Imagine what your world would be like if you couldn’t take out your phone and look up and information you needed to know, get directions to anywhere, or even listen to music. This is a very real situation for millions of students across the country. How do we fix it or do we need to go back to the skills we were taught?
There are tons of articles on how connected our youth are to technology. A quick Google search brings up how our kids are becoming more programed and desensitized with every hour of use of the internet. Our school models are becoming more and more standardized with the use of computer programs that are used to determine whether a student is showing enough growth in their classes. But, what happens when a student can’t carry on his or her learning at home because they don’t have internet access or a computer?
This is a very real issue for kids in Tier 1 or highest poverty schools which are often in rural areas. These kids come to school and have to fit their entire day plus any extra computer based work into 7 1/2 hours. And with the push of people like Dallas Dance, these children will be left behind. Find out more about Mr. Dance from this link.
So, what do we do to accommodate the kids who go home and can’t finish their work? How do we meet their educational needs when the funding for school districts keep getting cut? And although there are programs designed to give children without computers or internet access, they’re often utilizing a list or lottery system which could end up not reaching the most needed students in enough time.
Im not sure where we went wrong with education but, I know that technology is moving so fast that certain areas of the country can’t keep up. I’d also like to say that the cookie cutter approach to technological learning is benefiting our students but again, certain groups are being excluded for reasons beyond there control. I hope that more people become aware of this issue and take notice. As we become a more globalized society our students need to be able to keep up with the technological demands both inside and outside of our classrooms. As for now, we wait.