Chapter 1 of Geek Heresy, by Kentaro Toyama, discusses the introduction of technology into the school systems in worse off countries and its impact on the education that the students receive. There seems to be the general thought that if everywhere in the world can be on the same level playing field, technology wise, then every country will have access to the same resources and no one will be worse off than others. This chapter caused me to rethink that notion and reminded me of the week I spent in an inner-city Buffalo middle school over winter break.
Everyone seems to think that if you give a child access to the latest technology, they will be able to learn as much as another average student, and at the same rate. However, that is not true. Just because everyone may have the same access to technology, does not mean that they all know how to use it in the same manner so as to reap the same benefits. Not only do people need access to the technology, they need the resources to be able to understand it and use it efficiently as well.
This phenomena holds true within our country's borders as well. Over winter break I participated in one of the MOVE Extended Service trips and spent a week volunteering at an inner-city school in Buffalo for at risk students. As no one can afford to pay tuition to attend this school, the board relies strictly on donations to keep the school up and running. One of the biggest projects that we tackled there during the week was to get the latest computers donated up and running so that they could be utilized in the classrooms. The teachers explained that the computers had been donated over a year prior, but no one had had the time or knowledge to install them and get them running. Upon further exploration into the unused classrooms in the school, we found dozens and dozens of old computers stacked up collecting dust. People think to give old and nonworking computers to places like this, thinking that they can be fixed and put to use. Often times, however, these places don't have the resources required to put these donations to use, and they end up being a burden instead of a solution.
Reading this chapter of Toyama's book reinforced, for me, a phenomena that I had the opportunity to experience firsthand. Technology isn't the end-all fix to the world's problems. Often times it creates more barriers and problems than it does solutions.
I totally agree with you about the idea of technology and education. I dislike so much when people say "just hand a child and iPad and it will increase their learning" but what if that is the first time they have ever held and iPad or accessed a database of knowledge like Google? It makes me think of when I was younger, discovering the internet for the first time. I had access, but because I didn't know how to use it, it was essentially useless to me. Often times in schools like this, technology isn't the answer, but one-on-one time and making learning fun is much more beneficial.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely as important to supply support for technology as it is to supply the technology itself. People are often quick to jump on board when technology is incorporated into learning in some way, but technology is not a universal thing. Not everyone is going to know how to turn on a computer, connect to the Internet, and start browsing the web. However, the world is moving towards technology in general, taking advantage of its benefits (teaching, engaging, communicating, connecting) so I think it is important for kids anywhere to learn how to use technology in general. Perhaps schools should be teaching kids how to use technology rather than using technology to teach kids.
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