The Digital Divide (BJ4)

With these first few weeks of using Twitter, especially it being the first time I have ever had a twitter account, I can honestly say that I am enjoying all the information that is available to me. I have followed many, many educators that have first-hand experience with their teaching classrooms, and politicians who are very informed with educational policy. I am learning about different aspects of my chosen profession that I didn't even knew existed. Mostly, I have been interacting with Vicki Davis, a woman who has her own blog called "Cool Cat Teacher." I haven't had direct interaction with her, but I have retweeted some of her things because they are just so insightful. For example, she blogged about the idea of being childlike instead of childish, which was very interesting to me because I had never tried to separate the two ideas before, but she gave an excellent description and used her experiences in the classroom to help her case. Also, she tweets about other articles that she has read, like the top ten apps that teachers should use, that I also find very intriguing. While the tweets are not beneficial right now, I am retweeting them because when I start to honestly think about my career, I will go back to these resources. So, my benefits from my experiences with Twitter are more of a long term benefit system. For sure, though, these tweets will help me as a teacher to stay fresh on new ideas and ultimately give my students all the tools that I know so that they can succeed.

The digital divide is this idea that some students are more advanced in technology because of its availability to them than others who may not be as fortunate. So, while one group of children can excel with their use of technology, others cannot because they lack the access and resources. In a school setting, the digital divide affects student success by making it easier for the first group of students to succeed. For example, I am observing a second grade classroom with one of my other education classes. In the classroom, each student has his own laptop, which is good because it puts all the students on the same level of technology. On the internet, the children play math games and reading games that allow them to advance and hone their skill. If the students weren't provided with the technology, then the ones that had access could do these games, but the ones who didn't couldn't, affecting their skill level which ultimately leads to success. Moreover, I think that some causes of the digital divide include socioeconomic class, geographical location (if you live in a very rural area that is more farm based, for example), and parent input - some parents won't allow their children to be on technology. All of this helps widen the divide between students. As a classroom teacher, I want to model my teaching strategies around what my classroom has - a big or small divide. At the beginning of the term, I will ask parents the level of technology they have access to regularly, and I will judge my lessons and homework accordingly. Also, I will try to keep most technology based lessons in the classroom instead of homework, and by doing so, it will allow the children to get comfortable with technology.

One academic software I would implement in my classroom is the pretty standard Microsoft Office, including Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc. These tools aid in creating and relaying ideas, and with students, these would be in the form of assignments, quizzes, tests, and presentations. I want to use Microsoft Office because I think it encompasses the most basic technology skills that a person can have. By using this in my class, my students will hopefully have the most basic computer skills that they can use in the workforce when they grow up. Another software I want to use is Adobe Creative Cloud, including InDesign, Photoshop, and Lightroom. These are the basic Adobe programs, but they are harder to use. I want to teach my students how to use them so that when they get older, they already have this skill that can make them more admirable for employers. Also, a lot of people use these programs as side jobs with photography and design to make a little extra money. If my students want to do that or need a job like it, then they will know the skills that they need.