Debate #5: Technology has led to a more equitable society
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the documentary “Without A Net” the other night and I have included some quotes from the video that I hold closely.
“Instead of a wife swap, we need a school swap… everyone needs to get a feel of what we actually go through.” Isn’t this the truth? Many higher income schools don’t need to worry about the issues that some public schools are facing in today’s technology-driven world. The debate from Wednesday opened my eyes seeing the difficulties many public schools are struggling with integrating technology into their education on a daily basis. This topic allowed me to reflect on my personal experience as a student who grew up in a small community and I can compare it to where I teach now (in the city). We take our technology for granted in the school where I teach. When the wifi is slower than normal, we panic. I can’t imagine how other schools who have limited access to technology feels…
The disagree side of our debate mentioned three distinct challenges that we face bringing technology into the schools. They are:
Challenge #1) securing up-to-date working devices (hardware)
Challenge #2) getting those devices online (connectivity)
Challenge #3) skills needed to implement the proper use for technology effectively (teacher training)
All of these issues can be related to funding issues in our education system. We need more money to integrate technology into each classroom and ensure the bandwidth is sufficient for the amount of devices used. This is a problem that my school is current facing. This costs a LOT of money. My question is, where can we get more funding? It seems like every school needs supplemental funding to keep up with today’s trends in education… never mind the schools that have to dig into the ground and add in fibre optics. They may never get adequate funding to meet the needs of their students. My heart breaks for them.
“By 2020, 77% of all U.S. jobs will require computer skills.” – U.S. Department of Labor
This quote states that in order for students to prepare for their future, kids need access to technology and wifi. If kids don’t learn with computers and technology, they will be left behind AND may never get the proper education they need to fulfill their dreams. Just as the second group stated, the digital divide continues to widen. The less fortunate becomes even more less fortunate and their education is falling behind everyone else.
“Schools that have successfully integrated technology into their classrooms have seen an 11% gain in math proficiency and an 8% gain in reading proficiency.” – The Rand Corporation
These statistics are great. However, we need those numbers to be greater… If we can help less fortunate schools up-to-date with technology, we can agree to the debate question: does technology lead to a more equitable society. Yes, maybe in the future it can. Right now, we can’t agree that EVERYONE has equal access to technology. And not every student is receiving the same education experiences. The wealthier communities continue to receive better education and the families living in poverty are just scraping by once again.
I agree with the first group in the debate that effective technology use can transform learning making it more engaging, relevant and accessible. There are MANY free apps out there (for example DESMOS) that students can access instead of purchasing a calculator for class. There are also many apps that aids students with disabilities and we should be grateful for the advancements in technology. Technology also accommodates different learning styles and students are able to watch instructional videos, tutorials and interactive simulations that aid their learning. This is a positive push in the right direction to provide equity in one’s learning.
As mentioned in the discussion on Wednesday and earlier in my blog post, we are moving in the right direction with technology. However, we still have a gap in the digital divide in education.
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Really good point about having a school swap. I don’t think we can even begin to discuss equity until people really start to think about what it’s like if the shoe were on the other foot!
Hi Sara,
Thank you for the post. Just like you, I reflected on this topic, and surprisingly, I had never thought about it before. I guess, as you have mentioned, sometimes we take things for granted. The numbers that you mentioned – 23% of schools not having sufficient bandwidth – are indeed alarming, I would say. In a world where technology changes so rapidly, it is challenging to stay updated with the latest changes, and it is even more difficult when you don’t have the right tools.
Hi Sarah! I really enjoyed your blog post and understand how accessibility to devices and connectivity is effecting the use of technology. The statistics are distressing to read. And I do relate to the fact that teacher training is so very important.
Great post Sarah! I too found the documentary very helpful when thinking about this debate. I like the quotes that you pulled from the documentary and found the 77% alarming, but also not surprising. I would say that it would be great for all teaching professionals to watch this video as it shows the importance of including tech in the schools but also realizing we do what we can!
The arguments concerning the difficulties underfunded schools confront in acquiring technology, connectivity, and sufficient training were especially powerful. Your personal experiences and the data you gave provide a clear picture of the injustices that persist. It is clear that, while technology has the potential to create a fairer society, much effort needs to be made to close the gap. Thank you for sharing this thoughtful analysis!
Hi Sara!!
I enjoyed reading your blog. It’s evident that while technology can revolutionize learning and prepare students for the future, we’re still grappling with significant gaps in access and resources unfortunately. Schools with limited funds face tough challenges with outdated devices, slow internet, and insufficient teacher training. To truly make technology an equalizer, we need to tackle these funding and support issues.