Digital Inequality

Wow!  There was a lot of reading this week!  I was gone on a backpacking trip the first few days, and then my husband and daughter fell ill, so it's been rather frantic around here.

Nonetheless, I found the reading to be very interesting.  As an undergrad, I took lots of classes that focused on inequalities in societies/communities around the world.  It's a particular interest of mine.  But the digital divide and digital inequality were newer concepts to me.  The readings linked for us all seemed to agree on the basics, which was reassuring.  This isn't some new-fangled concept; it has been studied for some time, and continues to grow in importance.  More and more, I'm seeing that access to technology is a human right.  When I first heard about the Google balloons a few months ago, I thought it seemed a little silly, to be honest.  What about clean water first?!?  But I have definitely come around, and see how technology is a component of education, and education changes people's lives.

I found VoiceStream very easy to use, and I'm working on my anxiety over recording my own voice.  It's like I tell my students: It gets easier with practice!  (Right?)

The multimedia principles helped focus my efforts, and I hope to apply that new-found-knowledge to the presentations I create for students.  I thought the "headline" concept was a good one; why have I never heard of this before now?

In my VoiceStream, I focused on the issue of infrastructure.  I specifically mention the recipients for each school-based recommendation that I make.  I plan to follow through once school resumes in the fall, and I anticipate some interesting conversations on the horizon.  I am not one to seek out leadership positions, but I am gathering my strength because I can see the importance of the National Education Technology Plan.  I do not feel that my school is well-positioned to implement the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Education, but not for a lack of support.  Funding and resources will probably be the biggest stumbling blocks, so I tried to keep that in mind while proposing solutions.   


Here's the link to my VoiceThread presentation: https://voicethread.com/share/4739626/