Journal 8: A "Fantastic Super" Use of Technology: Closing the Digital Divide

Curtis, Diane (2002, November, 1). A "Fantastic Super" Use of Technology: Closing the Digital Divide. Edutopia, Retrieved October 26, 2008, from
http://www.edutopia.org/fantastic-super-use-technology

This article shows how technology was implemented in an elementary school in North Carolina and the positive effects it had on the students, teachers and parents. This was a new school with a Superintendent that supported a new program. The technology that was available to this school was the Internet, wireless laptops, computers in all the classrooms, lots of software programs, closed-circuit school television news, internet devices for low-income families, and teacher offices with phones and computers which was supported with a large grant from a large corporation. Besides all this technology, the school environment was supportive to the staff through a team effort approach. Time was provided for teachers to get together to plan and share ideas and new teachers were paired up with veteran teachers as mentors. The school was also supportive to the childrens' families which encouraged parental involvement. For me, this article describes what an ideal school looks like and it becomes more clear how beneficial technology can be.

Question 1. What could I do if there was lack of technology in my school?
Grants from the community and large businesses can make a huge difference in our schools. The first thing I would need to do is learn how to write a grant. I know it is a time consuming project that takes some skill to be done correctly. Instead of me getting the funds I could also turn it into a class project where we learn how to create a budget, write a proposal and solicit for funding. This is when it can be really helpful to have good relationships with the parents and community.

Question 2. How do you get parents more involved?
I really liked that each teacher had their own website where the daily learning was posted so parents knew what went on and could ask their children better questions and be more involved in their learning process. This would be a good tool to use for posting what is needed for the classroom and when extra help is needed in the class. This could a place for them to sign up to be a part of the classroom for the day. I like the idea of posting weekly questions that students would need to discuss with their parents and then posting on a blog called, What I learned from my Parents.