Enhancing Equity for Canadian Youth

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Enhancing Equity for Canadian Youth

• Equity Technology
• Spring Workshop
• Lunenburg, NS
• 9-10 June, 2006

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Issues of Equity and Technological Literacies in
the Preparation of Teachers in a Globalizing World
Session 2 Friday, June 9, 2006 1235 - 200pm
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Acknowledgements
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
of Canada
Acadia University School of Education
Mount Saint Vincent University Faculty of
Education
St. Francis Xavier University School of Education
Nova Scotia Department of Education
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Presenters

• Blye Frank, Ph.D.
• Professor, Division of Medical Education
• Dalhousie University
• Michael Jeffrey, MA
• Director, Learning Resources and Technology
• Nova Scotia Department of Education

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Presenters contd

• Glynis Ross, MA
• Professor, School of Education
• Acadia University
• Tara Kinch, MA (c)
• Research Associate
• Equity and Technology Research Project

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Overview

• Introduction
• Issues in the literature
• Nova Scotia Department of Education
• Inside the classrooms
• Schools/Faculties of Education
• Findings
• Conclusions and Recommendations

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Two Important Questions to Ask

• Are we preparing teachers who are technologically
  literate and who understand issues of equity for
  teaching in the globalized condition?
• What admissions, curriculum, hiring and policy
  ramifications have emerged as a response to
  technology becoming the new literacy?

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In the Ditch or on the Information Highway?
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on the highway, I dont think we are even out
of the driveway!
One Interview Participant noted
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'Consumer' on the information highway chooses
which speed lane
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An important question to ask

• Do marginalized youth have a choice?

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An important question to ask

• Where do marginalized youth fit into this
  picture?

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The Information Superhighway
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• Information technology in education is an
  incredible resource, and will, without question,
  continue to be the single most important
  component of 21st century education (Trattner et
  al., 2000, cited in Looker et. al., 2003, 485).

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Todays Information Age
Micro Computers
Cell Phones
MP3s
Video Games
PDAs
Internet
Technological Revolution and Youth
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Todays Information Age, contd

• Students are more technology literate and
  Internet-savvy than ever, and they use technology
  in ways that werent even imagined a decade ago.
  Their fluency in technology is not even a
  question (Farmer, 2005).

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Todays Information Age, contd

• Assumptions about todays youth, students and
  teachers
• Technology literate
• Internet savvy
• How accurate are these assumptions?
• Is anyone questioning their literacy in
  technology?

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• If students come to us with PDAs and cell
  phones . . . and spend hours on Instant
  Messenger, we should use what they know as the
  starting place for their educational experience
  (Smith, 2002).

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Is Technology the New Literacy?
LITERACY
EQUITY
TECHNOLOGY
? Ramifications?
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In the Ditch or on the Information Highway?
CLASS
GENDER
RACE
OTHER
SEXUALITY
RURALITY
EQUITY
ETHNICITY
LANGUAGE
CULTURAL
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What do we Expect of Students?

• Basic Operations and Concepts
• Social, Ethical, and Human Issues
• Productivity
• Communication
• Research, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
• ? http//lrt.ednet.ns.ca/pdf/ICT.pdf

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How do we Learn?

• Based on prior knowledge and experience
• Process of actively constructing knowledge
• Social and Collaborative
• An integrated whole
• Learners as capable and successful
• Different ways of knowing and representing
• Reflection is an integral part of learning

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Equity and Accessibility

• Evaluation for bias inclusion
• Province-wide periodical database
• Per capita allocation
• Funding for equipment software
• Funding for PD and tech support
• New technology-related courses
• Online course delivery

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What Does the Research say about ICT?

