According to Wikipedia the Digital Divide is “the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology and those without access to it.” This gap can be socioeconomic, physical, generational, or just about anything else a social scientist can dream up.
While the Digital Divide issue has been connected with some of our society’s greater social problems we are beginning to see new and interesting gaps in the Digital Divide as our culture adapts to new technologies. An editorial in Teacher Librarian discusses the issue of some school districts blocking access to Web 2.0 tools on school/library computers. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have been banned to prevent cyber socializing. Even highly productive tools like Google Docs, blogs, Flickr, and wikis have been banned in some school districts.
School districts should not focus their energies on preventing students from using Web 2.0 tools. Rather, they should teach students how to effectively use these applications to make work more efficient and collaboration more effective. In a sense school districts that practice the banning of Web 2.0 tools have created a gap for their students and faculty in the great Digital Divide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide
Esther, Rosenfeld. "Blocking Web 2.0 tools in schools: creating a new digital divide." Editorial. Teacher Librarian 35.3 (2008): 6.
Memo to Stevens Point School District: The Digital Divide
The Digital Divide is the gap between those with the ability to utilize technology and those who do not. These gaps can be socioeconomic, physical, generational, cultural, or a result of censorship. In order to guarantee an equal and contemporary education to students in the Stevens Point School District we must establish a plan of action that will keep our students competitive. I have outlined six recommendations that will help the Stevens Point School District stay current in the Digital Age.
Recommendation #1: Self-Study
In order to find out where the Stevens Point School District stands in the Digital Divide we must first look within. A Self-Study Task Force should be formed in order to evaluate the technological offerings of the Stevens Point School District. Some questions that should be answered are:
• What is our technological presence? How many computers do we have per pupil?
• What is our technology budget? Where does the funding come from?
• How is technology integrated into the curriculum? Are students formally taught basic Web and computing skills?
• How are teachers using technology in the classroom? Is the use of Web 2.0 tools encouraged?
• Do we have teachers qualified to teach technology skills?
A good resource to generate ideas for a self-study is What Gets Measured Gets Done: A School Library Media and Technology Program Self-Study Workbook.
A good basic guide for a technology evaluation can be found at the National School Board Association Web site: http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/enu.html
Recommendation #2: Environmental Scan
The next step in this process is to form a task force that will gather information and report on the teaching and utilization of technology in school districts with similar funding. The task force should select at least 5 school districts that are leaders in teaching technology. Districts selected for the Environmental Scan should be evaluated on the same criteria used to create the Self-Study report. The reports generated by the Environmental Scan Task Force should be similar in style and format to the Self Study report so that data can be easily compared. The NSBA has a good Web resource that explains the fundamentals of an environmental scan: http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/ts.html
Recommendation #3: Visiting Experts
In order to gain a new perspective on where the Stevens Point School District stands, a small group of experts should be selected to conduct an evaluation of our teaching and utilization of technology. The Stevens Point School District should form a small committee to select and host the visiting group. The visiting group should consist of leaders in the field of Educational Technology. The visiting group should be asked to report on the strengths and weaknesses of the Stevens Point School Districts’ technology program and to make recommendations for improvement.
Recommendation #4: Comparison Report (SWOT Analysis)
After the completion of the Self-Study, Environmental Scan, and Visiting Group reports data from each report should be compared. A task force should be assigned to compare the data from each report and identify strengths and weaknesses in the teaching and utilization of technology in the Stevens Point School District. Wikipedia has a highly detailed explination of a SWOT analysis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis
Recommendation #5: Strategic Plan
Once strengths and weaknesses are identified a plan must be established in order to address problems and enhance strengths. A task force should be assigned with creating a list of specific goals and objectives that will address the weaknesses and compliment the strengths found in the Comparison Report. Each goal an objective should be assigned a deadline for successful completion and/or implementation. The overall completion of the Strategic Plan should be 5 years from the start of implementation. The Northwest Educational Technology Consortium has an excellent presentation that will help you get started on strategic planning: http://www.netc.org/planning/
Recommendation #6: Evaluation
In order to track the progress of the Strategic Plan two evaluations must be conducted. The first evaluation should occur at about 2 ½ years of implementation of the Strategic Plan. The last evaluation should occur at the end of the Strategic Plan. An evaluation committee should be formed to track the progress of the Strategic Plan and to revise goals and objectives as trends shift in educational technology. The National School Board Association provides some basic guidelines for evaluating a stratigic plan: http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/atp.html
As technology becomes more integral part of our culture it is extremely important to ensure that the students of the Stevens Point School District are as tech savvy as those in the most competitive school districts in the country. If steps are taken every 5 years to evaluate, compare, identify, and address strengths and weaknesses in our technological plan, the Stevens Point School District will remain competitive and quickly bridge gaps in the Digital Divide.
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5 comments:
Hi Aaron,
You added an interesting aspect to the debate that I never even thought of. It is so true that a lot of these tools are censored, and I completely agree with you that students should be taught to use these tools in a meaningful way instead of banned from them. We need to teach students the correct way to use these tools or they will just use them on their own, perhaps incorrectly.
Hi Aaron,
Whether to teach students responsibility or limit their access to keep them safe is a heated topic. Unfortunately, for districts that rely on federal funds, there isn't really much room for debate because without approved filtering (censoring) in place, they lose those funds. Although I firmly believe in full access with appropriate education about safety, I am constrained by the filter my district cannot afford to disable.
If we are to change this, then it will have to take place at the federal level.
Aaron, great job! We have also dealt with issues in having web access blocked. In our case it is due to concerns primarily with bandwidth or security but it still has the same negative effects on teaching and learning. Unilateral decisions were made by the IT department to block access to things like Minnesota Public Radio without prior notification. I like your links- especially the 10 Commandments of Technology Planning.
Aaron, Wikipedia seems to have an answer for everything. It’s s shame that some good 2.0 tools have been blocked. In our district, we can get the password and turn off the blocker. It is a shame that districts feel like they need to block these sites. They are just covering themselves from lawsuits dealing with some of these sites. Middle school kids are ruthless with making comments and rumors about people. We have several problems a year dealing with Myspace comments made about students. You post some great recommendations. You have a lot of preplanning before you make a plan. I think that is a smart way to go about it. You need to know what you are jumping into before you jump.
You pose an interesting question early on in your posting - There are enough digital barriers in our schools, Why are we creating more by banning the tools the students use?
I think that educators would be more effective if we went to where the students are instead of forcing them to move in reverse to meet. The problem is that most school's technology is not up to speed with the students.
Thank you for your careful explainiation of how to bridge that part of the gap.
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