I think that Mark Warschauer’s view on ways to increase and improve issues related to the digital age are very thoughtful, and could be very effective. I like how he points out at the beginning of the essay the five digital differences that impact learning and teaching, and includes the issue of a gender gap. I had never even thought about that, and I found it really interesting. I think that the research he points out regarding computer usage between genders might be a little out of date though. With the rise of Facebook I think that maybe boys and girls use the computer to interact socially more equally than in 2005, but more research should be done on that issue.
I also found the generation gap he talks about to be very interesting, and actually something I am experiencing this semester. My biology professor is old enough to be my grandmother (her words), and does not use technology in her classroom at all. Since middle school I have become accustomed to teachers at least using PowerPoint to give lessons, if not making even more use out of technology. I find it really difficult to learn and study now without the use of this technology; I didn’t the realize extent of how much I gained from digital technology until it was taken away.
Warschauer’s explanation of why intense research projects work well, like Project Fresa, is very well thought out. After reading this essay I think that projects like this make perfect sense. I also really like idea of one-to-one laptop programs. I can say from personal experience that having a laptop gives me a much higher opportunity to succeed in my classes. I just wonder, from an economic standpoint how can we make one-to-one programs more accessible to more communities? I can imagine that these programs are expensive, and do think they should be used more, but I can’t think of a good way to finance it. I think that taxing more is a bad idea, but I wonder what other option there are? I hope that more communities can find an answer to this question because I think that one-to-one programs could solve a lot of problems surrounding education and the digital media age.
I think it would be possible to work out a deal with different companies to help finance laptops for the classroom. For example in the school district I went to, all the schools had Macs in them because of a deal with apple. This included the traveling computer labs I think there were at least 4 and they were all Apple Laptops. I would also consider maybe not all the students having laptops, but maybe having a set in the classroom for the classes that would use them more and then a set of traveling labs for the classes that occasionally use them. While this is not giving every student a laptop it is a starting place and it can grow from there.
As I was reading the portion of the article about the gender gap, I immediately thought the exact same thing you did, that the information is more than likely outdated. Nonetheless, I was still just as shocked that Warschauer viewed gender as a contributing factor to the digital divide. However, after reading his arguments regarding this topic, I found them to be very insightful. On a different note, I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to learn in a classroom environment in which the teacher does not use a single form of technology. I’m sure this experience has brought to light the importance of use of technology is in the classroom not only as a student, but also how influential instruction can be with the proper use of technology.
P.S. Good luck in your biology class!
I completely agree with you that more research needs to be done since 2005 because while there may not be a laptop for every student, school are becoming more technologically capable. There are the COWs that teachers can bring into their rooms occasionally which does actually allow for each student to have one.
I personally have not had a college professor that did not at least use blackboard, so it is hard to imagine that there are still professors that do not. Especially a class as hard as biology, where technology could do so much. I hope it all works out for you!