REACHING AND TEACHING THOSE WITHOUT HOME COMPUTERS

Professional Development Learning Module for CIED 7601

Summer 2012

Connie Ryals

Image Courtesy of Microsoft Office

Standards Addressed:

NETS-T 1.b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues

and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources

2.c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources

4.a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

NETS-A 5.a. Ensure equitable access to appropriate digital

tools and resources to meet the needs of all learners

Digital Citizenship

Elements Addressed: Digital Access Digital Communication Digital Etiquette

Focus Question:

How can students without home internet access become proficient technology users?

Related Questions:

Where can students have access to computers and internet?

How can students capitalize on computer access at school and in public places?

Which computer skills would be most important to students without regular computer access?

Describe proper netiquette for middle school students.

Objective:

To make participants aware that many students lack home internet access, to encourage participants to seek ways to give students access and to make participants aware that students without technology at home will need extra instruction in the use of technology and etiquette.

Teacher Survey

Do you give assignments that require students to use computers? 

Do you allow students to use computers for assignments if they choose?

Have you considered how many students have access to the internet and how many do not?

Have you skipped an assignment because you felt students could not get to a computer to complete it?

Think…

Of a student you currently teach or recently taught

Select a student you believe did not have internet access at home

Think of his or her future Will s/he be successful in high school? Will s/he understand how to use computers to

apply for college or technical college? job applications? online services?

Will his/her life be more difficult because s/he can’t access information utilizing computers?

Georgia Fact Sheet (March 2008) – Interesting Facts

Georgia ranks 11th in the U.S. for overall number of high-tech workers and 17th for average high-tech wage

In Georgia, high-tech industry workers earn an average of $32,396 more per year than other private sector workers

39% of all Georgia's households do not own a computer compared to 38% of all households nationally

46% of all Georgia's households do not use the Internet at home compared to 45% of all households nationally

18% of all Georgia's households have broadband compared to and 20% of all households nationally

Georgia ranks 31st in percentage of households with a computer, 30th in percentage of households with Internet access, and 28th in percentage of households with broadband access

Georgia is not among the 34 states that has education technology standards by grade level

Of the 2.3 million children in Georgia, 461,000, or 20%, are living in poverty. Georgia ranks 13th in percentage of children living in poverty

34% of Georgia's children live with parents who do not have full-time, year-round employment (the national average is 34%).

11% of teens in Georgia do not attend school and do not work (the national average is 8%).Source: http://www.childrenspartnership.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Technology&Template=/CM/

HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8490

A Personal Interpretation

Georgia has high-tech workers and jobs Georgia high-tech workers are well paid Georgia hovers around the national average for

households owning computers, using the internet at home, and having broadband

When ranking Georgia for those items, we rank 28th place or lower! (a good number is close to 1)

Georgia hovers around the national average for student-to-computer ratios

More than one third of our students live in households without year-round income

20% of our kids live in poverty, placing us in 13th place – a good number here is closer to 50!

Digital Access defined:

Mike Ribble (2012) defines digital access as “full electronic participation in society”

“Technology users need to be aware of and support electronic access for all to create a foundation for Digital Citizenship. Digital exclusion of any kind does not enhance the growth of users in an electronic society. All people should have fair access to technology no matter who they are. Places or organizations with limited connectivity need to be addressed as well. To become productive citizens, we need to be committed to equal digital access.”

Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

Watch the video: What is the digital divide?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCIB_vXUptY You may need to adjust your volume You can see the video is a few years old! Please place a check by your name when your

video finishes.

Teachers, please raise your hand (in Live Classroom) if you believe the lack of access to technology is a problem for your students.

