Digital Inequalities at Chattanooga Christian School:
Published on Nov 18, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Digital Inequalities at Chattanooga Christian School:
Do they exist?
" Technology-based learning and assessment systems will be pivotal in improving student learning..." US dept. of Education
Technology and the internet open the world to students. With just a device and access, students can converse with other students around the globe, access unlimited information on any research topic, and collaborate on projects and activities. The US Department of Education published an Educational Technology Plan in 2010. As they say, "The plan recognizes that technology is at the core of virtually every aspect of our daily lives and work, and we must leverage it to provide engaging and powerful learning experiences and content, as well as resources and assessments that measure student achievement in more complete, authentic, and meaningful ways. Technology-based learning and assessment systems will be pivotal in improving student learning and generating data that can be used to continuously improve the education system at all levels. Technology will help us execute collaborative teaching strategies combined with professional learning that better prepare and enhance educators’ competencies and expertise over the course of their careers. To shorten our learning curve, we should look to other kinds of enterprises, such as business and entertainment, that have used technology to improve outcomes while increasing productivity."
Untitled Slide
- "Only with 24/7 access...can we acheieve"
- 14% of American homes do not have 24/7 Internet acess
Connected students have an edge that disconnected students lack. Insert some statistics on this slide about lower achievement for disconnected students. The Educational Technology Plan also says, "Only with 24/7 access to the Internet via devices and technology-based software and resources can we achieve the kind of engagement, student-centered learning, and assessments that can improve learning in the ways this plan proposes. The form of these devices, software, and resources may or may not be standardized and will evolve over time. In addition, these devices may be owned by the student or family, owned by the school, or some combination of the two. The use of devices owned by students will require advances in network filtering and improved support systems." NETP
Photo by photosteve101
Chattanooga = Gig City
- First, fastest, least expensive internet access in US. -- New York Times
- 50x US average internet speed.
When EPB unveiled its Fiber Optic network a few years ago, Chattanooga became the first city in the United States to offer a 1 GB/second residential internet connection. It is as fast as any connection available in the world. At least in 2013. If quality of internet connection truly does impact student performance, our students could be set up to achieve the highest levels of success.
Photo by p_a_h
Free Wifi in public spaces! Digital Inequality Solved???
Chattanooga is also unveiling an initiative to offer Nooganet, free wifi in public spaces such as parks and government buildings. And not just any wifi, but 1 gb/sec wifi. In theory this would mean that anyone can access the internet just by going to a park. There would be no need to buy services at a "free" wifi hotspot. This is a massive step by our local government to reduce the digital divide, but does this really eliminate digital inequality in Chattanooga?
Photo by arne h
1-to-1 Technology plan. No Digital Divide???
At Chattanooga Christian Middle School all students are to bring a device. During the course of the day 1,000 devices K-12 connect to the network. That would include teachers, high school student, middle school students, and the iPad carts in the Elementary school. 100% of our students have access to the internet on a weekly basis. If the digital divide refers only to those students who cannot access the internet, it would seem at first glance that there is no digital divide at Chattanooga Christian School. But is that always true?
Photo by Enthuan
Access =/= quality and usability
Digital inequalities account for the quality of an individual’s access to technology. In this perspective, simply having access to the internet does not necessarily make technology perfect for all students. The quality of the device and the capabilities of the student to use it well both today and in the future must be taken into account. Because of our assumption that all students have access to a functioning device that can connect to the internet, a student who lacks that would be at a great disadvantage when compared to another student.
Photo by pennstatenews
Assumption - device is working
Reality - Broken again
We make several assumptions based on our one to one technology plan and when those assumptions are not true for a student it puts that student at a great disadvantage. We assume that all students have a device that is working each day. However, the reality is that a few of our students come to school with a device that is not working.
