I am definitely a visitor--I related to the description of students who are concerned about privacy. I aspire to be more like David White: a visitor in my private life and a resident in my professional life. Because I prefer to keep my private life private. I wouldn't mind having a "brand" or being a "micro-celebrity" professionally, but I hate the idea of doing that with my personal life.
When White talks about a "post-digital" age, I think we need to always remember those who have no digital age at all because they have NO access. Today I asked our tech guru people for a list of low-cost internet providers I could offer to families who ask us about internet access. He mentioned that internet providers require credit checks. Nevermind.
Access is still a huge issue. I know it is problematic but I always make sure students and their families know that there is free wireless access at the library (http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/searching-the-net/wirelessaccess.shtml)
ReplyDeleteAccess is huge, and credit checks are another roadblock faced by the proverbial have nots. Transportation makes getting to public access points difficult, and wait times at public access points compound the difficulty of access.
ReplyDeleteI also tend to agree with you about the issue of privacy, and I am still exploring my own comfort zone in terms of professional online residency.
I agree that we must be mindful of those who do not have access to the internet on a steady basis. I am saddened when teachers are unwilling to consider the difficulties students experience when they need to use a computer or the internet to complete an assignment. Going to the local library is not always convenient for students and something schools need to keep in mind.
ReplyDeleteWhen we surveyed our JCCS students, it was surprising to find that over 80% of the students reported that they had access to the Internet. I believe that 90% had a Facebook or MySpace. I imagine that not too far off in the future there will be ubiquitous access to the Internet. There are already devices that are fairly inexpensive and come equipped with wi-fi. A used iPod touch would go on the Internet. There are a lot of places like McDonald's and coffee shops that offer free wi-fi.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I asked that the post be 300-400 words. There is definitely more room for reflection.
We were just talking about the issue of access on Wednesday...so frustrating! Going to the library for one-hour of computer time is certainly not enough for homework, job searching, etc.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the short post, Jeff! I'm getting lots of great ideas about how to get our students more connected. Julie's presentation was really helpful. Maybe I will end up purchasing Kindle fires or iPod touches for some of our kiddos and see if that helps. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting roadblock - the idea that to access the internet one needs to go through a credit check. The sense of equity is not available and the typical response is that "internet is available at the library." Harry Bloom's observation regarding the use of internet at the library makes the inequity of this statement apparent.
ReplyDeletehi bev,
ReplyDeletei used your stories, regardding access to internet, with some Monarch visitors today. access is sucha huge issue. the first question the visitors had was "can the parents just go to the library?" at our new school, we are going to have parent resource center with computers for our parents to use to research jobs, access email, etc. the technology is tethered but it's a start.