Digital Divisions

After revisiting Warschauer's article this week - I wanted to reflect on the different areas that I see as most relevant when it comes to digital divisions. We have seen how one laptop per child has lacked vision and inclusivity by placing responsibility of digital participation on having the hardware. This plan did not account for social inequity between students at home and differing educational needs. Though well intended, the technologically deterministic assumption that having the technology will "fix" inequity was problematic, because it only pays attention to one dimension of a multi-dimensional problem. Having access to the hardware is only one piece of the puzzle. An ignorance to inequities in education, language, social value, cultural acceptance, accessibility, total cost of ownership, and time all need to be considered for a real solution to be proposed. Even bigger than "fixing" the digital divide is coming to understand it as a symptom of larger systemic problems, than a problem in and of itself.

As I continue to focus on new media literacy as a plausible solution, there are several areas that need to follow suit. First, public education needs to be valued again in this country. With the average K-12 teacher lasting less than 5 years at an average salary in Utah of $28,000 - how can we ever expect teachers to get students prepared to compete in a global economy? The saying, "those who can't do...teach" only echoes the ignorance and unvalued work that teachers actually do. Most people have no idea how high the workload and time commitment is to teach, as well as the emotional investment. Teachers are criticized for the work they don't do,and unacknowledged for the work they produce. Most people (university students included) have no idea how the educational system works, which only amplifies the lack of investment in our communities, children and future.

The idea of "buying out" of public education with vouchers guised as "opportunity" has only continued to amplify white flight in areas where schools are "failing" according to NCLB (No Child Left Behind). Whatever happened to buying in to the idea that children need more than hardware to be successful - they need community support that isn't just derived from the immediate parents, but from locals who commit time and energy to their support. It is so easy to say that education is the key - yet no one wants to invest in that venture because the rhetoric tells us that the return is solely based on the individual. Why pay for a system when success is entirely up the individual? Unfortunately, it is a combination of both - and until we start talking about education as OUR problem - instead of "Theirs" we will continue to be far away from closing the gaps between who can and who can't - who has access and who doesn't - who has a voice, and who has been silenced.

So - how do we create a more equitable system in a democratic capitalistic society? Where are the opportunities and what needs to change? Before we can educate, we need to decide what the goals are. Before I teach a class, I have to sit down and decide what the learning goals are, and the material, assessment and evaluation criteria we will need to get there. Back to basics people - what are the goals of public education? To continue our workforce..... Where is the workforce headed digitally and what do we need to continue to produce and maintain growth? What we need to begin to grow again has been successfully devalued and taught out of us - CREATIVITY

Check out this video from Sir Ken Robinson on creativity and education - it's long, but inspiring!

I propose that we start to look at digital divisions for what they really are. Instead of being "new problems" we should be thinking about how they are "new symptoms" of a system that is no longer serving the best interests of newer generations.