What a week, I have been so lost but I think I have finally figured out what I was missing, I have printed out all of the assignments and the Assignment Appendix and now I think I have my roadmap to success in the class.
Now about this important theory. I think the theory of putting technology in every school is somewhat shortsighted. I say this because adding technology to schools is one thing but maintaining them, training the teachers and students to use the technology effectively is a completely different animal. The cost alone is prohibitive as many school districts have found and add to this the time commitment that it takes to bring a faculty member up to par has become prohibitive as well.
Technology in schools is important because the proverbial horse is already out of the barn. If you walk down any street you will see people on their cellphone. We don't have a standard for these phones yet and those who can afford the latest and greatest are ahead of the curve but even grandmas and grandpas at least have a phone that they can make a call and even get pictures of their grandkids on. Add to this the iPad revolution and you see that technology is moving very fast and schools have had to integrate the technology into their curriculum as a way of reaching their students.
As I read more and more about things like access, who has the technology and the security threats that having our lives online I can't say that my thoughts were necessarily changed but I am now even more cautious of the electronic footprint that I am leaving for the world to view.
I am thinking about access to technology all the time and in the future I will research the different ways that other institutions are managing the technology. How are we making sure that every student has a level technology playing field? What part will schools play in ensuring access to the Internet in even the most poor urban and rural communities? I've been working with technology for 15 years and in that time I have seen my students, who come from predominately affluent homes go from only having one computer in the home to everyone having some type of device that they could personally log in to and gain access to online resources. That is my reality but not the reality of the majority of students in this country and so my research will keep an eye on how those people will eventually have access.
The other day I went to Brooklyn NY for a book signing event and one of the women that I met up with has an old school flip phone and her friend actually doesn't even own a phone. I told that story to my 17 year old daughter who has had a phone since 6th grade and she asked, how the woman communicates. I laughed. It is still possible to live in this world without a cellphone or a television or the Internet but it is certainly becoming increasingly more abnormal to do so I think.
· Brown, A.H., Green,
T.D., and Robinson, L.K. (2010). Security vs. access. Oregon: ISTE. ISBN 9781564842640. (K-12)
Excellent post, LeRonda!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are up to speed! It's wonderful to work with you. My mom still has a flip phone and it actually works to our advantage..she is a total Facebook stalker but can't access Instagram so we (the children) have a place to post where mom can't snoop :) We love our mom - she is just over the top at times :)
What do you think?
Dr Courduff
Thank you. It was an uphill climb but I love this subject so it makes it interesting.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, the funny thing is that among my children's friends they are always surprised that I know how to use the technology. I did not friend either of my children on Facebook but they both sent me Friend requests :-) It's odd for us because they were both students at the school where I teach and in my daughter's case we also live on campus so there is no escaping me so I have erected certain boundaries to allow them to have their privacy and to be able to make the same teenager mistakes as their friends. My son took me up on the offer much more than my daughter has. She and I are quite a bit alike and actually look alike so we have grown to laugh about it. I don't snoop around them as much. Although I always warn them that I would if necessary.
Actually recently we all switched phones and although my son lives in Lynchburg and we live in Princeton I still pay his phone bill since he is still a full time student. Anyway, we switched phones and phone companies and some how the phone company sent my son's pictures and text messages to my new phone. I got his calendar as well. It could have been really embarrassing but he's past that phase of his life but he was still caught off guard that I could see pictures of his girlfriend as well as text messages to some of his friends.
Lol!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree LeRhonda. The last few decades have been a technological roller coaster which has led to enormous changes in social behavior. The fact that there are many families who cannot or will not quickly accept all of the latest gadgetry the market offers is a good thing I imagine. I have a unique perspective compared to most Americans - not only did I not have all the toys growing up, but my family did not have access to water or electricity until 2003. I see how technology certainly has its benefits in terms of education (especially for the remotely located, as I was). However, for many affluent families I feel like it could act as a detriment.
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia,
DeleteThank you for responding to my blog. I will have to go back and read your introduction! Where did you live that did not have electricity. That is certainly a challenge that we in tech don't think about often.
It reminds me of a movie that I saw once. An immigrant father had come to America to make a better life for his wife and his son. It took him longer than he thought it would so as his son grew up he would split his time between his father in America and his mother back in their country. Every time the son went to see his mother he would take gifts from the father. and the gifts were always electric appliances. Finally the mother tells the son on his visit, "tell your father that the next time he wants to send me a gift he should send electricity so that I can run all of these fancy appliances" and she opens a cabinet full of toasters, electric coffee makers and irons that she has never used because she doesn't have electricity to do so.
Thank you for sharing.
LeRhonda