Journal Three- "Social Justice: Choice or Necessity?

By Colleen Swain and David Edyburn

According to the authors, technology use among students is an issue of Social Justice. Social Justice is a term used to describe how things, both good and bad, are distributed between members in a human society. In today’s education system, teachers are given the choice of when and how to use technology in their teaching and learning environments. However, research has shown that students who are not given regular access to technology or are not technologically fluent, are disadvantaged in regards to future education and employment. The U.S. department of Labor’s SCANS released a report in 1992 that stated that at least 80 percent of all jobs in the next two decade require the person to be technologically fluent. The article provides numerous examples, from a Social Justice perspective, regarding the unfair use of technology in classroom. The authors also provide suggestions about how to make technology fairly implemented into the classroom. Finally, the authors provide solutions for teachers who have limited or no access to technology in their classroom.

Questions

1. The authors state five criteria necessary to ensure that technology is fairly implemented in the classroom. State the five criteria and explain how educators can make sure they are accomplished.
2. Not all classrooms in the United States have the same access to the various aspects of technology. What do the authors believe is the most powerful resource for teachers who have limited or no access to technology?

Answers

1. According to the authors, technology is fairly implemented in the classroom when it is: available, used routinely, used in ways that reflect real-world applications of interest, complexity, and power, used to enhance learning opportunities for all students, and used to monitor teacher/ students progress over time.
2. In the article, the authors believe that the Digital Equity Portal and Toolkit is one of the most powerful resources for educators who have limited or no access to technology. This resources provides educators with over 150 strategies, resources, and solutions to technological issues.