Technology today is important no matter what a person’s socioeconomic status, gender, race, level of education, or level of expertise. Do all students have access? Educators would love to know that every student has access to technology at home. The reality is that not every student has access. It seems that every school year there are one or two students who do not have access at home to Internet, a computer, or a mobile device; however, they have access to TV. Typically it is a student who is in a low socioeconomic home.
In my classroom and in my county students in 4th through 8th grade have access to technology at a 1:1 ratio. Students in grades 6-8 can pay $50.00 to take their MacBook home. Our 10th graders are waiting on 1:1 technology. Teachers in the county applied for a striving readers grant and the county was awarded a grant to purchase the much-needed technology. Classrooms have media cameras, projectors, some have electronic white boards, all teachers have MacBooks, Pre-K through 3rd grade classrooms have one IMac and 3 or 4 windows based desktops, the media center has several computers, and each elementary school has a computer lab manned by a paraprofessional. Our counties technology plan includes 1:1 technology for all students 4th through 12th grades. Students in Pre-K to 3rd have a ratio of 3:1. All students in my school have access to technology during the school day. Our county understands the need for equitable access during school hours. But what about kind of access do students have after school?
How is my community trying to solve the equity issue? The county library has computers for patron use, our family involvement room at the elementary school has a computer for use, there are churches and aftercare programs offering wi-fi and computer access. This does not solve the issue but it is a beginning.
What kids of access to technology do most children have? Common sense media recently conducted a study about children and media. The study shows that of children aged 5-8 only about10% have not used a computer, about 52% have used mobile media, and that more than 74% spend time watching TV. There are findings that detail how various medias are used to entertain children and how it is also used as a babysitter.
Our children today are exposed to technology at a much earlier age. Children have watched their parents, grandparents, and older siblings use technology and have watched TV. A good example of children starting media use at an early age is my granddaughter. She is not yet three and she can use a touch screen cell phone or computer with ease. She has various starter computers and got a tablet for an early birthday present. It is amazing at what toddlers and children can do with technology.
Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America 2013. (2013). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-to-eight-childrens-media-use-in-america-2013
Hohlfeld, T., Ritzhaupt, A., & Barron, A. (n.d.). Connecting Schools, Community, and Family with ICT: Four-year Trends Related To School Level And SES Of Public Schools In Florida. Computers & Education, 391-405.
Barron, B., Walter, S. E., Martin, C. K., & Schatz, C. (2010). Predictors of Creative Computing Participation and Profiles of Experience in Two Silicon Valley Middle Schools. Computers & Education, 54(1), 178-189.
In my classroom and in my county students in 4th through 8th grade have access to technology at a 1:1 ratio. Students in grades 6-8 can pay $50.00 to take their MacBook home. Our 10th graders are waiting on 1:1 technology. Teachers in the county applied for a striving readers grant and the county was awarded a grant to purchase the much-needed technology. Classrooms have media cameras, projectors, some have electronic white boards, all teachers have MacBooks, Pre-K through 3rd grade classrooms have one IMac and 3 or 4 windows based desktops, the media center has several computers, and each elementary school has a computer lab manned by a paraprofessional. Our counties technology plan includes 1:1 technology for all students 4th through 12th grades. Students in Pre-K to 3rd have a ratio of 3:1. All students in my school have access to technology during the school day. Our county understands the need for equitable access during school hours. But what about kind of access do students have after school?
How is my community trying to solve the equity issue? The county library has computers for patron use, our family involvement room at the elementary school has a computer for use, there are churches and aftercare programs offering wi-fi and computer access. This does not solve the issue but it is a beginning.
What kids of access to technology do most children have? Common sense media recently conducted a study about children and media. The study shows that of children aged 5-8 only about10% have not used a computer, about 52% have used mobile media, and that more than 74% spend time watching TV. There are findings that detail how various medias are used to entertain children and how it is also used as a babysitter.
Our children today are exposed to technology at a much earlier age. Children have watched their parents, grandparents, and older siblings use technology and have watched TV. A good example of children starting media use at an early age is my granddaughter. She is not yet three and she can use a touch screen cell phone or computer with ease. She has various starter computers and got a tablet for an early birthday present. It is amazing at what toddlers and children can do with technology.
Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America 2013. (2013). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-to-eight-childrens-media-use-in-america-2013
Hohlfeld, T., Ritzhaupt, A., & Barron, A. (n.d.). Connecting Schools, Community, and Family with ICT: Four-year Trends Related To School Level And SES Of Public Schools In Florida. Computers & Education, 391-405.
Barron, B., Walter, S. E., Martin, C. K., & Schatz, C. (2010). Predictors of Creative Computing Participation and Profiles of Experience in Two Silicon Valley Middle Schools. Computers & Education, 54(1), 178-189.