There is no social media use without the Internet--it's what connects social media users to each other. The digital divide creates gaps in that connectivity. Now that you've reviewed the material, how has the course content (material I post in the module, the readings and resources provided) extended, challenged, or deepened your initial understanding around the digital divide as it relates to Canadians in general and Aboriginal peoples in particular? To online learning and the notion of privilege? What implications does this have for social media use in an educational context? Will your knowledge affect your behaviours or expectations when using social media in an educational context? (Cite references as appropriate.)
I'm noticing in my current position teaching in a technology based program that the digital divide exists in many ways: those who do not have access to the technology, those who choose not to access the technology and those who have access to technology but do not know how to use it (or do not care to learn how to use it) to enhance learning. The latter two scenarios I find most challenging.
Accessing technology can be challenging but not insurmountable: look to India whose government recently provided a subsidy covering half the cost of a $40 tablet to for each student in India. This means that for $20 a student in India can have a tablet of his or her own to use for educational purposes (Segan, 2012). Sugata Mitra has demonstrated that children can drive their own education with access to the web. Ensuring web access to all children in BC would be an enormous yet wise investment. This would be one way to bridge the material divide.
As I mentioned earlier, the philosophical divide is more challenging. There are vocal parents who believe that technology is "evil", "dead" and a threat to the creativity to children. While this can be proven otherwise (if one cares to listen) through the use of many online learning tools and social media, it's an attitude and perspective that is difficult to change. It is also one that shuts down options for the children involved and where another digital divide is created yet not often recorded.
The third digital divide that I have encountered is when one has access to technology but hasn't learned how to use the tools to enhance learning. This could be from lack of experience with the technology, a lack of mentors/teachers familiar with the use of technology or not being part of a community that uses technology. One way of overcoming this boundary is by providing simple ways to access learning tools: YouTube videos are a great resource for step-by-step problem-solving. I'm thinking back to when my parents were starting to access the internet in meaningful ways and were so overwhelmed they froze and didn't want to have anything to do with it. They each had a phone and laptop (because their daughters told them it would be a good idea) but had no idea how to use them. I remember showing my mom simple tricks: Google a recipe or search a YouTube video on how to repair a bike tire. They went from digitally illiterate to fully literate within weeks - and they are grandparents to the digital natives of generation Y :)
There are ways around the digital divide and I think that bridges can be made through motivation, creative budget balancing, open-mindedness and patient mentoring.
Segan, S. 2012, Hands on with the $20 indian android tablet. PCMag.Com: News and Opinion.
Mitra, Sugata. 2010. The child driven education. TedTalks, TedGlobal 2010. http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html
Accessing technology can be challenging but not insurmountable: look to India whose government recently provided a subsidy covering half the cost of a $40 tablet to for each student in India. This means that for $20 a student in India can have a tablet of his or her own to use for educational purposes (Segan, 2012). Sugata Mitra has demonstrated that children can drive their own education with access to the web. Ensuring web access to all children in BC would be an enormous yet wise investment. This would be one way to bridge the material divide.
As I mentioned earlier, the philosophical divide is more challenging. There are vocal parents who believe that technology is "evil", "dead" and a threat to the creativity to children. While this can be proven otherwise (if one cares to listen) through the use of many online learning tools and social media, it's an attitude and perspective that is difficult to change. It is also one that shuts down options for the children involved and where another digital divide is created yet not often recorded.
The third digital divide that I have encountered is when one has access to technology but hasn't learned how to use the tools to enhance learning. This could be from lack of experience with the technology, a lack of mentors/teachers familiar with the use of technology or not being part of a community that uses technology. One way of overcoming this boundary is by providing simple ways to access learning tools: YouTube videos are a great resource for step-by-step problem-solving. I'm thinking back to when my parents were starting to access the internet in meaningful ways and were so overwhelmed they froze and didn't want to have anything to do with it. They each had a phone and laptop (because their daughters told them it would be a good idea) but had no idea how to use them. I remember showing my mom simple tricks: Google a recipe or search a YouTube video on how to repair a bike tire. They went from digitally illiterate to fully literate within weeks - and they are grandparents to the digital natives of generation Y :)
There are ways around the digital divide and I think that bridges can be made through motivation, creative budget balancing, open-mindedness and patient mentoring.
Segan, S. 2012, Hands on with the $20 indian android tablet. PCMag.Com: News and Opinion.
Mitra, Sugata. 2010. The child driven education. TedTalks, TedGlobal 2010. http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html