My school only has 3 computer labs available for use in a school of 1300 students and 0 mobile carts. I spoke with my principal about spending this year’s SPLOST money on mobile carts or a few devices for each classroom. He seemed very open to the idea.
It is the 21st century and students are expected to know how to use digital tools and resources in order to search for job openings, pay bills, communicate, and as a tool to learn about information. Schools must ensure that all students have equal access to these tools and not just students from higher socioeconomic homes. Hohlfield, Ritzhaupt, and Barron found in their study that higher socioeconomic high schools were more likely to provide technology opportunities to the community in which they reside than lower socioeconomic high schools (2010). There is a great divide between the communities that have high income residents and the communities that have lower income residents when it comes to technology and students having access to it. We must do something to change that and I feel like the department of education should focus on ways to change that. They should educate districts on how to spend their money on supplies so that students will have access to technology. They can focus on buying ipads vs. buying textbooks.
Baron, Walter, Martin, and Schatz conducted a study of Silcon Valley high schools and found that while many students had access to technology, those who had access at home were more likely to be using it for fluency building activities (2010). We must find ways for all students to have access to technology so that they can have authentic learning experiences. I have found that students are willing to share their technology with other students but the ideal scenario would be for students to have his or her own device so that you could pinpoint what each student needs.
Schools should consider opening computer labs before and after school for students who do not have access at home. Purchasing more mobile labs would also ensure that technology is used in the classroom. Schools should also consider a one-to-one initiative and the cost and savings associated with implementing that versus purchasing textbooks.
Resources
Barron, B., Walter, S. E., Martin, C. K., & Schatz, C. (2010). Predictors of creative computing participation and profiles of experience in two Silicon Valley middle schools . Computers & Education (54), 178-189.
Hohlfeld, T. N., Ritzhaupt, A. D., & Barron, A. E. (2010). Connecting schools, community, and family with ICT: Four-year trends related to school level and SES of public schools in Florida . Computers & Education (55), 391-405.