Addressing the Digital Divide

Although, we all discuss the importance and the positive effects of educational technology on learners, it is easy to overlook the schools and the learners who are still struggling with some technology that many of us may consider obsolete. We don’t have to look at impoverished countries to see the level of the digital divide; we can even find it here, at home in major cities in the U.S. The technological divide is not only present among American schools, but also as to how our students are rated when compared to other countries. The goal of education is to have our students compete not only in the local job market, but also globally.

A group of leading educational organizations around the world are collaborating as part of the Global Learning Consortium to construct an outline of Digital Learning Services Standards to conform to new standards of educational technological tools. Currently, Florida Virtual School and the New York City Department of Education are supporting this framework (http://www.imsglobal.org/). This can help in generating some technological standards, which can affect how technological tools are distributed in schools and incorporated successfully as part of a learning environment.

For my multimedia presentation, I looked at cloud computing, where some of the tools are almost free or free. However, as Dr. Soloway noticed, the problem of open source technology is that many schools don’t have the infrastructure to support these technologies. Surprisingly, many times it will be a teacher considered to be “knowledgeable in computers,” or some other volunteer. The blame will be on the technology rather than on the insufficient time and knowledge to maintain it.

The BBC (17 January 2011) published an article regarding a UK government scheme to promote million of users in the UK to use the Internet, by offering free support through centers, selling cheap computers, offering IT training, and even promoting a computer recycling scheme. The article states that, according to a research, “going online can save people around £560 a year and that thousands of jobs are offered exclusively online” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12205412). However, what will happen when the finances for this initiative run out? Many new users will have technology they cannot use, and will return to the main problem of how to continuously support the infrastructure. This reminds me of another government program, the cash for clunkers car-buying stimulus bill, where there was a divide between who can afford a new car and who cannot!
According to Pew research, there are more users of cell phones than desktops. Therefore, Dr. Soloway suggests incorporating smart-phones as an educational tool, which can be the most feasible solution to incorporating technology.

(http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Generations-and-gadgets.aspx)

According to the graph and chart, smart phones and hand-held devices will send desktop PCs to the obsolete area on the McLuhan's Tetrad and they will be the better option for providing a connection through the Internet. Furthermore, by incorporating into the classrooms, it can be seen as a breaker of the “have and have-not” technological tools.

A good example of how mobile technology is opening social networks for education is observed in an article published by Erin Conway-Smith (July 22, 2010). “Teaching with Cell Phones” in South Africa shows an impoverished neighborhood where students can connect through the Internet to any math volunteer tutor locally or globally. The article “Cell phone learning”, states that it uses the students’ own technology, which is always at hand. According to Vosloo’s research, among urban youth, 90 percent have access to cell phones and around 70 percent of those are GPRS-enabled phones, which are preferred for mobile learning”
(http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/education/100720/south-africa-teaching-cell-phones).


Reference:

Soloway, E. (n.d.) The digital divide: leveling the playing field [Podcast]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/14936/CRS-WUEDUC8812-3730077/EDUC_8848_PK_Transcript.pdf

Thornburg, D. (2009). Diversity and Globalism. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5828341&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

Bill Kerr questions learning theories on his Blog, and especially asks how can we choose from all of the learning theories? We should cherry-pick different useful ideas out of the various theories according to what and who we are educating. Theories do evolve and interlace; the behaviorist aspects can even be observed through games associated with cognitive and constructivist theories. A game’s intent depends on understanding the motivation verses the reaction behavior of the player. An example is a player’s decisions in the game which are proportional to the rewards gained. Games teach behavior by reinforcing positive rewards. George Siemens underlines this on his website: “Constructivism suggests that learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences (Driscoll, 2000, p. 376). Behaviorism and cognitivism view knowledge as external to the learner and the learning process as the act of internalizing knowledge.”
My goal is to enhance knowledge through understanding and interest rather than pure memorization. I would like my students to be able to learn how to construct knowledge independently and be able to place it in context. To achieve this goal, I evaluate the outcomes through assessing the learning progression of the students and by evaluating the students’ interest through their engagement in the class. Some projects are done individually and some are done as part of a collaborative effort to simulate the working environment outside of the classroom. I provide the guidance on how to use and assess the needed tools and take on the role of an adviser and guide for the students to achieve the optimum results. Since each student comes to the class with a varied knowledge base, through individualized and collaborative projects, they construct and enhance individual knowledge skills.
The information technology age and especially the advancement of mobile devices have changed the working environment. Neither the employee nor the students are confined to a particular location or time to work or study. Due to the ubiquitous and mobile nature of technology, work and school have become “anytime and everywhere.” With that, the expectations of the employee have changed. The employee is required to have cognitive skills, be problem solvers and able to work in a collaborative and dynamic communication driven environment. Therefore, Karl Kapp is correct to state on his blog: “We need to take pieces from each school of thought and apply it effectively.”

Reference:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and About: Discussion on Educational Schools of Thought. Retrieved December 23, 2009, from : http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). Retrieved December 23, 2009, from : http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Siemens, G. (2004, December 12). A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved December 23, 2009, from : http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm