As I sit and write this post, I think about all the steps involved leading to my final product. I learned through many attempts to keep visuals and narration as simple as possible in order to best articulate your point. While it’s tempting to put a ton of information and visuals on a presentation slide, the viewer can become bored or lost.
The difference between “digital divide” and “digital inequality” is subtle, but important. I learned to think of “digital divide” as access to the Internet and “digital inequality” as the human interaction with the web. “Digital inequality” has a number of moving parts to it; available equipment, autonomy of use, skills, social support and purpose. Available equipment refers to the quality and competency of the technology being used. If the technology is not able to perform the necessary tasks needed then what good is it? Autonomy basically means; how much control do people have over their web use? How far do they have to go to get it? When can they get it? With more autonomy comes a greater benefit of the Internet. Skill is an important factor to consider when thinking about digital inequality. While most users only need a basic understand of how the internet works, the required knowledge needed to obtain the full benefit and enjoyment of the internet is ever growing. Social support refers to the ability to get help with the Internet when you need it. Whether the support comes from friends, family, colleagues, or professionals, personal satisfaction with the online experience correlates with increased usage and skill building. Lastly, purpose refers to what users are using the Internet for.
The three issues of “digital inequality” pertaining to my school included; the technology available to us is spread too thin, sometimes the technology we have does not work properly, and lastly the need of a service plan for when our technology becomes old. I learned about numerous programs, some federal and some private, that donate computers and other electronic equipment to schools when they upgrade their systems. There are also websites similar to GoFundMe where teachers can describe technology they would like to have for their classrooms and private donors give money to help make their dream a reality. I plan on doing a little more research before I decide on which website to use to fundraise for my classroom…a class set of Chromebooks would be nice!
I found the possible solutions to my issues aligned with Principles 5 and 7of Section I and Principle 6 of Section II of the AECT Code of Ethics.
To view my brainstorming outline click on the first link below. To view my presentation on “digital divide” and “digital inequality” using Google Slides, please click on the second link. To view my presentation with narration through VoiceThread, click the third link.
Presentation Outline
Presentation in Google Drive
Presentation using VoiceThread