EDT 634 - Blog Post 3 - Equitable Access to Educational Technologies

In this blog post I will give my reflection to the equitable access to educational technologies presentation for EDT634. One of the most common digital divides I have witnessed is one based on age. Most of my students are of the an older generation (40+) and have been displaced from their workplace and are having to go back (or go) to school to learn skills for the new information age workplace. Up till this point in their life they have not really needed to rely on technology and were not taught it during their previous education. They also have not found it necessary to have computers or internet access at home. Therefore when they come to my school I am teaching them skills they have never needed before. It is much different than teaching younger students who have been using technology throughout their education and life. 

The Grand Haven school district is trying to provide all students with access to computers with their 1:1 initiative. I am hoping they will provide teachers access to training so they will learn how these new devices can be used in their classrooms. As the presentation described it is not enough to provide students with computers and internet access but we must teach them how to use them in was that will provide them with skills need to for this information age.

In regards to the Grand Haven school district I would consider us as one of the "haves". I think we are lucky to have a community willing to support and help fund our technology plan. I am hoping that the district will not rush the implementation and will do a great job so it is not a waste of money. It has become a redundant theme in this class but I strongly feel that if professional development is not made the number one objective then there is little chance the program will be successful. 

EDT 634 - Blog Post 2 - Interview on funding technology

In this blog post I will give my reflection to the funding technology podcast for EDT634. In this podcast Lynn Wietecha from Lawrence Tech was interviewed regarding funding of technology in both K12 and higher education settings. There were a few things I learned that I found surprising or maybe did not consider before. The first thing Ms. Wietecha talked about that got my attention was the amount of of the operations fund that goes to salaries and benefits. With only about 15% left over for everything else it is no wonder schools have difficulty adding and maintaining technology. I know in my son's classroom they have 5 desktop computers and one didn't work most of the time or periodically they had issues with the Internet access and I thought why don't they fix this. This helps me understand. The other thing that surprised me was the cost of toner. With all our technology advancements we can not come up with a cheaper way to print documents? One big difference for printing in K12 vs. higher ed is that in higher ed you can charge students for printing to offset the cost for toner. 

I think the differences in technology in K12 vs. higher ed is that in higher ed I don't think it is considered a option. There is more of a need in higher ed to attract students and the pool of students is broader and to attract students globally you want to have the best tools for them to receive an education along with the best teachers. In K12 I think we are still in a place where technology is still an option. I don't think it will be looked at as an option for much longer but having the funding to provide will still be a struggle. 

If I were heading up a bond proposal is to provide the community in many avenues why this money is so desired. Without the funding we are not going to be able to provide our students with an education of problem solvers that is being demanded in the world today. They will need to be able to access and use technology appropriately and this will need to be taught in our schools. I am so thankful our district did pass a continued millage to help support the funding of our 1:1 program.