journal 8

Social Justice; Choice or Necessity?
By Colleen Swain and David Edyburn

The authors of Social Justice; Choice or Necessity, feel very strongly about the need to implement technology into the classroom, so much in fact, they feel that perhaps it should not be a choice. In this article, Swain and Edyburn provide a compelling argument that states several enticing facts about technology and the upcoming situations it will bring. For example, the article states, “In 1992, the U.S. Department of Labor’s SCANS report noted that at least 80% of all jobs in the next two decades would require workers to be technologically fluent.” (Pg 15, Learning and Leading with Technology) The authors continue to argue that if technology were equitably implemented then the success of the students as well as the teachers would increase. Because this might pose as a difficult task to many, the authors provide several ways in how to implement their given ideas. In their concluding statement, Swain and Edyburn strongly express the need for technology in the classroom and without it would be doing our students an injustice. They feel that if we want to properly educate and prepare our students for the future, there is absolutely no way to get around teaching the effective uses of technology.

Question 1 – What is one of the different ways teachers can implement more uses of technology?

As stated in the article, a great resource for teachers and students is the Digital Equity Portal and Toolkit. This website has over 150 different strategies in how to address key aspects of technology into the classroom. This site is free to all users and provides technology readiness charts to help teachers determine what level is best to start at.

Question 2 – Do you feel teaching technological advancements to your students is as important as the authors feel?

I definitely agree with the authors of this article. I know from experience how important being technologically savvy is, and without that knowledge many could not move forward in their careers or even their social lives. I also believe it is very important to recognize the exponential growth our world is experiencing in the technology fields. It is no longer a luxury, but rather a commodity. As teachers, we do need to reinforce the importance of technology and include it more into our day-to-day lessons.