Joe McConda on Technology, Education, and Culture

After reading chapter 6 in the Digital Equity book, I am having problems relating with the authors’ discussion on the group of people they call the “information poor.” They are described as the nation’s low income minority groups: Hispanics, African-Americans, and Native Americans. If I lived in a large city, I would probably be aware of or know people who fit this description. Here in Appalachia, however, this group description doesn’t fit.   Most of the low income people that I know are white. I have known and worked with many  African Americans and a few Hispanics. Most of them made as much or more money as I did. We were all just average middle class. The minorities that I work with now could easily afford a computer and Internet access, and I know from talking to them that most or all of them do. The school systems that are more “information poorer” than others in our area are certainly not predominately Hispanic or African American. It is strange to me that these authors seem to think that these information poor people must be minorities. I know that there are many poorly funded school systems in this nation and I believe that we need to do what is needed to bring about digital equity for them. (Many of them need more basic things first, such as decent facilities.) However, I think we should think more in terms of “information at risk” students who would include as many or more whites as minorities. These would be kids from backgrounds that would not have encouraged or facilitated information technology or even education for that matter. This would be the group that I would call the information poor, and helping them would require caring teachers and mentors more than just money.

As some of you know, I teach in a correctional facility where my students do not have access to online tools at all.  The plan for us is that all classrooms are going to be equipped with computers and all classwork will be done via a limited intranet system.  So, the students will be using computer technology (software) and will be monitored at the state department as well as by the teacher.  So, basically, I experience denied access on a daily basis …….for very different reasons.

However, my wife teaches at a KY high school and has tried implementing some of the things I learned last semester without running into too many denied sites.  She came home from school today, though, complaining that she spent 45 minutes making a crossword puzzle on puzzle-maker.com and when she clicked on “create puzzle” she got a big Access Denied message.  She said it also stated that it was considered a “game” site so it was blocked by the administrator.  She was so afraid she was going to lose the content she’d spent so long on and she called the technology coordinator who removed the block and all turned out well.

Just thought I’d share her experience since it related to access.

Back in 2006, Clarence Fisher made this observation about educational access to technology.

Almost all schools in the Western world are wired for Internet service. The quality of that service, its speed, and its overall usefulness due to issues of filtering, scheduling, simple numbers, etc. varies widely; but for the purposes of proud, strutting politicians, kids have access.

He quotes Henry Jenkins’ paper that challenges the educational community to move from the discussion of access to participation.

Fisher says , “As Jenkins tells us, we need to look beyond our kids having access to tools (blogs, wikis, etc.) and we need to learn how to use them effectively in our classrooms to support their learning.”The things he says in this blog are not really different than what we have discussed as being issues now, nearly two years later. The access, even without the filters, is only as good as the educators that find ways to use it for learning. For those of us who are older, it takes time to learn what younger teachers already know. I would not have known to use any of these tools prior to last semester. I am learning, though. It is going to take a major shift in the way we think about education to really make a difference in the educational system. There are some teachers and administrators that will never embrace the digital world. The gradual change in make-up of educators will bring about more openness to educational technology and the willingness to allow students the freedom to learn.

As I was reading the first chapter in “Toward Digital Equity” I was thinking about Dr. Lowell’s comments about how long ago the book was written (five years is a long time in these digital technology days), and how much on or off target the authors were about what needed to have had occurred by this time in the distance education time line. I think they were very much on target, and I can only say this after having the distance learning class last semester and gaining some understanding of what it really is about. These are the observations I see of the four components of access that the authors address:

• Access to up-to-date hardware, software, and connectivity They are right that the quality of these are important and I think that for the most part these are found today in most homes and schools that can afford them. It seems that a high speed internet capability is the main problem for most people using computers at home. I don’t have enough information to debate whether all schools have access to quality computers and connections, but many do. Most libraries have these for those who don’t have them at home.
• Access to meaningful, high-quality, and culturally responsive content and the opportunity to contribute to that content I am thinking more in terms of higher education and in particular the classes I am taking now when I say that this is on target. The blog networks and discussion boards would definitely be this type of content, and I agree that this type of content is needed. I know these are used to some extent in K-12, but is probably seen more at the college level. As an aside to this, one of my fellow teachers who had an online educational technology course told me that all they did was read each chapter in the text book, answer the study questions, and submit them electronically. This might be distance education but I wouldn’t call it distance learning.
• Access to educators who know how to use digital tools and resources Before I had my first class in educational technology, I thought we were just going to learn how to set things up on the computer or learn how to use some electronic gadgets. We did set up our blog networks, which was frustrating at first, but all we have done since is learn how to think about and respond to the vast amount of information and ideas that flash before us on our monitor screens. The “setting up” is easy compared to knowing how to help others learn with it.
• Access to systems sustained by leaders with vision and support for change via technology This is a very good description of our instructor for this course and the system of learning that he has created and is sustaining. Assuming that there are other leaders out there like him, the authors were on target here, too.

