MLA/ APA:
MLA: Clark, Christine, and Paul Gorski. “Multicultural Education and the Digital Divide: Focus on Race, Language, Socioeconomic class, sex and disability”. Multicultural Perspectives, vol. 3, no. 3, 17 Nov. 2001, pp.39-44, doi: 10.1207/s15327892mcp0303_7
APA: Clark, C. & Gorski, P. (2001). Multicultural Education and the Digital Divide: Focus on Race, Language, Socioeconomic class, sex and disability. Multicultural Perspectives, 3(3), 39-44. Doi: 10.1207/5153789mcp0303_7
Summary:
Clark and Gorski write about the digital divide, a “gap created by the access or lack of access to or manner of using technology by people in various social identity groups”. ‘This is seen as negative because it shows how racism, language discrimination, classism based on education level and geography, sexism and disability affect the use of technology. This is now challenging multicultural education in that it causes trouble because it makes closing the gap harder. This gap can prevent some from participating in democracy because of cultural capital and socioeconomic standing. The internet can help to bridge this gap.
This is 1 article out of 7 focusing on the digital divide. This article will focus on the general statistical analysis of digital divide compared to race, language, Socioeconomic class, sex, and disability. This article also discusses the significance of this analysis for multicultural education. They also provide suggestions for closing the digital divide through the use of multicultural education.
Statistical Analysis:
NCES (2000A) found that all public schools despite regional location, wealth and grade levels were equally to have access to the internet. Once they examined this further they found that even if all schools have access to the internet, the actual accessibility still varied for students by geography, socioeconomic status, and other factors. They also looked at internet use at home. The found that even though the internet is being reported as the “global schoolhouse”. The data actually shows that not all have access to the internet at home. They found that in 2000, the physically disabled were less than half to have a computer at home compared to 51.7% who do not have a physical disability. They also found that teachers will use the internet with their students differently depending on race, language, socio-economic, sex and disability. They found that with students of color, ESL students, working-class students, female and disabled students, they use the internet to have them memorize information that will be on a standardized exam. With the other students, they use the internet to teach them how to solve problems.
Data shows that in schools where 71% of students receive free or reduced lunch are assigned practice drills. The authors discuss that throughout the history of education students are either trained to be leaders who solve problems or workers. They wonder if now we are training the students to be prisoners instead of workers. They talk about how the prison systems have increased so what if by training the students with these practice drills we are training them to work for the prison system. They view education should be viewed as all can learn instead of being used to divide the students into different groups.
The internet should be used for all students to teach them and help them to learn how to problem solve. But they found that in places where the internet is used, it is used more as behavior training. They use it to get students to behave in class or they use it to distract students who distrust the class. The ones who are rewarded for good behavior may later be chosen for a gifted program while the ones who they use it to distract are seen as trouble students. So they don’t face the problem they mask it. If we use technology to teach, students learn to use it to problem solve. Teachers should then be asking “ how can we provide the best possible education for all?” And not “ How can we fit the internet into a multicultural education?” More research needs to be done on closing the digital divide. That most research articles now just mention websites and internet resources. The research should be done on how the digital divide supports educational inequalities it says it is focused on revealing and how this relates to teaching and learning.
Response:
I agree with the part where they say that teachers use the internet to reward behavior or to control it then actually use it to teach. When I was diagnosed with dyslexia they tried all the different tools but they didn’t help me. Finally, the sat me in front of the computer with the program that basically broke down the alphabet. Each letter, I was taught the sound, the most common words used and spelled. As my grade levels progress it added sentences then paragraphs. It helped me and eventually, it got boring there was no challenge. But a lot of times I felt like I was alone. The other students got one on one times with teacher. I didn’t except if I asked for help. I got so used that program I just went and logged in. No one checked on me except every once and a while. Eventually, I got so bored that asked to be taken out of the class. They tested me at the end of 7th grade and was reading 12-grade level. They said it was up to me and I said yes I wanted a challenge.
Now we have the internet and if teachers are still using it in a way to reinforce good behavior or to distract students are the students really learning anything. I may have had a learning disability that made English hard but I still loved to be challenged. My elementary school teacher still asked me to be in spelling bees and even though I often lost. I saw it as a chance to learn. If these kids are acting out maybe they are not being challenged enough. Maybe instead of using the internet to say they play a game. Instead, give them a task they like searching for things online to teach the skills they will need in the future.
Quotations:
“ A process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students. It challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in schools and society and accepts and affirms the pluralism (ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic, gender among others) that students, their communities, and teachers reflect. Multicultural education permeates the school curriculum and instructional strategies, as well as the interactions among teachers, students and parents and the very way that schools conceptualize the nature of teaching and learning. Because it uses critical pedagogy as its underlying philosophy and focuses on knowledge, reflection, and action (praxis) as the basis for social change, multicultural education promotes the democratic principles of social justice. (Nieto, 2002, p.207)
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