Peace is Delicious

Please Note: If you are already a seasoned Delicious User then you should probably move on as this epiphany is meant for those who, like me, are just now pulling up from the rear.

B.D. (Before Delicious)
In an attempt to organize and manage the plethora of websites that I was becoming exposed to in my studies at Drexel University, I set up folders and created links on my desktop PC.

I was trying to keep track of DOE websites, curriculum, lesson plans, games, local educational news, social justice websites, teaching standards, state academic standards, national education standards you name it.

This worked fine for the first fifty or so links. You can probably guess how the story ends.

Here’s a little piece of what it looked like:






Please take note: These 21 icons represent one sub-folder (which is found under another sub-folder that is located under a sub-folder….and which are all subject to my remembering which sub-folder is for storing what…).




Problem #1: I can never remember what I’ve stored or where I’ve stored it.

Problem #2: Since these links are saved on my desktop computer, which is sitting on my desk at home, I cannot easily access them remotely. (That’s a lie, really I can log into my GoToMyPC account and find them that way, but that takes about 45 seconds to do and I don’t have that kind of time!)

Problem #3: No easy way to search. Yes, I can click on Start Search (blah, blah, blah). There is no easy way to search.

The Delicious Way


<< double click the image to enlarge >>














If my lame screenshots don't do it for you, then maybe one of the million tutorials out there will!

Click below for a delicious tutorial:



Visit my Delicous Link at: http://delicious.com/damore1003

Curb Your E-nthusiasm

One of the best pieces of advice that I’ve seen so far with regard to integrating technology in the classroom is found on page 45 of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classroom, by Will Richardson. The advice is this: “start small.”

Although we are in the throes of an obvious revolution, we are not yet all on the same “virtual” page. Some students have had more exposure and enjoy greater access to computers than others and I think it’s important not to overwhelm or alienate those who may be playing catchup.

I am a big fan of the concept of blogging in the classroom and I foresee myself using blogs for many of the tasks that Richardson outlines in his book including: posting reflections on class discussions (extra credit for posting links that support or refute our arguments), collaborating on written assignments, posting homework, publishing a class newsletter, managing a book-club or literature circle, etc. (p. 38) However, I think in these early stages of the game it’s a good idea to let the class dictate the pace. As teachers we must be ready to react and respond to the needs of our students, but that doesn’t mean setting up a complex system of blogging right out of the gate.

I think, too, that it’s important to remember that a classroom blog is not a showplace for what we as teachers know, but instead what our students can do. I like the idea of giving them some say in designing the class website. I think that a project such as that would give the students a great sense of ownership.

Richardson gives some great advice on introducing blogs to the classroom. Whether we follow his advice or forge our own path isn’t as important as the idea that we must make sure we’re on the path that best benefits our students.

The Digital Divide in Education

On the first night of EDUC 310 we spent time discussing the rate at which technology changes and the ways that it has changed not only how we learn but also the rate at which we learn. Since that class I have been thinking about the existing educational achievement gap between urban and suburban public school students. I began to wonder how that gap is going to be affected as the trend of infusing technology into classrooms and curriculum gains momentum. My initial reaction was that as the wealthier school districts continue to foster environments with 2:1 or even 1:1 student to computer ratios, their rate of academic acceleration is going to increase exponentially. What is going to happen to students who attend schools with strapped budgets, limited resources and poorly trained personnel? Like the rate of academic acceleration, will the achievement gap too be widened exponentially due to this digital divide in education?

I did some research on the topic and was surprised to find little in the way of actual statistics. I found some articles that addressed the problem, but most were several years old and none provided a direct answer to the question that I was asking.

In her article, Permanent Injustice: Rawls' Theory of Justice and the Digital Divide, Elizabeth Hendrix points out that many students in lower-income school districts do not have convenient unlimited access to state-of-the-art computers. Yet progress continues and the use of computers and the Internet are being introduced into the curriculum in the form of home-based projects and homework assignments. For some students gaining access to a computer after school hours may involve transportation, long waits in a queue, and timed usage. Roadblocks.

The buck does not stop with home usage though. Classrooms in schools with a low budget are not equipped with the same student to computer ratios as we are seeing in wealthier suburban schools. I visited a fourth-grade class room in Kensington last year. There were four computer and 36 students – a 9:1 ratio. According to the NEA Policy Brief, there are many classrooms that have no computers in them at all so the students must move to the library or trade equipment back and forth between classrooms.

Hidden expenses are also a factor. Technology costs much more than just the price of a computer. Teacher training, education-specific software, and regular upgrades and maintenance are all extremely expensive. How can a school with budget problems be expected to maintain any kind of competitive edge for its students? Where will this stream of funds come from?

My question remains: how big of an impact is the digital divide in education going to have on the achievement gap? It may indeed be too soon to tell right now, but I don’t believe it’s too soon to forecast.

References:

Hendrix, E. (2005). Permanent Injustice: Rawls' Theory of Justice and the Digital Divide. Educational Technology & Society, 8 (1), 63-68.

NEA Policy Brief. (2008). Technology in Schools: The ongoing Challenge of Access, Adequacy and Equity. http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_PB19_Technology.pdf.