Photo by sdobie
Assumption - fix at home
Reality - too expensive, old, or broken to fix
We assume that our students have support at home to get their device fixed as needed. The reality is that for some of our students their device is too broken to fix, to expensive to fix, or that their parents simply will not put forth effort to fix it. Especially for our students who break their devices multiple times.
Photo by kikuyumoja
Action Steps - Tech Team
- Referal to repair company
- Advise parents on lifespan and replacement budget
- Recommend quality cases
Tech team faculty are available for device assistance. We evaluate devices, and assist students in troubleshooting small problems to get their devices in good working order again. For devices that are truly damaged and cannot function due to hardware failure, students are referred to a repair company within walking distance to campus. Advise parents on trends in the life of devices and encourage them to plan and budget for replacement when the usable life of a device is up. Evaluate effective and protective cases and recommend them to families to help the devices survive until the end of their predicted usable life.
Photo by gcaserotti
Access =/= autonomy of use
Another assumption we make is that because students have devices, they can freely access anything we ask them to on the internet. However, that is not true.
Photo by kirk lau
Assumption - freely access websites
Reality - filters block access
Some filtering systems imposed by parents prevent access to certain sites teachers may direct students to visit.
Photo by mihalysoft
Assumption - freely download apps
Reality - restrictions delay access
Restrictions that prevent deleting apps can create delay in students accessing new apps instantly.
Photo by Wesley Fryer
Assumption - internet access at home
Reality - unreliable, broken connections
While most students seem to have consistent internet access at home, some have reported instances where their internet has been down and parents lacked the skills to fix it.
Photo by Jeremiah Ro
Action Steps - Tech team
- Teach parents how to set filters to allow content.
- Allow time for students to access new apps
- Training and/or resources to maintain connectivity at home
As a tech team we can increase our students' autonomy of use. We can provide clear advice to parents on how how to set up filters to allow freedom to access necessary content. In some cases this means encouraging parents to seek forms of monitoring other than filters, for example not allowing devices behind closed doors, etc. We can ask teachers to allow time for students to obtain new apps. We can provide training and/or resources to maintain connectivity at home. This could include providing instructional materials, and recommending reliable service providers.
Access =/= support network
Just because our students' families have provided a device for them, that does not mean that they are prepared to support their students in the use of those devices at home.
Photo by Brandon Koger
Assumption - parents can help
Reality - inexperienced parents
In 2002 about 65% of 25 year olds were online and the percentage was less for older Americans. It was also smaller in the south. So it's probably reasonable to expect that at best, 1/2 of our parents have less than 10 years of experience with the internet. Some much less. They have not received training on internet use, or parenting with the internet. They may be excellent parents, but they are not IT repair experts.
Photo by quapan
Action Steps - Tech Team
- Help desk at school to make up for inexperienced parents
- Foster discussion between skilled and unskilled parents.
In order to support students who do not have a good technology support network at home, the tech team can serve as a resource for both students and parents. We can set up a help desk at school to answer those questions that parents cannot answer. We can also encourage parents who are already part of our parent community to assist each other in working through technical issues. This could be through face-to-face interactions or some kind of online discussion board for parents.
We must pursue Digital Equality
- Teachers depend on access to maximize their integration of technology
- Students get behind when they lack access
- Students need to develop efficiency in using technology and need working devices to achieve this.
It is essential that we pursue digital equality so that all of our students and teachers can be successful.
Teachers resist the integration of technology when they experience students who cannot access what they need to be successful.
Students who lack access fall behind on classwork and struggle to catch up. They may miss important content because they are attempting to fix their device.
Students should be learning how to use their devices to efficiently find, organize, and share information. When they need to figure out a different way to accommodate their device issues, they are not learning to be efficient.
Teachers resist the integration of technology when they experience students who cannot access what they need to be successful.
Students who lack access fall behind on classwork and struggle to catch up. They may miss important content because they are attempting to fix their device.
Students should be learning how to use their devices to efficiently find, organize, and share information. When they need to figure out a different way to accommodate their device issues, they are not learning to be efficient.
