Original post by Alice Wong on September 17, 2017
The one thing I dislike about technology is the wide technological gap between individuals. While some families or schools are technologically ‘rich’ (i.e. having physical devices, skills and attitudes etc.), some families and schools are technologically ‘poor’. This can be problematic in schools where teachers are expecting students to attain certain level of digital competencies. Educators then will have to teach the basic literacy skills, thus hindering them from fully integrating technology into their teaching. This continuous disadvantage may pose many challenges for students learning from teachers who fluently integrate the use of new technology into their teaching. While there are national literacy frameworks for students, there should be a stronger focus in integrating these expectations on a provincial level. These expectations should be more explicitly integrated into the literacy curriculum. For example, the BC literacy curriculum for Grade 2 expects its students to be able to communicate ideas via digital presentations. However, if students have low typing skills, it may be difficult for them to create a digital presentation. Another area of contention would be whether or not these skills are progressively connected between grade levels.
Thanks Alice, I really connected with this idea. As we have moved through this period of remote learning for all ages, the disparity amongst devices at home has become very clear and had created a gap in access amongst students. I feel this is the same idea as above, simply revealed much stronger due to the circumstances. I do think the curriculum is working towards minding this gap and increasing accessibility for all students but it is challenging when this support either continues at home or does not. I know this connects to all aspects of learning but it can be a real challenge with finances and the cost of devices.