Digital Texts in and Out of School

Introduction:

To this day there remains a belief, entrenched in curricula and policy, that children and their learning should be quarantined from engagement with these texts and technologies, and should instead be taught and evaluated against a curriculum focused on print.(Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 2)

This quote definitely has truth to it, but I don't agree 100%. I do think that in a school setting, there are certain expectations that students are held accountable to (example- no cell phones in class, no Facebook/twitter/social media while in a computer lab). However, I do feel that teachers are growing, along with technology, and integrating more and more (as much as their school limitations allow them) technology into their classroom. I is happening with me in my own classes, as well.


Chapter 1:

For educators, an example of learning such as this can be intriguing, and we might ask ourselves how the kinds of learning Jacob is doing in his home environment complement or connect with the kinds of learning he is doing inside schools.- R. Willett (Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 14)

I like this quote and it definitely made me think. The boys in this chapter didn't have any formal schooling on the topics that they were creating. Some of their fathers helped them and passed along their knowledge. I find it fascinating that kids, as well as adults, are able to pick up a new technology and just run with it. Are the things they are learning at school enabling them to be more critical thinkers and to be able to learn on their own and figure new technology out? Or, are they ways they are learning on their own, trial and error and intuition, helping them do better in a school setting? It's hard to say for certain one way or the other. I like to think there is nice balance and that it is all tied together in their learning.


Chapter 2:

Indeed, if we can talk about a 'digital divide', it resides within, as well as across, generations - a fact that those in education need to be wary of. - Julia Davies (Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 32)

I love this quote! I could not agree more. I've talked previously about the digital divide and I think that this quote is correct. Just because someone is a 'digital native', does not mean that they know or even want to know all about technology. As the text continues, it says there are many young people  who are uninvolved or have problems with access/usage. Educators definitely need to be aware of this and when planning activities/lessons, need to take that into consideration so that they can reach the whole class, and not just those who are up to date with the technologies being presented. The trick is finding balance and actually making sure that we (as educators) are able to help/reach all our students.


Chapter 3:

Equally, therefore, Clare and Tom can be described as children of the new digital age (Marsh, 2005); children who, as long as they can remember, have been surrounded by ever-evolving digital technologies and practices that impact on their daily existence, and the textual landscapes that they occupy (Carrington, 2005). As sited in (Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 50)

 

I really like the phrase 'children of the new digital age' and I think that it is a nice replacement for 'digital native'. This phrase brings new meaning to someone born after 1980. It recognizes that not everyone that age can or wants to navigate through all the new technologies. It simply states that some people were born into such an age that the want/ability to know all this information is a possibility. Each person has the choice to participate or not.

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The reading definitely made me think of the technologies that I use in my classroom. When I was in college, none of the math classes that I took had anything to do with anything online. Now, just 6 years later, the college algebra course that I am teaching is built around and integrated into an online program in which students can do homework, tests, quizzes, and practice problems. It is an important part of their learning process for the class, and the work they do in that program is a part of their final grade.

A major barrier that exist limitations. When I subbed in the Marion Co school system, some classes of kids only had the chance to use the school computer lab for 40 minutes a week, and that was in a good week. Not all schools are equipped with enough technology for all students to have adequate time to practice on and learn these new ideas. And it's not fair for teacher to assign all of this learning as homework because not all kids have high speed internet and computers at home. Even here at FSU, I only have available to me 15 iPads at a time. I have sometimes more than 25 students in a class. So, that makes it difficult for us to do a lesson using the iPads in class.

 



For my illuminated text, I chose the quote from chapter 2

Indeed, if we can talk about a 'digital divide', it resides within, as well as across, generations - a fact that those in education need to be wary of.

 

 

References:

Carrington, V., & Robinson, M. (Eds.). (2009). Digital Literacies: Social Learning and Classroom Practices. London, United Kingom: SAGE Publications.