Digital technology impacts by 2020 from Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project
I pulled two quotations out of the slideshow almost immediately: "Mobile is the needle, social is the thread, people are the cloth." And, "These technologies caused revised conceptions of man's place in the universe."
In reflecting back on school district leadership, I am both excited to be leading in a time of such innovation and concerned about the uneven distribution in the understanding of and access to digital-age tools within schools and homes. We frequently talk about achievement gaps. We should also be frequently talking about accessibility gaps and ignorance gaps in light of digital-age tools, including gaming, mobile devices, etc. Indeed, the shock and awe of the future may not be as much about the amazing nature of the devices themselves but the amazing disparity of understanding, access, and use of them.
I pulled two quotations out of the slideshow almost immediately: "Mobile is the needle, social is the thread, people are the cloth." And, "These technologies caused revised conceptions of man's place in the universe."
In reflecting back on school district leadership, I am both excited to be leading in a time of such innovation and concerned about the uneven distribution in the understanding of and access to digital-age tools within schools and homes. We frequently talk about achievement gaps. We should also be frequently talking about accessibility gaps and ignorance gaps in light of digital-age tools, including gaming, mobile devices, etc. Indeed, the shock and awe of the future may not be as much about the amazing nature of the devices themselves but the amazing disparity of understanding, access, and use of them.
Access to technology and other learning resources is something that concerns me as well. These tools can be the great equalizer, but in my experience it seems as though limited access is leading to a widening gap. Too frequently, technology seems like just an add-on when there is a little extra money in the district budget. These additional resources are certainly appreciated and utilized within the confines of our schools, but there aren't enough resources to enable us to send more home with kids who really need them. Aside from the money issue, we already fret too much about the danger of the internet within our classrooms. The fretting goes to a new level when we consider sending technology home with a child who might not have a watchful adult eye on them. Fear and money stymie us again.
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