Main Divisions in the Digital Divide Education Income Age

My Student Survey

Raise your hand if: You have internet at home You have internet at Grandma’s house You have internet at Aunt Susie’s house and

mom will take you there or let you go on your own

You can go to the library by yourself or your parents will take you

Your parents have internet at work and you are allowed to use a computer there

A friend living close to you would let you use their internet

Watch the video: America Offline: stories from the digital divide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEJIgDTrgho

Please place a check by your name when the video finishes

How can we help students get access to computers during school hours? Please post your thoughts in the chat

box or if you would like to say them through your microphone, raise your hand and I’ll call on you.

How can we help students get access to computers during school hours ? Answers that would fit my school:

Allow students to go to the library and use a computer during homeroom, Baron Time, downtime in class, before school, or after school

Teachers that have computers in their classroom could allow students to use those and cut out travel time

Teachers could set up a schedule to allow students to use a computer during break

What skills do students without regular computer and internet access need to be taught?

Use the chat box or mic to share answers.

Anticipated Answers:

Computer Operating Basics Netiquette Communication Security Commerce Law Health & Wellness

We will now focus on:

Computer Basics Netiquette Communication

Computer Operating Basics

Students may need to be taught or reminded how to: Turn on a computer/turn off a computer Get to programs and internet Use basic word processing programs Save and retrieve files from programs like

Word, Excel, and Powerpoint Conduct searches on the internet Login to school provided sites such as

Study Island, Accelerated Reader, GA OAS

Digital Etiquette defined:

Mike Ribble (2012) defines Digital Etiquette as “electronic standards of conduct or procedure”.

“Technology users often see this area as one of the most pressing problems when dealing with Digital Citizenship. We recognize inappropriate behavior when we see it, but before people use technology they do not learn digital etiquette (i.e., appropriate conduct). Many people feel uncomfortable talking to others about their digital etiquette. Often rules and regulations are created or the technology is simply banned to stop inappropriate use. It is not enough to create rules and policy, we must teach everyone to become responsible digital citizens in this new society.”

Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

Video: Digital Etiquette

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moCf6R-Jegk

Please place a check by your name when the video is finished

Digital Etiquette Basics:

Students need to be taught or reminded: Don’t take phone calls in public places Don’t yell when talking on your phone Set your phone to vibrate or turn it off when you will be in quiet

public places (ex: church, movies, funeral, restaurant, class) Don’t type in all caps – it is considered yelling Reread any message before you send it to check for tone – it is

hard to tell when you are joking in a typed message Don’t type anything or send any picture you would not want

every adult you know to read – it will be in cyberspace forever Don’t say hurtful things about others on any electronic device

because it can be distributed world-wide in a few minutes and you can never take it back

Digital Communication defined Mike Ribble (2012) defines Digital Communication as the

“electronic exchange of information”. “One of the significant changes within the digital

revolution is a person’s ability to communicate with other people. In the 19th century, forms of communication were limited. In the 21st century, communication options have exploded to offer a wide variety of choices (e.g., e-mail, cellular phones, instant messaging). The expanding digital communication options have changed everything because people are able to keep in constant communication with anyone else. Now everyone has the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with anyone from anywhere and anytime. Unfortunately, many users have not been taught how to make appropriate decisions when faced with so many different digital communication options.”

Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

Watch the video: Digital Communication

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2q2OYpQ1_A

You may need to adjust your volume Please place a check by your name when

the video is finished

Digital Communication Basics: Students may need to be taught or

reminded: Ways to communicate include cell phone,

text, Instant Message, e-mail, and video chat

When to use which method of communication

Etiquette rules always apply How-to’s of each type of communication

Review

Many of our students don’t have access to computers and internet outside of school

Teachers should identify those students and give them extra opportunities to learn at school

Students will need to be taught Basics of Computer Operation Proper Digital Etiquette Proper uses of Digital Communication

Extension

Plan to meet again in two weeks to share how you have been able to utilize the ideas shared here and the success you have seen in your classroom.

Resources

Digital Opportunity for Georgia’s Youth http://www.childrenspartnership.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Technology&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8490

Digital Citizenship http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

Teacher Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KX7XMYR