• Reading
• Writing
• Mathematics
• Science
• Cross-curricular
• Motivation and attendance
• ? http//lrt.ednet.ns.ca/pdf/it_research.pdf

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Expectations of Teachers

• Technology Operation and Concepts
• Planning and Designing Learning Environments and
  Experiences
• Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Productivity and Professional Practice
• Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
• ? http//cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_stands.html

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Schools and Faculties of Education

• Acadia University
• Mount Saint Vincent University
• Saint Francis Xavier University

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Methodology

• Qualitative Methods
• Interviews
• Faculty from Schools and Faculties of Education
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• Community Members 3
• Second year, Secondary Bachelor of Education
  Students 10
• Focus Groups
• Second year, Secondary Bachelor of Education
  Students 3
• Surveys
• Second year, Secondary Bachelor of Education
  Students 141
• Acadia 22/57
• MSVU 57/65
• St.FX 48/60
• CBU 12/34
• Document Analysis

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• Access to and use of information technology,
  particularly in educational settings, is a
  prerequisite to building the skills base that
  will allow our citizens to function productively
  in the information society of the next century
  (CEO Forum, 1999, 6).

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• Technology facilitates students in explorations
  that can invigorate in-depth analytical thinking,
  inspire creativity, stimulate curiosity and
  develop skills of innovation. Our challenge is to
  integrate its reach into all curriculums and to
  deliver its global opportunities to all learners
  (McGinn, cited in CEO Forum, 2000, 3).

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Schools and Faculties of Education

• How is technology integrated into the Bachelor of
  Education programs?
• Is technology being used in meaningful ways?

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What We Have Found

• Bachelor of Education Students
• Faculty
• Documents

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Bachelor of Education Students

• Issues around access
• Computers (B.Ed programs not well equipped)
• Equipment outdated, not functioning properly
• Computer labs, after hours
• Course Curriculum
• Limited course selection
• Basics, fundamentals of computers/technology
• Software (and other learning resources)
• No consistency with resources available during
  practicum's
• Technical support person on site and after hours
  
• Training for faculty members

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Bachelor of Education Students, contd

• Integration of ICT into B.Ed. curriculum
• Depends highly on faculty members attitudes and
  comfortability around ICT
• Sensed faculty had inadequate knowledge and
  skills around ICT
• ICT courses offered minimal or non-existent,
  those that are offered are optional and
  simplistic (similar to equity courses)
• Contributes to the lack of technological
  integration within courses offered
• Faculty not familiar with recent software and
  equipment

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One student noted

• I think it is going to come down a lot to the
  individual. How much they enjoy using technology
  in the classroomThere might be somewho are very
  keen on it othersprobably afraid of it because
  its an overpowering tool, and how do they work
  it into their classroomwere a little bit more
  comfortable, maybe not knowledgeable on all
  areas, but more comfortable

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One student noted

• When discussing marginalized students (during
  their practicum) and their level of technological
  literacy
• Very lowvery low! Probably because they dont
  have a chance, and this is just taking a guess,
  that when they go home, they dont have a chance
  to practice on their own. Theres no access
  outside of the school. And, even in school, when
  there is additional access, it is usually during
  their free time, so they have to give up the hour
  a day that they had for lunch, and to talk with
  their friends, and such, socialize

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One student noted

• Question Are B.Ed. programs preparing you to use
  technology, and preparing you to teach your
  students to use technology?
• Wellanything that I learned here in the B.Ed.
  program, I feel that I already knew before as far
  as working with computers different computer
  programs. But, saying that, you go into a
  classroom like last year for my practicumin a
  brand new school where every class has six
  computers, and theres computer labs all over the
  place thats awesome! But, then I go to a
  school this year, where there might be two
  working computersfor six different classes

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One student noted

• Question Do you think because of your knowledge
  and skill capacity around ICT, and the fact that
  the digital divide is not taught in the
  curriculum offered, and students are not made
  aware of it, could you reproduce the existing
  disparities?
• we might be more susceptible of going in the
  exact opposite direction! I think thats a more
  realistic scenario for meIm afraid that I can
  easily lose sight of the students in my class
  that might not have access to technology, because
  I have always had access to it and its been a
  part of my backgroundIll take for granted that
  most of my students will have access. So, Im
  more worried in the opposite sense, Im worried
  that Im going to bring it in too much, and going
  to leave some people behind.

