a particular affinity for elementary aged children, and a passion for peace studies. I'm easy going and I love to laugh. I'm very open-minded about most anything, to the point where some may say that I'm unrealistic. The truth of the matter is that I do entertain fantastic ideas, but I do it because I revel in possibility, not because I think that it's fact. My vision for the future is a school system where we teach the whole student, not just the academic student. As a teacher, I will do all that I can to ensure that my future students will be life-long learners.
1 comment:
Congratulations on getting your own computer! An excellent point about the unevenness of those with and those who don't have computers.
The equity issue was a huge piece of the original MLTI (laptop) program to provide laptops for ALL kids...not just a few...and to allow them to be taken home to use as well.
You are absolutely correct—we've got to pay attention to those who don't have access to the technology...and hence the learning.
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