I recently had the pleasure to talk with wired educator and online writer Lisa Mansfield for an article about the benefits and challenges of using social media in the classroom. From the interview:
For more extended commentary and links to outside resources, you can read about my adventure in “Classroom2.0: Twitter, delicious and participatory learning” or check out my ongoing posts on social media and education. In the meantime, I invite you to share your own thoughts on the challenges and benefits of using social media in the classroom in a comment below!
What can we do for students from backgrounds who cannot afford access to computers and the Web? How can we use social media to support them?
Thanks for your comment – the digital divide and social justice, in particular, are central to my orientation both as a web professional and as an educator. I’d like to address all of this in a post. Consider this comment part one.
The digital divide for teachers
One context that is continually overlooked is that of the teachers themselves.
In the US, for example, many primary and secondary educators working in socio-economically depressed contexts are forced to supplement already low incomes with second and third jobs. In fact, many students these days have better tech than their teachers! In many cases, a teacher’s lack of personal access to new tech extends to their workplace context where underfunded schools cannot afford the latest this or that – or even internet access! We also frequently have to rally to get cooperation and sign off from IT on many emergent classroom2.0 approaches.
Privilege and innovation
Many of the really groundbreaking and innovative educators I follow on Twitter are working in highly privileged environments (either middle to high income school districts that are well supported in their tech needs – both for students at home and in the classroom) or established figures working in high profile institutions that put a priority on web tech.
Time: the hidden barrier
As for my colleagues at the elementary and secondary level here in Canada, I can attest to the fact that none or few of them has access with appropriate tech resources (including those with insights). I know a high school media teacher who doesn’t have internet or wireless for his class. That’s just plain wrong.
As for the students there are some hidden barriers we often neglect as educators. Namely: class bias.
The digital divide for students: class bias (beyond hardware, software)
Having grown up socioeconomically disadvantaged I can tell you that shame and a painful awareness of class bias can play a big part in what a young person will share with a person in a context of peer and authority assessment. As you know, status plays a huge role in schools – and many forms of bullying are purely classist at heart. I was bullied, for example, for not having the right clothes. Can you imagine what teens go through today given the plethora of “cool” and expensive tech they’re all *expected* to have? Let alone the cost of their cel phone/mobile access. The expectations these days are unlike those of any other generation.
As a result, I think many of those students who are most in need may not communicate this to us. So here’s a suggestion (more later in a follow up). In a context of assessment and evaluation – both social and academic – the pressure to fit in, have the right stuff and be in the know can be destabilizing. Many students have told me that I was the first to ask about their access to required software and hardware. Most educators simply make the assumption that students have these things – which is inequitable. Those of us who are aware of these issues have the responsibility to address them in our teaching practice by thinking carefully about the hidden barriers concealed in our chosen resources, expectations and requirements.
Asking the right questions – at the start of your course
The diagnostic
At the start of your course, create a diagnostic (about me) page for each student to fill out. Make sure you have the following categories for them to tick off (these were just off the top of my head).
- I have a quiet space to work at home
- I have a part time job or other time conflicts that limit my time on schoolwork
- I have a limited budget for technology
- I have my own computer/laptop (circle either)
- I do not have my own computer/laptop
- I share a computer and my time is limited
- I have highspeed internet access
- I own a cell phone
- I have used: a blog, wiki, social media, HTML, other
- I have access to a “geek” or other person who can help me with computer and internet questions
I used a similar list in my teacher training as a secondary educator to assess equity issues. This list above will give you a very immediate picture of any student’s relationship to the digital divide. Those students who may need further help, scaffolding will be identified immediately.
Software: I also tell students (at the college level) about Open Office at the start of each course. You’d be surprised how many instructors just *assume* their students all own Word and Power Point (which is a classist and inequitable assumption btw).
I have many, many other practices and ideas about recontextualising web2.0 approaches in equitable terms and addressing the digital divide. I will include those in a follow up post.
More to come!
Further reading:
Challenging Class Bias – Terezia Zoric
http://www.learningwork.ca/node/134/print
I attended one of her workshops during my teacher training at OISE. She is one of the very few academics specialising in in anti-poverty equity pedagogy. Coming from a similar socioeconomic context as I have, I felt her ideas and approaches were both authentic and appropriate (as opposed to those I’ve heard from teachers who have not actually experienced contexts of poverty in their own lives!).
This is also good:
Class bias in education in Ontario
http://tinyurl.com/9apzku
Thank you for sharing this.
I need to spend some time reflecting on this.
I come at this topic from a position of power, yet work with people who will work with lower SES learners.
I see the need for people in power to help those of lesser means acquire the basic tools associated with 21st century literacy. It’s not simply about hardware and access, as you well know. However I feel at some level the need to show others how to work with local governments, libraries, and businesses to acquire access and the tools that will give them the advantages that many take for granted.
I have a great idea about fixing the shit way schools are structured that eat away the precious time teachers have, but that’s a different conversation all together.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next.
Thank you Christopher. I loved your post on the topic of fixing what doesn’t work (for others, the link below)
http://eduspaces.net/csessums/weblog/547833.html
As I mentioned, the comment above – though lengthy is just top of my head stuff. Just taking the time to write that response is one of the issues. I happen to have some time right now. But if I was teaching full time at a high school I likely wouldn’t be looking at my blog for months on end.
I will focus my blog post largely on the students – as I realise the comment above was largely related to instructors (though I felt it was time to address that as well).
I think power, privilege and class bias (not to mention racism and other forms of discrimination) are a big part of this digital divide. Far too often, these discussions focus on hardware, software and expertise – and not the larger issues that influence these inequities (even the issue of praxis in pedagogy for equity is obscured). As an anti-poverty educator, these issues are very important to me. Thanks for inspiring this conversation.
The diagnostic is very useful, and will endeavor to use it with my Berkeley class
Thanks Howard – please do! I shall send you an updated version with these items included.
I probably should have mentioned this is only part of a larger diagnostic I use in my courses that assesses prior knowledge of the particular course area. Your comment has inspired me to include the actual diagnostic as a resource on this site (something I had intended to do for the new year). I will probably build a “community” access point for this purpose.
I will also, of course, share it in Collab!
http://socialmediaclassroom.com/index.php/