Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The New Digital Divide
The article Blocking Web 2.0 Tools in Schools: Creating a New Digital Divide discusses not an economic divide for student access to technology, but a filtering divide. Many school districts are blocking vital Web 2.0 tools that prevent teachers and student from these resources. Tools such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, and Google Docs are preventing students from valuable collaboration. This is not an economic divide, because most Web 2.0 tools are free. The article encourages us to lobby for equal access. There are schools that are using these tools successfully. They should be examples for the argument. There should also be a push for teaching proper use of these tools, but if they are blocked, you can’t teach them.
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Isn't it crazy that we are so closely monitored for tools that can be so beneficial to learning? I had to get "special permission" to access youtube.com so that I could use a specific music clip when I was teaching my Poetry Unit. You would think I was inviting the President to my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to see schools arguing for the sake of the students' learning. In order to prepare the whole child for the future of technology, we (teachers) and they (students) must be trusted to navigate properly and utilze the tools necessary. If we cannot provide these skills for them, who can?