Diversity & The Digital Divide
| Introduction | Student to Student | Digital Equity | Students' Response |
| Student to Teacher | Digital Divide | Teacher Response | Demographics |
Technology provides many resources. The use of technology in the classroom can facilitate learning as well as provide access to additional resources for learning. This paper examines the use of technology in the EAST lab setting at JA Fair. It is a careful examination of how technology has shifted instruction and how access to technology addresses the digital divide among students.
The Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) philosophy is based on numerous principles. First it states that all students have value and deserve the opportunity to demonstrate their value to their school and community. The EAST philosophy also states that education must be relevant, challenging, purposeful, and student centered. Educators should serve as resource guides and learner facilitators and learning should be self-directed and oriented towards real-world projects. Finally, the EAST philosophy states that high expectations must be maintained and must drive all student efforts.
EAST labs offer students a variety of computer software applications which provide students with an opportunity to gain experience in networking, network system administration, desktop publishing, presentation applications, computer aided design (CAD), web page design, computer generated animation, solid modeling and assembly, and database management. These programs and applications are used to hone students’ problem solving skills. EAST labs serve a diverse student population from special needs students to the advanced and gifted students. The learning is self-directed and goals are set by individuals. East student’s motivation and ability determine the extent to which that student will apply the software programs. A major goal of EAST labs is to help students become a productive participant in his/her community. EAST students use their knowledge of these computer applications to design and complete a community based project.
Student Interaction with the Teacher
The teacher and student interaction is very minimal. For the most part, the teacher or facilitator allows the students to work on their own or in groups. The teacher does not usually hand pick students to be in groups but in the first nine weeks he did to prevent problems. Everyday the teacher stops at the end of class and ask the student to assess themselves by ranking their class work for the day from 1 to 10. If the teacher believes that the student has not deserved the number that the student has chosen, the teacher will give the student the number that he believes the student has earned and explain why that student has been given that number. The teacher also asks the students to sign their names by the rank that they got for that day to show that the student was in full agreement. This log is very useful when parents come to acquire about the grade that their child has gotten. The teacher grades only on procedures. The teacher has minimal discipline problems and if he feels at any time that students may not be able to work together because of their group dynamics, the teacher will break students up into other groups. The teacher for the most part is a cheerleader. He stays in what I like to call the ‘Adult’ mode. In adult mode, the teacher asks open-ended questions to the students about their behavior, assignments etc. The teacher treats the students like adults rather than like children. On ‘B’ days the teacher does most of his monitoring and teaching. In his other classes, the students already know what and how to do the task that they have – they are self-starters.
Student Interaction with the students
For the most part, students have to work with one another depending on what status they are:
East one students: are geared to help themselves.
East two students: starting to be concerned with the community
East three students: are engaged in the Literacy program – helps the students become better readers.
An example of an assignment is that students will have a webpage due, but some students are not obliged to do a webpage if they have chosen to do something else.
As far as discipline, students know the consequences. Students can make up work for their daily grade and they are subject to their group work by their peers. Attendance is not a concern.
Most of the time students try to pick some one in their groups that are programmers or have a computer at home (the students are pretty good at that).
Most students do not have computers (80 to 85% by teacher ratio) – no software can be taken home. Students get ten minutes before class to search internet, email etc. Some students may do research at home or in the library. As noted earlier, students for the most part make sure that they chose other students to be in the group that have access to a computer outside of the classroom. The classroom only has fifteen computers. Some students have to do work at a table in the middle of the classroom, until a computer becomes available. Students that are at a computer must be working on an assignment.
Teacher tries not to play a hand at selecting team members for each group or team. He lets the students pick their own group mates. Some students will not need computers. Students that are on computers have to be working. As far as ratio, there are probably more males than females (70 to 30). As far as working together in the East Lab and having equal opportunities, the teacher believes that it is fifty-fifty for all (which incidentally does not mirror the make up of the school – should it mirror the school or should it be fifty-fifty?). The teacher only had one Spanish student which was last year. This year he does not have any. There is not a lot of press for parents to know about the East Lab. Therefore, parents do not get involved as much. The East Lab has no budget. However, the state mandated schools to have money budgeted for East Lab. The teacher usually gets what he would like for the East Lab. Next year, the East Lab will receive a ‘Legacy Grant.’ With that grant, the East Lab will receive new computers, video equipment, software etc. The teacher expects to have at least 20 or more computers for the classroom. The old computers will go to the Junior High. Digital equity does not appear to affect whether a student passes or fails the course. The East Lab has a three percent failure rate. The three percent failure usually comes into affect when students simply do not attend the class.
The teacher believes that some other teachers harbor animosity toward the
East Lab. Possibly because students tend to enjoy the East Lab more than regular
classrooms. Also, other teachers may not see the learning that is taking place.
The teacher has reported that he has no problems with including students with
IEPs. The students tend to take care of those problems themselves. The teacher
stated that he trained for forty hours per three phases to become a facilitator
for the East Lab. He truly enjoys his job.
He questions the fact that he does
not really have a say-so into who is accepted to be apart of the East Lab.
His
theory is that "the East Lab is how shop class use to be for me. Students get to
work outside of the normal curriculum and do things that are hands-on etc." He
also reemphasized the point that the students are not given an assignment, but
certain students have to have some type of deadline on the assignments that they
choose.
The students really enjoy the East Lab. Most students responded that they do not necessarily relate other classes to the East Lab. They like to do just the opposite. They love the freedom that the East Lab gives them. They take pleasure in taking ownership of different projects, working together, and learning at their own speed. Students love the East Lab so much that students find ways to come back to the lab throughout the day. The teacher allows students to come back to the East Lab if they have a pass from their teacher or if they are an office monitor or assistant that has nothing to do.
JA Fair Magnet High School:
| Class | Blk M |
Blk F |
Tot Blk |
Wht M |
Wht F |
Tot Wht |
Oth M |
Oth F |
Tot Oth |
Tot Cnt |
Blk % |
Wht % |
Oth % |
Max Cap |
| SP | 11 | 9 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 80.0 | 20.0 | .0 | 0 |
| 09 | 133 | 119 | 252 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 307 | 82.1 | 12.7 | 5.2 | 300 |
| 10 | 106 | 86 | 192 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 252 | 76.2 | 20.6 | 3.2 | 300 |
| 11 | 92 | 80 | 172 | 24 | 16 | 40 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 219 | 78.5 | 18.3 | 3.2 | 300 |
| 12 | 56 | 74 | 130 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 163 | 79.8 | 19.0 | 1.2 | 300 |
| Total | 398 | 368 | 766 | 84 | 83 | 167 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 966 | 79.3 | 17.3 | 3.4 | 1200 |
Additional Information
There is other pertinent information that I received concerning the East Lab. For instance, although each class for the East Lab only consists of eight to twenty students, there are one-hundred and fifty to one-hundred and eighty students on the waiting list to be accepted into the East Lab. The School usually does not let seniors in as first year students, but everyone else is allowed into the East Lab. Also, there are no tests given in the East Lab.
Here is a list of make-up points for absent students:
On board: Make Up Points:
Power point on current events – 10 points/10 slides
Daily points by working
Project idea – 20 points
East Rules
Absolutely no food or drinks at the computer
No Earplugs/headphones allowed
No chatting
Email may be checked during first fifteen minutes of class (This account is for EAST only. The only email you should be sending/receiving shall be for EAST purposes only).
Clean music is allowed only through the internet radio stations. Only one station playing at the time. No personal CDs.
Absolutely no game playing.