Becoming Connected
"People do not benefit equally from the affordances or opportunities that technology can provide. People are not all in the same position to access it, learn about it, use it, or even invent it in the first place"-Mary Chayko
Equity in education and resources is a topic I take great interest in. I think it stems from the fact that I grew up in a small agricultural town in Eastern Washington with virtually no diversity. There were essentially Caucasian families and Mexican families. Initially I had a very privileged view of my access to resources. When applying for scholarships to attend college I was increasingly frustrated with the stipulation in so many scholarships that you must be related to someone working in the agricultural industry or child of a migrant worker. I was spending my time saying poor me I am none of those things instead of realizing why those stipulations were on those scholarships in the first place. They were necessary for equity. I unknowingly had access to so much more then my fellow Mexican classmates. Reading chapter 5 of Mary Chayko's Superconnected I was reminded of this memory.
Access to technology has become a requirement of society in the United States. Our children are born surrounded by technology. My daughter's doctor gave me a sheet of information on my then one year old and what we might see her doing and what we should be doing with her as well. Clearly stated on the sheet was "children under 2 years old should not be watching television or using computers/tablets/ipads". While I wasn't shocked to see this I did feel like how am I suppose to keep her away from it. It is everywhere, in stores and peoples homes. She was already naturally showing interest in forms of technology at that point. Heck, a kids nursery rhyme video was how I got her to stop her crying fit after waking up from her Hip Dysplasia procedure at 8 months old. That access to Internet and technology helped me solve a problem I wasn't able to solve. It was the only thing that calmed her down after an hour of crying.
I think of my students and how technology and Internet is used at home. With a what Chayko calls a digital divide between them and their parents often times, how can students be expected to use it properly if their parents have never been taught. For me I was born in 1990 I remember my first introduction to computers. I remember learning Microsoft word and PowerPoint. Growing up with it in my school it became natural to use technology. The skills I learned and comfort level seemed to match every other form of technology I have faced since. My dad came from the generation and time of no computers or cell phones. He still has a flip phone with no Internet and doesn't use computers despite many offers to teach him. My mother however learned how to use cell phones and computers from her children.
I wonder how our nation can better serve those communities and people that wish to use technology but are unable to afford it? "When a nation does make a commitment to bring affordable Internet access and equipment to large portions of the population, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and their members can benefit greatly." (Chayko, 2017) Technology and Internet brings opportunity to communicate, learn, and teach. We can't expect people to know how technology works and use it if we don't teach them and provide equal access to it. I agree with Chayko's thoughts that more equitable access to Internet/technology can help bridge the divisions our world is facing.
Thinking as a teacher I am trying to remind myself of my privilege being that I am a Caucasian with access to Internet and technology. Remembering that I grew up with technology and was able to learn essentially alongside my teachers. thinking of it now I know they must have been learning to use it as well behind the scenes. I think that is how I want to think of it even today is that I am learning alongside them. I am learning to make my classroom more equitable in as many ways as I can.
Equity in education and resources is a topic I take great interest in. I think it stems from the fact that I grew up in a small agricultural town in Eastern Washington with virtually no diversity. There were essentially Caucasian families and Mexican families. Initially I had a very privileged view of my access to resources. When applying for scholarships to attend college I was increasingly frustrated with the stipulation in so many scholarships that you must be related to someone working in the agricultural industry or child of a migrant worker. I was spending my time saying poor me I am none of those things instead of realizing why those stipulations were on those scholarships in the first place. They were necessary for equity. I unknowingly had access to so much more then my fellow Mexican classmates. Reading chapter 5 of Mary Chayko's Superconnected I was reminded of this memory.
Access to technology has become a requirement of society in the United States. Our children are born surrounded by technology. My daughter's doctor gave me a sheet of information on my then one year old and what we might see her doing and what we should be doing with her as well. Clearly stated on the sheet was "children under 2 years old should not be watching television or using computers/tablets/ipads". While I wasn't shocked to see this I did feel like how am I suppose to keep her away from it. It is everywhere, in stores and peoples homes. She was already naturally showing interest in forms of technology at that point. Heck, a kids nursery rhyme video was how I got her to stop her crying fit after waking up from her Hip Dysplasia procedure at 8 months old. That access to Internet and technology helped me solve a problem I wasn't able to solve. It was the only thing that calmed her down after an hour of crying.
I think of my students and how technology and Internet is used at home. With a what Chayko calls a digital divide between them and their parents often times, how can students be expected to use it properly if their parents have never been taught. For me I was born in 1990 I remember my first introduction to computers. I remember learning Microsoft word and PowerPoint. Growing up with it in my school it became natural to use technology. The skills I learned and comfort level seemed to match every other form of technology I have faced since. My dad came from the generation and time of no computers or cell phones. He still has a flip phone with no Internet and doesn't use computers despite many offers to teach him. My mother however learned how to use cell phones and computers from her children.
I wonder how our nation can better serve those communities and people that wish to use technology but are unable to afford it? "When a nation does make a commitment to bring affordable Internet access and equipment to large portions of the population, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and their members can benefit greatly." (Chayko, 2017) Technology and Internet brings opportunity to communicate, learn, and teach. We can't expect people to know how technology works and use it if we don't teach them and provide equal access to it. I agree with Chayko's thoughts that more equitable access to Internet/technology can help bridge the divisions our world is facing.
Thinking as a teacher I am trying to remind myself of my privilege being that I am a Caucasian with access to Internet and technology. Remembering that I grew up with technology and was able to learn essentially alongside my teachers. thinking of it now I know they must have been learning to use it as well behind the scenes. I think that is how I want to think of it even today is that I am learning alongside them. I am learning to make my classroom more equitable in as many ways as I can.
As I read your post, I am reminded of the intersections of race + class and how often many people of color are low income and often many white folks have higher wages than POC. Interestly enough, in the "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture:Media Education for the 21st Century" report the authors state that Pew Research did not find significance difference between people from different races who use technologies. Yet, the most significant factor was income. Which bring it back to the point you made about making technology more accessible and equitable for folks, both in the United States and globally.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your careful thinking here about access and the support that children need and how those things are related. The advice about access to screens is shifting to focus more on *what* children are doing on screens rather than screen time itself. We looked at some early childhood links in class. Have you seen the resources of the Joan Cooney Ganz center? https://joanganzcooneycenter.org/
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