Technology isn’t something that can just be avoided or tossed to the side, especially in a classroom setting. It is becoming more and more relevant by the day and it’s important to not only acknowledge the importance of technology but also to implement it and use it effectively. J.D. Applen, in “Old Media, New Media, and Knowledge”, discusses the impact of technology on a grander scale than just ads and mere websites. Marshall McLuhan specifically highlights the need to understand the ramifications of the medium that is being used and how it impacts differing cultures and/or aspects of society. Understanding new media and its attributes are crucial.
It is important to understand the impacts of a new medium and the technology within it—what does it do to society? Are the impacts significant or even dire? Without proper acknowledgment, it would be difficult to determine just how important it is to understand the impacts of technology and what it can do. Nicholas Carr points out that, while the internet has been helpful, it also leaves an impact on a person’s ability to intake longer amounts of information. Technology paves the way for easy access but takes away the ability to read things as intently and ‘harshly’.
Digital Redlining?
Understanding what redlining is contributes to understanding what digital redlining is and how much it can impact a classroom. Chris Gilliard, in “Pedagogy and the Logic of Platforms”, discusses how digital redlining impacts the information and content that students have access to and the way it can impact students learning. It’s not ethical, legal, and or okay in any way but digital redlining is implemented in digital spaces. There’s no way to just eradicate it. It separates students and divides them based on their race and class. It limits certain demographics of people and the information that they can interact with.
I went over something like this in my Multicultural and Diversity Class last semester. It’s extremely noticeable in neighborhoods that have a higher population of white people instead of people of color. The town with white people has better access to online resources and content due to better funding. The other towns have less access and aren’t able to come into contact with as much information.
The Dangers of Digital Redlining
There is seemingly no way to get rid of digital redlining no matter what people try to do. There is an unequal line that divides students and provides access to some while limiting access to others. McLuhan describes the importance of understanding the medium and message. He believes that there is a very distinct message in this case that impacts the lives of many. The message, in this case, being that digital redlining is okay. Awarding more online access to one demographic of students as opposed to another is okay and that there’s nothing wrong with it.
I have substituted in a multitude of schools and it’s obvious that some schools have better access than others. It’s startling but obvious that it’s based on district and demographic. I’ve seen schools where kindergartners have their own assigned Chromebooks houses with a multitude of digital resources. On the other hand, I’ve seen schools in which Chromebooks are shared, and left in classrooms. Schools where the only accessible resources are free ones that are found through Google. There is no access to ‘fun’ resources that engage students like some districts have. It is cut to the chase, bland, boring, and it lacks engagement.
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