Tweet About It: Conquering the Digital Divide and Finding Your Software

           

    When it comes to technology it is easy to get overwhelmed and lost in the expansive digital world. It is rapidly evolving each second of the day. Looking back on the last decade, one can see this rapid growth, especially in social media. What was once just Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter has now grown to include media such as Snapchat, Discord, and TikTok, and this does not include the growth in software programs such as Windows OneNote and Google Docs. If a person were to try and keep up to date with every new part of technology, it would be impossible. 

    However, some people are able to pick up on new technology quick due to their life circumstances. For instance, growing up in the early 2000s I had access to a computer at home every day with unmonitored internet. Of course, it was sometimes interrupted due to a family member needing to use the landline phone (if you know, you know). Because of this privilege, I was able to stay up-to-date with a large portion of technology and even now I am able to adapt faster than some of my younger classmates. How can this be though if I'm not a digital native? The answer is also one of the largest problems we face in education: the digital divide.

    The digital divide is in short the division between those who have constant access to technology and are able to increase their skills (like I was able to do growing up) and those who have limited knowledge or access to technology, for example, a rural area student who does not have proper wifi services available at their residency. So, how do we as educators address this serious and personal issue our students face? There are a few options that can help improve:

1. Provide students and guardians with library locations, resources, and contact information.

2.  Understand each student's access to technology and take that into mind for lesson plans

3. Teach digital literacy - help students understand how to use programs and how to present themselves online.

4. Encourage improved programs within the school.

5. Funding. Funding. Funding.

While these will not fix the issue of the digital divide all at once, they will help close the gap and improve students' access to technical knowledge.

    As for the software programs students will be able to use in my future classroom, I have a few in mind. The first one is called Writable. This software helps students take assessments on the district, state, and even our own class standards. After the assessments, students will be able to have access to guided practices and feedback on their work so they can see their strengths and areas in need of improvement. Another software I want to introduce students to is Google Drive. This free software allows students to save their works across platforms and even gives them the option to share documents easily with their classmates, which would be perfect for group projects. There are other amazing software programs I found while diving into the subject of the digital divide, however, I am looking forward to utilizing these two in particular.

Reflection Corner:

Prior to the EME2040 class, I had minimum experience with Twitter. I knew how to like, comment, and share a tweet,  but that was about it. Since the start of the semester, I have learned about live chats on Twitter and most importantly, I've learned how to turn this social media source into a personal learning network. I have been primarily interacting with students of the EME2040 class along with educators in the English Language Arts department across the country, which often share valuable information regarding current events in the field.  All of which can be used to help me further my understanding of what it means to become an educator.

Until Next Time!

À bientôt!

-Renee Brady