| |
Description
An alphabetical list of the readings and videos for the Multicultural Perspectives on Technology (EDIT 6600) class at the University of Georgia (Spring Semester2006) appears below. Following each item listed, the reader will find the author's observations in regards to the connections with the project described in these pages. Often quotes from the readings are listed followed by my comments. Rather than inclusion of quotation marks in each instance, the word "quote" precedes the selected passage. Hoping to aid the reader, the list of readings has been divided into thirds.
|
| |
Alphabetical (A-F) Table of Class Readings and Videos
| 1. |
Amiel, T. (accepted). (2005). Mistaking computers for technology. AACE Journal.
Quotes:
Pg.2 A technology literacy agenda, as opposed to the frantic integration of computers into the classroom, can provide effective, long-term solutions to the digital divide.
Pg.4 The solution to this problem does not lie on devices such as the computer, but increased technology literacy.
Pg.6 The real digital divide remains at the level of understanding…an inability to comprehend the significance and role of these tools in their life and community.
Pg.22 The debate on the digital divide must begin to focus on people rather than devices.
Comment
The project described in these pages provided the students with extensive first hand technological experience. The technological literacy of the class grew by leaps and bounds. Positive experiences such as those described herein provide the foundation for understanding the “significance and role of these tools in their life and community.”
|
| 2. |
Banks, J.L. (2002). Teaching strategies for ethnic studies (7th ed). Allyn and Bacon, Boston. African American Chapter [990kb, PDF], Hispanic American Chapter (Mexican and Puerto Rican)
- Survey questions regarding place of birth for both student and their parents
- Survey questions regarding languages spoken in student homes
- Graphs regarding languages spoken in FOCUS student homes
- Population of school where project took place is 47% Hispanic and 36% African American. The strategies Banks discusses are highly relevant.
|
| 3. |
Bauer, K. S., (2000). Promoting gender equity in schools. Contemporary Education, 71(2).
Quote:
The first step, though, in eradicating gender inequality in schools is admitting that it occurs.
Comment:
The reality is that unfortunately, gender inequality does exist in today’s school setting. One example is offered here. Of four math enrichment classes currently taught by the author, only four students are female. Students are placed based upon teacher recommendation. Clearly, it seems, teachers perceive that males are stronger in math than females.
Specific Connections:
- Survey questions regarding gender
- Graphs regarding gender
|
| 4. |
Dasan, K. (2004). Live to tell: "Race does not exist".
Quote: (pg. 202)
The information age furnishes us with the tools to import and export cultural commonalities to the remotest regions an societies in the world.
Comment:
This quote represents one of the few points on which Dasan and I agree. Teaching in such a diverse school setting has confirmed rather than lessened my belief that our culture plays an enormous role in our daily lives.
Specific Connections:
- Survey questions regarding ethnicity, and nationality
- Graphs regarding ethnicity and nationality
|
| 5. |
Delpit, L.D., (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people's children. Harvard Review, 3.
Quote (pg. 297)
Both sides do need to be able to listen…To do so takes a very special kind of listening that requires not only open eyes and ears, but open hearts and minds.
Comment:
Delpit has superbly described the key to understanding others. The importance of listening, especially teacher listening can not be understated.
|
| 6. |
Freire and Papert (Video)
Quote:
You need above all to have faith in human beings.
Comment:
This author agrees completely.
|
| 7. |
Fryer, R. G. (2006). Acting white. Education Next. Hoover Institution.
Quote:
Acting White is a vexing reality within a subset of American schools.
Comment:
This “vexing reality” is very much akin to the subset of adolescent gifted girls acting dumb in order not to appear more intelligent than their male peers. |
|
| |
Alphabetical (G-R) Table of Class Readings and Videos
| 8. |
Gatto, J. T. (2001). Against school: How public education cripples our kids, and why.
Quote:
[Students] said they wanted to be doing something real.
Comment:
The project based learning described in these pages was very real. Student engagement was extremely high throughout. I contend that the school boredom Gatto describes can be minimized if not eliminated by the application of the principles of constructivist teaching and project based learning. |
| 9. |
Hlynka, D. (2003). The cultural discourses of technology.
Quotes:
Pg. 42 With PowerPoint everyone is a content expert; everyone can program dissolves, wipes, and animations. The problem is that more often than not, the authors are no longer content experts, and the technical tricks are just that…tricks.
Pg. 43 Nowhere is this more true than on the Web. Everyone becomes a publisher; but no one is an editor.
Pg. 44 We are not all the same. We do not share the same philosophies, nor should we be forced to do so.
Pg. 45 We can all learn from each other.
Comment:
The ease of use and technical tricks Hlynka refers to in PowerPoint are the hooks which make this program so appealing to students. The shows my students produces contained an abundance of such tricks; however, there was also plenty of content.
I concur completely with the other quotes above. The Teaming Up For Tolerance project described in these pages confirmed for both students and the teacher involved that “we are not all the same” and “we can all learn from each other.” |
| 10. |
Noel, J. (2000). Appendix - Suggestions for the Multicultural Classroom.
Comment:
The goals of the project described in these pages closely mirror those identified by Noel in Table A.1 on page 170. The concentration for this project was on the first three goals Noel describes.
|
| 11. |
Noel, J. (2000). Developing multicultural educators. [7mb, PDF]
Quote:
Our identities reflect and are shaped out of these numerous sets of historical and current interactions. In order to more clearly understand who we are as individuals, we need to more clearly understand who we are as a society and as cultures.
Comment:
The Teaming Up For Tolerance project provided students an opportunity to begin the process of understanding who they are as individuals and who we are as a school, a society, and many cultures.
Specific Connection:
A variety of survey questions were related to the information contained in this article. |
| 12. |
Reinen, I. J. & Plomp, T., (1997). Information technology and gender equality: A contradiction in terminis? Computers in Education,, 28(2). Comment:
While acknowledging the validity of Reinen’s findings regarding the attitudes of each gender toward computers and technology, my decade plus teaching experience has offered no confirmation that any such gap exist. All technological aspects of the project described herein were equally embraced by both male and female students. |
| 13. |
Rochester , J. M. (2003). Critical demagogues. |
|
| |
Alphabetical (S-Z) Table of Class Readings and Videos
| 14. |
Salomon, G. (2002). Technology and pedagogy: Why don't we see the promised revolution? |
| 15. |
Shattuck, G. (2005). Educational technology in the United States. |
| 16. |
Shor, I. (1993). Education is politics: Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy. |
| 17. |
Sleeter, C. E. & Grant, C. A. (1994). Making choices for multicultural education: Five approaches to race class and gender. |
| 18. |
Warschauer, M. (2002). Reconceptualizing the digital divide. |
| 19. |
Weinman, J. & Cain, L. (1999). Technology - the New Gender Gap. Technos, 8(1). |
| 20. |
Winner, L. (1986). The whale and the reactor: A search for limits in an age of high technology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. |
|
| |
|
