Not everyone has the opportunity to participate in the digital world, nor will they have the same comprehension of technology (Howell, 2013). Only eighty-six per cent of households in Australia have Internet access. Parents, Employers and other stakeholders are expecting Teachers to bridge the digital divide (Howell, 2013) and assist in enabling all students to become masters in digital technology. The information in this week’s topic opened my eyes. I had never really thought about how many people do not have access to the Internet. I now have a better awareness of the digital divide and find this will be helpful to my teaching career. I will put a strong focus on technology in my classroom to allow all students to benefit from this regardless of what access they have at home.
This week an infographic was made using Picktochart to convey our knowledge of the digital divide. In the info graphic we were to include Wordle. Another website was found Word It Out that was easier to use and had more eye catching graphics. This was a time consuming task but immensely enjoyable to do. There is a you tube video included in the above info graphic that can be watched by using the hyperlink. The feedback that was given through the university discussion board from fellow students was positive and reflection on the weekly task has highlighted the fact that the type of technologies we are learning will increase our own ability to master the digital world. Howell (2013) states that students expect their teachers to be able to use all types of digital technology and want to be taught using that technology.
The activity of making a infographic could be used in a lesson with students at the end of a particular subject to show what they have learned during that time and allow them some creativity to express themselves.
References
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network. (2010, July 1). The Digital Divide [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVVEcidowU
Feinberg, J. (2013). Wordle – Beautiful Word Clouds. Retrieved from http://www.wordle.net
Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital Pedgogies for Collaboration and Creativity . South Melvourne Victoria : Oxford University Press
Piktochart Infographics. (2014). Create Easy Infographics, Reports, Presentations | Piktochart. Retrieved from http://piktochart.com/
WordItOut – Generate word clouds (and make custom gifts). (2014). Retrieved from http://worditout.com
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