Addressing The Digital Divide

As I think of emerging technologies I think of how successful the use of technology is in the classroom when students do not have access to technology once they leave school. Throughout my coursework at Walden University I have focused a lot on collaboration among students. There are so many ways to collaborate online in groups wikis, blogs, nings, google docs, just to name a few. I have created assessments using these tools for future use with my students. I have to be creative on how I implement these technologies into my own classroom because many of my students are of low socioeconomic status and do not have access to computers at home. Furthermore education is not the top priority for my students so they are not going to make a way to a library or other access point where these technologies are available. As a leader in educational technology I must take these conditions into consideration when designing lessons for students. I realized just because many of them cannot use these collaboration methods outside of school does not mean that they have to be kept ignorant to the fact that these technologies exist. As I speak with other teachers about the usefulness of technology in the classroom they also have no idea what some of these things are or how easily accessible these technologies are. I must keep my students abreast of all of their options so that those that continue their education will have equal opportunity to succeed as those who are not as disadvantaged when it comes to access of technology. I began creating lessons that will allow my students to use technology during class when it is available. I have also created collaborative activities that encourage students to stay after school to use the technologies available for them at the school. I realized through my experiences at Walden that all students must be given equal opportunity to be successful.

Red Queens

Dr. David Thornburg suggests a red queen is a technology that comes out of no where and changes the game. The red queen creates competition for one technology until one technology is faded out For a discussion I was asked to watch a science fiction to find emerging or emerged technologies. I immediately sought out a DVD to watch for the assignment. As I write this blog I was asked to think about whether or not on demand movie rentals or the ability to watch movies over the Internet will replace DVDs. On demand movie rentals and the the Internet is certainly creating competition for DVDs. It is more convenient to hit a button on a remote to watch a movie or find a video to stream on the Internet than to leave home to find a movie to rent. As I look around I see more an more video rental stores closing. However I see more and more DVD rental kiosks popping up in grocery stores and the like. I also see the price of DVDs dropping and becoming more affordable for everyone. Although I think it is convenient for people to rent movies on demand and stream movies via the Internet, I do not think it will completely wipe out the demand for DVDs any time soon. People still like to get out of the house even if it is for the purpose of renting a movie. It is even more convenient because you can head to a local grocery store shop for groceries and pick up a movie on your way out the door. People also still like to purchase DVDs so they can pop them in at any time without having to find it. DVDs are also good for those who may not have cable or satellite television or access to the Internet. Lastly DVDs can be used during travel where there is limited or no access to on demand or Internet, and can be shared among family and friends. On demand and Internet streaming, in my opinion, just gave an alternative to DVDs. People will choose what is convenient for them at the time.