Bridging the Digital Divide

Colleen Swain one of the authors of my article specializes in the integration of technology into the daily curricula and distance teaching and learning. Tamara Pearson the second author encompass issues of equity. In their article they talks about the importance of having access to technological devices and being able to use them as much as possible. They gives tips of when, where, and how to manage technology use in classrooms, and how to prepare teachers in using more technology. They also give various resources about funding for technological devices. In addition they mention how important it is for teachers to be prepared with knowledge in the use of technology.

 

I believe they make a good point about the importance of using technology in classrooms. When children have those experiences it is helping them with their development in creating more knowledge about manipulating and using computers or other devices. In addition the devices being used can bring greater benefit to children by them being more creative in doing projects while having access to more resources rather than just paper and colors. With technology children can use technology to make digital stories, videos, and very creative newsletters and presentations in order to present various topics. I liked that she provided the links and resources as to where schools can apply or get funding to purchase more technological devices; I thought that is very helpful for schools and teachers to look in to.

I hope in the future I don’t have to deal with not having a computer in my classroom or maybe not having a computer lab for my students. I think schools in the future might be better equipped with technological devices of all kinds. If not I can always come back to this article and look up some of the resources mentioned or I can do my own research online. But I now know there are positive benefits to using technology in my class as long as my students learn digital citizenship and proper use of technology I think we will be off to a good start.

References

Swain, C., & Pearson, T. (2001). Bridging the digital divide: A building block for teachers. Learning and Leading with Technology, 28(8), 1-13, 59. Retrieved from iste.org