Disconnected in the Connected World

This year I started teaching in a new school, and like I’ve done every year since I started teaching, I assigned the kids varying shades of memoir and autobiography. My eighth graders were expected to write a one to two page memoir, and there was very little resistance. There were many “open book moments,” where kids were willing to share experiences with me that I didn’t expect to hear about as the new teacher in the building. It was enlightening. The start of my thirteenth year of teaching had me feeling refreshed—these kids were going to work with me.

After a few in-class writing sessions, I asked them to bring me typed final copies; that’s when things became difficult. There were a few sideways glances, a few instances of tooth sucking, and a little bit of attitude. I responded with a semi-jovial “come on, you guys have done great writing, what’s the big deal about typing it up and making a final display-ready copy?”

Things escalated quickly, and the kids were insulted. One student was brave enough to speak up, almost acting as a union representative for all of the kids in the class. She explained that not everyone had easy access to a computer and that most kids rarely saw or used computers beyond the school building. I had assumed (as was the case in my previous school) that the kids had computers at home. Previously, I taught in the Bronx. This was Manhattan. It’s a difference of 6 miles. It’s 40 minutes by bus, or an 18 minute car ride… yet it’s a world away.

The Digital Divide

Without conducting my own formal research I would estimate that over 90% of my previous students had a computer available to them; it was a given that they could go home and use someone’s device to complete an assignment. Many boasted about having their own laptops, others spoke of family computers, a few shared them with siblings, but overall there was no lack of technology in their worlds.

I’ve come to find that this year’s students go home to a different environment. While many have smartphones and boast about game systems, most do not have computers and lack Internet access. According to the New York Daily News, 90% of the upscale neighborhoods in New York City have broadband Internet access, whereas in lower income neighborhoods, 40% of the households don’t have broadband access. (Smith 2014).

I wouldn’t go so far as to call either neighborhood that I’ve taught in upscale, but there are some fairly notable differences between the two. My previous school was in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. According to City-Data.com, the population of Morris Park is predominantly white and Hispanic. The median household income, as of 2011, was $56,809. East Harlem, where I currently work, is predominantly Hispanic and Black with a median income of $34,379. With an income gap of over $20,000 between the two neighborhoods, it’s understandable that there’s a disparity in the amount of available technology at home.

I had seen a Ted Talk entitled “The Child-Driven Education” a few years ago by Newcastle University professor Sugata Mitra, where children in remote parts of India were given computers with internet access. The premise was that children, when self-motivated and given technology, would be able to learn how to use the computer to reach a goal. It was inspiring and I used it as a debate topic in years past (Resolved: Can teachers be replaced by computers?), but this year my goal was to simply get technology into the hands of the students. I took to it with reckless abandon at first, giving screen time as often as I could, and I quickly realized that strategy wasn’t the answer. Let me share a few insights I have gained through this experience to help teach disconnected students.

Change the MO

Many of the students that I work with view computers as equipment for entertainment or remediation; their experience has been that they’re sent to the computers as a reward to play games, or to use remedial resources (Starfall.com, Success Maker, JiJi math). When they were given computers in class there was an immediate change of attitude, and the students acted as though work didn’t need to happen. I had to structure computer time differently than they were used to. I had to first and foremost establish that work being done on the computer counted in their grades and would be assessed alongside traditional paper-based assignments. The big goal was helping my students understand that computers are a valuable tool in doing things, not that they are an end result of something else.

Baby Steps and Modeling

Breaking tasks down into teeny-tiny pieces was a strategy that I employed often with the students. Leaving them with a large set of instructions on a device that they’re not comfortable with inevitably leads to frustration, which in turn leads to time off task playing computer games. For example, when my 6^th graders began working on research projects, we completed one as a whole group (minus the essay) first before the kids went off to do one on their own.

I modeled how to pick a topic. I showed them how to find a good source and then gave them limited time to find a source. I showed them how to take physical notes about a web-based article (including copying the URL and finding authors/dates/publishers), and then they did it on their own. It was a series of baby steps, and when they worked independently on their own research many of them began referring back to what we had done as a group.

Collaboration

Another technique that I implemented was having the kids work in partners or small groups. It might seem counterintuitive to have four kids share a laptop, but I felt that it would break the idea of the laptop as a means of isolation. These were kids who had been told for years to work quietly on skills sites or play quietly as a reward, and I needed them to understand that in the real world you may find yourself in a team with one device to share.

This worked especially well when we were setting up our in-class debates. The seventh graders had to look up whether video games are helpful or harmful and, after seeing my example of how to conduct a search for quality information, they were sent off in groups to find documents that support both sides of the discussion. Rather than enforcing a silent library, I allowed on-task talking, and openly encouraged them to discuss what they were thinking and feeling about the sources they were finding.

Beyond the Funding Issue

I spent a great deal of time this year gathering information and discussing this issue with other people in similar fields. The conversations always turn to funding and getting computers into schools but I think an important piece of the puzzle is often overlooked: the students need access to computers beyond school and they need to know what to do when they’re given a computer to use.

A crucial concern that I have for these students is exemplified in the job application process. Many large chain stores and big retailers sit you down at a computer kiosk to apply for employment. If someone isn’t taught how to use a keyboard, mouse, or trackpad, or fill out forms on a computer, it will become difficult to gain employment; and the solution can’t be a basic “skills” type class. The type of knowledge and level of comfort that’s required to be successful can only really be attained by consistently using computers. College applications, health care applications, and even basic banking have all taken a digital turn, and we should be concerned about the fact that there’s a portion of the population who just does not have the skills to keep up.

The small steps I have taken are not a cure, and I do not have all the answers, but every time the kids get on a computer and are able to produce something, I feel a little better about letting them out of my school and into the real world. My hope is that one day there will be funding, tools, and time to conquer the digital divide. Then we won’t lose sleep worrying about this real problem.  

Works Cited

“City-Data.com: East Harlem Neighborhood in New York, New York (NY), 10029, 10035 Detailed Profile."  http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/East-Harlem-New-York-NY.html  (accessed June 11, 2015).

"City-Data.com: Morris Park Neighborhood in Bronx, New York (NY), 10461, 10462 Detailed Profile." http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Morris-Park-Bronx-NY.html  http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Morris-Park-Bronx-NY.html (accessed June 11, 2015).

Smith, Greg B. "Poor NYC Areas Have Slow or No Access to Internet: Report" New York Daily News, December 6, 2014. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/poor-nyc-areas-slow-no-access-internet-report-article-1.2036599 (accessed June 10, 2015).