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One student noted

• Technology is a tooljust like anything else,
  and you have to use it correctly, for the right
  things!...You dont use a hammer for a
  screwdriver!

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One student noted

• money equals technological literacywhether
  its money at home, or money put into the actual
  schoolwithout money you dont have
  technologywithout technology no technological
  literacy
• Twenty computers in a school doesnt make it a
  computer literate school

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Faculty

• Preparation
• Attitudes
• Technical literacy among faculty
• Awareness and understanding of equity issues,
  technology issues and tech equity issues

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Integrating Technology into the Classroom
A Shift in Thinking

• In the past, the integration of technology into
  the classroom environment, generally tended to
  focus on
• Maximizing the computer/student ratio
• Providing Internet access
• As opposed to centering on
• How to effectively integrate technology into
  ones curriculum
• How to be technologically equitable in the
  classroom
• Having professional development sessions for
  teachers
• Having a technological support person on site

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Curriculum Change and Learning Resources
Schools of Education
Public Schools
? Issues??
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Integration of Technology in Schools and
Faculties of Education
ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING/AWARENESS
TEACHING PRACTICES
Access
Support
Attitudes
Training
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Documents

• Admissions Applications
• Equity and Affirmative Action Policies
• Faculty and Student Handbooks
• Bachelor of Education Requirements (secondary)
• Course descriptions and syllabi

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Technological Literacy

• Why focus on tech equity?
• ? Social
• ? Education
• ? Economic

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Integrating Technology into the Classroom

• A number of implications arise at the individual
  (micro), at the classroom (meso) and at the
  structural (macro) level if technology is not
  effectively incorporated into the learning
  process.

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Achieving Technological Equity

• How do we minimize the disparities?

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Moving Forward
? Recommendations?
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Moving Forward, contd

• Increased collaboration with Schools/Faculties of
  Education and NS Department of Education
• Standard level of technology integrated into the
  Bachelor of Education course curriculum
• Compulsory courses in technology and
  equity/diversity
• Not just a basic computer course
• How to effectively incorporate technology into
  the classroom
• Mandatory knowledge and skills capacity workshops
  (around technology) for faculty and students in
  the Bachelor of Education programs

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Discussion and Input

• Questions
• Comments

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• THANK YOU!

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References

• CEO Forum (2000). The power of digital learning
  Integrating digital content, The CEO Forum
  School Technology and Readiness Report. Pp 1-32.
  Available online at http//www.ceoforum.org/downlo
  ads/report3.pdf
• CEO Forum (1999). Professional development A
  link to better learning, The CEO Forum School
  Technology and Readiness Report. Pp 1-32.
  Available online at http//www.ceoforum.org/downlo
  ads/99report.pdf
• Farmer, Robert (2005) Instant Messaging IM
  Online! RU?, EDUCAUSE Review. Vol. 40, No. 6, Pp
  4863.

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References, contd

• International Society for Technology in
  Education, ISTE (2000) ISTE National Educational
  Technology Standards (NETS) and Performance
  Indicators for Teachers. Available online at
  www.iste.org
• Looker, Dianne E. and Victor Thiessen (2003).
  Beyond the digital divide in Canadian schools
  From access to competency in the use of
  information technology, Social Science Computer
  Review. Vol. 21 No. 4, Pp. 475-490.
• Nova Scotia Department of Education, Learning
  Resources and Technology (2005) Information and
  Communication Technology in Public Schools.

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References, contd

• Nova Scotia Education (2005) The Integration of
  Information and Communication Technology within
  the Curriculum. Prepared by the Department of
  Education, Learning Resources and Technology.
• Smith, Newton (2002) Teaching as Coaching
  Helping Students Learn in a Technological World,
  EDUCAUSE Review.