Like many questions – the answer may depend on who you ask. As a person who enjoys access to the most recent forms of technology and its benefits, I would be inclined to say yes. As an educator who has worked in community schools (and suburban schools) where students and their families have varied degrees of access to both devices and internet, as well as a wide spectrum of skills to put the technology to use, I might be inclined to say no. Anecdotally, it seems obvious that the “Tech Divide” follows the same fault line as other societal divides in our society. It seems to disproportionately affect those that are disadvantaged in other ways. Assuming these anecdotes can be supported by research, the answer would be very clearly a resounding no in terms of technology leading to a more equitable society. This is supported by the Amundson and Ko article (2021) where they stated, “The shift to remote learning was a blow to many students who were already vulnerable”. In other words, while some students were able to enjoy success while learning from home, many who were already vulnerable became even more so. What technology appears to have done is allow those of us who are privileged enough to maintain our “bubbles”, enabling us to forget and overlook those who were less privileged. For many technology simply further enabled a divide that was already in place. As I side in the opening – an answer typically depends on who you ask, and I think there are many that would say that technology has indeed granted them equity. Both the Benetech article as well as Amundson and Ko speak to this in detail. In Saskatchewan K-12 schools, there are many examples of technology being used to bring equity in the classroom. A simple but powerful example are the translation tools that assist our many English as an Additional Language learners. As well, speech to text, and dictation are tools that are used with great frequency. For these students, the answer to the question of technology leading to a more equitable society is a resounding yes. I believe that it is clearly established that technology can be a double-edged sord that can either exacerbate inequities, or work to quell them. In my mind, what is needed is appropriate public policy that ensures technology is used for the greater good. As long as the gap between public policy and technology exists, the technological divide and it’s negative implications will continue to persist as well. Bruce Schneier explains it eloquently here. As Bruce says ” For some reason, ignorance about technology isn’t seen as a deficiency among our elected officials, and this is a problem. It is no longer okay to not understand how the internet, machine learning - or any other core technologies - work.” I couldn’t agree more.
Does technology in the classroom enhance learning? At first glance, the answer is very clearly a resounding yes; with, the debaters Megan and Brittaney doing an excellent job of reinforcing my previous understanding(s) of how technology can be a marvelous classroom intervention. Their point was supported by an article from Stanford: Technology Can Close Achievement Gaps, Improve Learning. I was especially interested in the article, because of it's claims around benefitting students who are are at risk of dropping out. I also REALLY appreciated how the article highlighted the importance of school division's having a plan for the educational technology before making the purchase - I find that often times technology is provided as some sort of magic bullet, with no meaningful plan in place. Moreover, I was intrigued that both sides used the "No Significant Difference" phenomenon to bolster their arguments. Of the many compelling arguments presented by Nicole and Daryl on the nay side, the one that resonated with me the most was the one from NPR titled: Attention, Students: Put Your Laptops Away. It resonated, because I believe I have experienced what it describes first hand. With my laptop in toe, I am undoubtedly able to get more things "down", and quicker. However, ask me what I just typed up, and I will likely be at a loss for words. More compelling yet, is the point around tablets and computers themselves providing the distraction(s). The same device that is supposed to make me more efficient is actually in many respects slowing me down. Imagine, using a dishcloth that was so dirty that it made your dishes dirtier at a quicker pace than it was able to clean them - Yikes! To conclude, after weighing the arguments and the evidence, and overlaying it with both my classroom experiences, and personal experiences I concluded that technology can indeed enhance learning in the classroom. For me the real world examples are simply too numerous. The caveat however, is that it must be planned and implemented properly, or else the risk of it detracting from learning becomes greater than it's potential to assist with learning. It is never good when the medicine is worse than the illness.
Technology is now embedded into our daily lives, from sunrise to sundown, and beyond. Much of it is useful to my life and work, yet I would argue that some of it is a distraction the detracts from my daily experiences. Ensuring this balance continues to be a challenging priority. In describing my day with technology, I will work to highlight the benefits as well as unnecessary distractions. My day with technology begins at 5:30 A.M. with the alarm of my smartphone waking up. This is a definitive pro or benefit. On a good day I will roll straight out of bed at this point. On a day where I am looking for an excuse to put off the day, if I am tired, or if it is excessively cold outside, I will pick up my phone and mindlessly blast through various news websites or Twitter. This is a distinct problem, as it takes precious time away from my morning routine. From there, I usually head out for a long stroll with my dog Rex – Assuming it is warmer than -40, with wind gusts below 80 km/hr. My smartphone helps with this. With the simple morning walk, I rely on my smartphone and smartwatch to both track the walk and provide auditory entertainment in the form of an audiobook. Presently, I am listening to “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell. For the most part, I view technology as a useful tool in my morning walks. From there I move on to a quick breakfast where my smartphone again comes into play in the form of Wordle or reading the news. Both the Wordle and news are activities that more or less existed before the tech boom in the form of the daily paper. While breakfast could probably be done without the news, it is nice to get caught up before heading to work. The route to work also consists of a large dose of technology. Of course, today’s cars are essentially computers with wheels. Whether it be the active systems like navigations and apple care play, or the systems in the background the control the cars operations. Technology in this sense that has made our daily lives and commutes safer. Once at work, like many of my colleagues have already mentioned, the first thing I typically do (after make coffee of course), is to turn on my computer. Once on, the first order of business is no refresh my Outlook inbox. Some of the emails are brand now, while others I was alerted to previously, but have yet to address. This is a continuing theme throughout the day. As the workday goes on a variety of technological tools are related on whether it be the Microsoft office suite (outlook, excel, word, PowerPoint), or Zoom whereby face to face meetings can take place without leaving the office. Undoubtedly, these tools make work tasks easier, and more efficient. The only critique would be that the constant connectivity (mainly email) makes it feel that work truly never takes a break. Since the connectivity is always there, it is up to me to make the decision or choice to disconnect. After the workday, I again find myself tapping into technology; typically, a smart tv where I observe “the news” over dinner or take in a show. Similar to how my day begins, it also ends with phone in hand, aimlessly scrolling various news or sometimes social applications. If it ended there, it probably wouldn’t be okay. However, there are also times throughout the day where technology becomes a distraction whether it be in the from of checking apps for updates or viewing the prices of stocks multiple times per day. Introspectively, I find it wild that I check stocks once a week let along multiple times a day as I don’t plan on selling them for decades; however, with the technology that is at our fingertips, it is all too easy. "The washing machine changed the world more than the internet"So, while technology has undoubtedly contributed to making my workday easier and more efficient, it may be costing me more than the time saved in the time that is wasted unnecessarily using it. Which begs the question: is it worth it? There was a quote in a book I once read that said “the washing machine changed the world more than the internet”. While that is debatable, it certainly has it’s merits. With the time saved by the washing machine (and industrial revolutions in general), humans were free to pursue other things. With the time saved by technology many of us simply take that saved time and give it back in the form of scrolling.
Personally, I need to sharpen the focus of my technology use, so as to maximize the benefits it can bring. Hello everyone:
My name is Christopher Kampman. This course will be my eight in the EDL route of the master’s program. I have more or less split my teaching career between middle-years classrooms and Learning Resource. This year I served as president of my local association, the Regina Catholic Schools Teachers’ Association (RCSTA). It has been a quick year, full of meaningful interactions and learnings. As this course commences, I couldn't be happier as we head into the month of May with an eye towards summer. Finally, the weather is right for bike rides and recreational sports. From this course, I hope to add to my learnings and awareness of contemporary edtech issues and solutions. I always appreciate the great diversity or learners and teachers that these courses bring. Looking forward to working with and learning from all of you! Chris |
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