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Language and Literacy
Crossing the Digital Divide: Race, Writing, and Technology in the Classroom
As poor, nonwhite communities on “the other side” of the digital divide become immersed in electronic media, how can we evaluate their experiences to transform the teaching of writing and literature and improve student learning? This important book offers a balanced view of instructional technology and critical multiculturalism as experienced in today’s public schools. With valuable insights to help English educators at all levels working in all types of schools, this accessible volume
168 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
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July 8, 2020In an effort to better understand the digital divide and my students, I read Crossing the Digital Divide: Race, Writing and Technology in the Classroom by Barbara Monroe.
This book relates to my CTEP service because it shows how different cultures and technology play a role in the classroom. So, I recommend it to new teachers, particularly those teaching secondary and college level students. There is a lot of useful information in this book. This book has given me a better understanding of students from diverse communities and digital literacy assessment methods.
There were three case studies that examined the writing samples of students from the following communities: African American high school students, Native American high school students, white and Latino high school students, and multiracial middle school students in an Indian reservation.
The first chapter, “Reconsidering the Terms of the Debate,” provides a general framework for the digital divide and explains the debate of whether it should be synonymous with access to the Internet. The term was first publicly used in 1996 and by 1998 it was synonymous with the access issue. It was interesting to find out that the “Literacy Crisis” in the late 90s became synonymous with “digital divide.” The rest of the first chapter examines public policies (e.g. Clinton-Gore Technology Literacy Challenge) to end the digital divide and their failures. In the second chapter, “Putting One’s Business on Front Street,” the writing samples from email correspondences of African American high school students were examined. Their writing samples showed that even though they code-shifted, the samples still retained certain cultural features.
In the third chapter, “Crucible for Critical Literacy,” responses to The Crucible from Native American and predominately Latino high school students were analyzed. The results of this case study demonstrated that there were differences in how each group dealt with conflict. Furthermore, the students did not have a lot of access to technology. Because of their limited access, the author suggests that teachers working with limited technology in their classrooms follow up online discussions with face-to-face discussions. This way the access issue is minimized.
In the fourth chapter, “Storytime on the Reservation,” the writing samples from the multicultural middle school students were from personal and fictional narratives and didn’t involve technology. Again, there were differences based on student culture. The author highlighted that even though a lot of schools have technology, including this one at the reservation, some classrooms don’t utilize them.
The last chapter, “Revisiting the Access Issue,” the topic of how technology, particularly educational technology, can aide in learning is examined. In addition to examining her own case studies, the author also draws on the results of other studies examining digital literacy. The conclusion was that technological change is only part of the equation. Without pedagogy to scaffold it, crossing the digital divide will not be possible.
This book relates to my CTEP service because it shows how different cultures and technology play a role in the classroom. So, I recommend it to new teachers, particularly those teaching secondary and college level students. There is a lot of useful information in this book. This book has given me a better understanding of students from diverse communities and digital literacy assessment methods.
There were three case studies that examined the writing samples of students from the following communities: African American high school students, Native American high school students, white and Latino high school students, and multiracial middle school students in an Indian reservation.
The first chapter, “Reconsidering the Terms of the Debate,” provides a general framework for the digital divide and explains the debate of whether it should be synonymous with access to the Internet. The term was first publicly used in 1996 and by 1998 it was synonymous with the access issue. It was interesting to find out that the “Literacy Crisis” in the late 90s became synonymous with “digital divide.” The rest of the first chapter examines public policies (e.g. Clinton-Gore Technology Literacy Challenge) to end the digital divide and their failures. In the second chapter, “Putting One’s Business on Front Street,” the writing samples from email correspondences of African American high school students were examined. Their writing samples showed that even though they code-shifted, the samples still retained certain cultural features.
In the third chapter, “Crucible for Critical Literacy,” responses to The Crucible from Native American and predominately Latino high school students were analyzed. The results of this case study demonstrated that there were differences in how each group dealt with conflict. Furthermore, the students did not have a lot of access to technology. Because of their limited access, the author suggests that teachers working with limited technology in their classrooms follow up online discussions with face-to-face discussions. This way the access issue is minimized.
In the fourth chapter, “Storytime on the Reservation,” the writing samples from the multicultural middle school students were from personal and fictional narratives and didn’t involve technology. Again, there were differences based on student culture. The author highlighted that even though a lot of schools have technology, including this one at the reservation, some classrooms don’t utilize them.
The last chapter, “Revisiting the Access Issue,” the topic of how technology, particularly educational technology, can aide in learning is examined. In addition to examining her own case studies, the author also draws on the results of other studies examining digital literacy. The conclusion was that technological change is only part of the equation. Without pedagogy to scaffold it, crossing the digital divide will not be possible.
Displaying 1 of 1 review