Running head: REFLECTION 1

Reflection

Jenny M. Harrison

OTL504-Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues in 21st Century Learning

Colorado State University – Global Campus

Dr. Adam Hile

January 13, 2018

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Reflection

As we live in a digital age, I feel we face many social, ethical and legal issues. One issue

is access. “As we enter the digital age, equipping students with technology is crucial” (Delgado,

Wardlow, McKnight, & O’Malley, 2015). “Technology provides many opportunities for large

numbers of people to access and use alternative forms of communication. But not everyone has

the ability to use or access the tools in the new digital society. Often these opportunities are only

available to a small group of students, even though the price of technology is rapidly dropping

and access to technology is greater than ever before. The disparity of who does and does not

have access to technology in America is widening. A 2003 report by the U.S. Department of

Education showed that only 41% percent of Blacks and Hispanics were using a computer in the

home compared to 77% percent of Whites” (Vigdor, Ladd, & Martinez, 2014). Teachers and

schools may not accommodate those students who do not have access to technology.

I believe there are ways of addressing these issues. First, we need to make sure that we

are aware that this could be a potential within any of our classrooms. It’s unfair to ask a student

to do something when he or she does not have the resources to complete the task. If I teach in an

area with a library nearby, I would provide the library information (library hours and computer

availability, etc.) to all my students. If there is a school technology lab, would it be possible to

open this lab outside of school hours or make it available during a study hall period? I think

teachers need to be open to these types of possibilities and find non-identifying ways of helping

these students have equal access. According to Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer

Technology and Student Achievement (2014), evidence indicates that differences in home

computers persist. As a remedy, some schools have implemented laptop programs where
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students can take computers home for school use. This may be another great option for providing

technology resources to students that may not have access otherwise.

A study from The Journal of Research on Technology in Education “highlighted the need

for teachers of online courses to understand the cultural backgrounds of minority students, and to

use their knowledge to improve the learning experiences and academic self-concept of these

students” (Kumi–Yeboah., Dogbey, & Yuan, 2018). I believe it’s more important now than ever

for educators to be aware of the cultural differences within our schools. We need to get to know

our students so that we can best meet their educational needs.

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References

Delgado, A. J., Wardlow, L., McKnight, K., & O’Malley, K. (2015). Educational Technology: A

Review of the Integration, Resources, and Effectiveness of Technology in K-12

Classrooms. Journal of Information Technology Education, 14.

Ribble, M., Bailey G., & Ross, T. (2004) Learning & Leading with Technology. International

Society for Technology in Education, 32 (1), 6-9.

Kumi–Yeboah, A., Dogbey, J., & Yuan, G. (2018). Exploring factors that promote online

learning experiences and academic self-concept of minority high school students. Journal

of Research on Technology in Education, 50(1), 1-17.

doi:10.1080/15391523.2017.1365669

Vigdor, J., Ladd, J., & Martinez, E. (2014). Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer

Technology and Student Achievement. Economic Inquiry, 52 (3), 1103-1119.

doi:10.1111/ecin.12089