With all this new, fabulous technology that we have available I am beginning to feel a little gunshy. I've tried a few (what I felt were easy) assignments in class in Alt. School, and they have bombed with some of the students. It amazes me that in the 21st century there are students who only have computer contact when they are at school--and have little idea how to compose an email, search for a travel destination, or understand how to make a brochure using Publisher (whether or not I've already created a template for them to plug stuff into.) I know I've mentioned before that I sometimes take technology for granted, but it's kind of scary that the seniors for this school year have never had an email address before.
Maybe it's because I'm still (fairly) new to this whole teaching thing, but it would be nice if schools/government could supply computers to those who can't afford them. I would think it could be one of the best ways to enhance learning outside of school and would give students even less of a chance to not get homework done. Especially here in Chaska where there's free wi-fi access around the city! Not to sound too political, but I'm sure some of the $700 billion bailout could be used to fund something like that . . . I don't know if I could find a grant quick enough or with enough cash to help out any senior, but a kindergartner would be more reachable.
Hmmmm, just pondering.
2 comments:
I think you make a great point! I've often thought that it would be a great investment to get computers into the homes of our students who are without. How would you even write a grant for that, though? Overall, our community is very affluent. I don't know how we can try to close the gap.
The technology divide can pose a serious obstacle to our society . . . it used to be that you could have access to information whether you were a "have" or a "have not" -- but with so much information online, it is not as easy for the "have nots" to access it. I believe that this is not only detrimental to them, but to society as a whole.
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