The literacy coach at our school sent us a link to a website that I think would be useful for this class. It has  much information about distance education and e-learning, but what I found most useful is a large glossary of terms relating to distance education and computer terms associated with it.  I’m sending the link here because it might be useful to others as well.  Technology brings a whole new language that must be learned.  Come to think of it, that’s a culture all by itself…….

I am trying to think through the idea that “culture is the sum of its technologies” and “education maintains the rules.” It makes more sense to me if I think in terms of subcultures. America is definitely a melting pot of various cultures and I think this is true in many other major countries and to a lesser extent in third world countries as well. When I think of American culture, I think only in terms of its government’s and major business’ status of “super power” and “world leader.” Here we are always on the cutting edge of technology to maintain this status. The common people are being swept along behind the leaders in that we have to keep up with technology by being forced to learn to use technologies such as computers in our everyday lives and jobs. Hence, education says “Everyone must learn keyboarding and be computer literate.” These are some education rules. I find it interesting, though, that most of the common people like myself don’t use computers for anything other than emailing or shopping unless they are involved in getting more education or educating themselves by being informed. This seems to give education the role of perpetuating the need for new technology as well as maintaining the rules. As for those of us who don’t use computers unless we have to, what does this say about our culture in terms of the sum of our technologies? Is this an example of the gap that Solomon talks about?

I’m old enough to remember the “party line” telephone. We had that type of service for a while when I was a kid. Trouble with that was, you didn’t get to choose who you “partied” with. Later, we had a phone line that we didn’t have to share with our neighbors and I even had a few friends that had their own phone line separate from their parents’ in their homes. Obviously, times and technology have changed. Kids of all ages have cell phones on which they communicate via voice or text and they also communicate from their “My Space” or “Facebook” page. I agree with Danah Boyd in Apophenia in that the social network sites are mainly used by kids for communicating with a network of friends already in their social circle. The occasional request for information about a homework assignment is no different than my requests made via telephone. The technology is different, but the premise is the same. The use is primarily social, not educational. I’m not saying that I think these sites are bad. Can they be detrimental to what goes on in education? I think the answer to that is “yes”. Like anything, we have to take the good with the bad. I also agreed with Boyd on the issue of other technologies being beneficial in the classroom. Blogging is one of those. Producing writing for classmates as well as the teacher to read is motivation for the student to do his or her best. As teachers, we have to focus on our goals for student learning and engage them with various techniques to keep them on the task at hand. Technology gives us more tools from which to choose to accomplish these goals. Hopefully, the new tools we have match up to the tools of distraction for the students. I don’t think “My Space” with its current use, has anymore use in the classroom than my old telephone.

After reading many excellent blog posts about technology, education, and culture, I’m finding it hard not to just reiterate what has already been said. The thing I’m thinking about, though, is that change is very difficult. Technology , education, and culture are intertwined. I think of a Venn diagram or a circular flow chart that reflects the ways in which each are influenced by the other. There are regions that overlap all three, some regions that are isolated and some that overlap two of the three. Our church just recently changed its name to “Bridges” to reflect a more regional focus going beyond the immediate community. While many people are reluctant to accept this change, the point was made that technology has made it possible to reach out to other areas. This discussion of technology, culture, and education relates to changes like this. I think of the small churches of the past that doubled as the school house for all grades. A body of knowledge was taught with the technology of a slate and chalk and the books that were available. Cultural and social norms were practiced and the circle of influence was limited to the short distances people could travel. Now, we don’t seek to teach knowledge as an end in itself. Because the amount of knowledge is so vast, students must learn to think, solve problems and use knowledge more than ever.

My wife and I grew up in a small town where the high school was the center and focus of the community. Football games always had the town buzzing with excitement. Our oldest son went to school there and was on the football team. After his sophomore year, however, a new and large consolidated school was built a few miles down the road that also took away the high school in the middle of another town. The new school offered many advantages with all of its new and modern facilities, but it tore the heart out of two communities. Many people who strongly supported it in the beginning were not pleased with it after a year or two. The kids who were used to a small school environment were lost in the large number of students and huge building.

These are just some examples of the issues we experienced that arose from the interaction of technology, culture and education. I’m just musing and throwing out these personal reflections and hope that I will gain more insight as the semester progresses.

Hello. I’m Joe McConda and I’m a math teacher at a juvenile correctional facility in Ohio. I am married and have two grown sons and two grandchildren. My wife is a teacher in Kentucky where we live. I am in my second semester of the master’s program in educational technology and my second class from Dr. Lowell. One thing I know for sure is that all of us will be stretched and frustrated at times while learning more than we think possible.  I look forward to the meaningful exchange that will inevitably take place throughout the semester.