My Life in Education

This past semester has been extremely eye opening for me. I have learned so much about myself as an individual and as a future teacher. Going through the foundations block has truly been so rewarding for me, and I finally feel that I am truly where I belong. My favorite types of classes are ones that get me to think about topics that we discussed in class, outside of class and on my own time; and that’s exactly what the classes in the foundations block, especially educational psychology, did for me.

This course took more of a psychological approach (hence the name) to teaching, and since I am very interested in psychology as well as education, this course really hit home for me. Looking back over the semester, there were so many topics that we discussed in class that I found interesting. The topic that I liked the most, and wanted to learn more about, was the digital divide that is found in education. “The digital divide refers to the gap that exists between those with ready access to information and communication technology tools and those without such access or skills to enable access”(Naidoo 2012).  Many students in schools today “have limited access to technology at home or in their communities”(Woolfolk 430). This split in access to technology also adds to the definition of digital divide. It is astonishing to me that there is this much of a divide in access to technology and even more of a shock, are the affects this divide has on academic performance.

The digital divide in education has a tremendous impact on the academic achievement of students, but it has not always been this way. Before the emergence of technology in our society, the digital divide was referred to only as the separation among individuals with and without telephone access. By the 1990s however, the meaning of the term had changed. It was at that time that it began to be used to describe the division between individuals with and without internet access. The idea of the digital divide was changing with the times and since technology was getting more popular in society, it was only a matter of time before it started to take over education.

In society, the digital divide goes unnoticed for the most part. In education however, it is impossible to go unnoticed. According to recent studies and reports, the digital divide is still very much a reality today. In class, we were shown a keynote address given at the Internet Governance Forum by Lee Rainie, discussing the digital divide that exists in 2016. He explained that the digital divide is as large as it has ever been and will continue to get larger. In his keynote he explains that more than 85% of individuals in households that the average income is between $75,000 and $150,000+, have consistent access to some form of technology and/or internet access. Compared to less than 55% of individuals who have consistent access to technology, that come from households with an average incomes below $30,000. This shows how the digital divide is directly related to the achievement gap and in turn, academic performance.

Before I go any further here, I want to make one thing clear. I realize that there is a digital divide present in education and more often than not, students that suffer from this digital divide are also on the wrong side of the achievement gap. These facts are not lost on me. However, I believe that there are ways to close the achievement gap without handing out technology to every student. I think that by removing technology from the students possession, and the importance of it from the their minds, will only produce positive results and in turn close the digital divide. There is a place for technology in the classroom, and that is in the teachers possession. Technology should be used for instruction and student access to it, or lack thereof, should not determine academic performance.

Individuals who want to increase the amount of technology in the classroom in an effort to bridge the digital divide argue that technology improves literacy, democracy, social mobility, economic equality, and economic growth. “New technologies shape information, communication, and collaboration dynamics”(Radovanović 2015). However, others say that too much technology will only lead to problems. “Dealing with all of this stimulation might make children better at multitasking, but also worse at deeper thought processes such as developing perspective-taking skills and understanding the plot, theme, and sequence of the story”(Woolfolk 430).

Like I said, I am mostly against the use of technology in schools by the students. Of course this excludes the use of computers in a lab or projectors and smart boards to teach with. I have no problem with these types of technology, but technology that is given out to each of the individual students is where I draw the line. I mean I am a physical education major…what do you expect? Technology is killing the very principle I stand for. Besides that, giving each student a piece of technology to use opens so many opportunities for distraction.

I understand why it is present though. “Current legislative mandates, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, have increased the demand on school districts to provide every child with access to high-quality education and close the achievement gap”(Mouza 2008). Schools often think that the only way to close the achievement gap is to throw money and resources at the under preforming students. This sometimes works and there are great results when it does. In a study that “examined the implementation and outcomes of a laptop program initiative in a predominantly low-income, minority school” the results were amazing. “Results of the study revealed that in the hands of well prepared teachers, laptops enabled disadvantaged students to engage in powerful learning experiences”(Mouza 2008).

Unfortunately, after my time in class and the time I have spent further researching ways to bridge the digital divide, I am still torn on the issue. In class we talked about so many of the awesome resources educators have when it comes to using technology in the classroom and I would love to see them used to the fullest extent of their capabilities. I think technology has a place in the classroom, but like most things, it has to be used in moderation.

References:

Woolfolk, A. (2014). Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition. Pearson.

Rainie, L. (2016, July 14). Digital Divides 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/07/14/digital-divides-2016/

Mouza, C. (2008). Learning with Laptops: Implementation and Outcomes in an Urban, Under-Privileged School. Journal Of Research On Technology In Education, 40(4), 447-472.

Radovanović, D., Hogan, B., & Lalić, D. (2015). Overcoming digital divides in higher education: Digital literacy beyond Facebook. New Media & Society,17(10), 1733-1749. doi:10.1177/1461444815588323

Naidoo, S., & Raju, J. (2012). Impact of the digital divide on information literacy training in a higher education context. South African Journal Of Libraries & Information Science, 78(1), 34-44.

I have learned so much this semester. About both myself and the profession of teaching. At the beginning of the semester, I defined effective teaching as a teacher who is able to connect with students and take on the roles of a mentor, friend, parent/guardian and know the most appropriate time to be each role. Now at the end of the semester, my definition has not changed much. I still believe that this is what an effective teacher does day in and day out. There are a few things that I have added to this definition after going through the block this semester. For instance, effective teaching requires flexibility and the willingness to always be learning. Students teach teachers too and you can learn a lot from kids. Being open and realizing that the role of the teacher is forever changing is very important as well. Also, the importance of making personal connections with the students to be an effective teacher is second to none.

This video talks about what effective teachers do and what qualities they possess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PskKsIsOAQ

This course has helped me in so many ways, it is hard to just talk about a few. When it comes to the teacher standards that this course helped prepare me for, two of them stand out in particular. They are Teachers communicate well and Teachers know how to teach. Both of these standards include the use of technology in the classroom. Technology is a great resource for teachers to improve their connections with students and is also a way to communicate with students that they find exciting. Knowing how to effectively communicate, both verbally and nonverbally, with students is extremely important as a teacher; and this class has helped me improve my communication skills. This course also taught me multiple different instructional strategies; all of which encourage a students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

The most significant thing that I learned this semester is the method of backward design. Backward Design is a process that teachers can use to design learning experiences that begins with the objective. This objective is what students are expected to learn and/or be able to do at the end of the unit or course. The teacher then proceeds “backward” to create lessons that achieve those desired goals. I love this video from class and I think it explains backward design really well.

I think that backward design is the most significant and most valuable thing that I learned this year because of how it can be used in physical education. Backward design can’t only be used in physical education, but it should be used in order to set realistic goals. Not many instructional strategies translate well to P.E. but backward design definitely does.

Finally, I plan on continuing to use this blog to talk about my feelings towards education as I continue to move closer and closer to becoming a teacher. This blog truly helps me talk about the things I am going through and is a great stress reliever. I am also going to make my social media accounts look more professional. Not that there is anything on there right now that makes me look bad, but there are things I can do to market myself better in the eyes of a future employer and my future students.