Discussion-Research-Essay

First Discussion is on Wikipedia led by Katie on October 11
The links to her articles are listed below. Please read them all and be prepared to discuss them on Monday. =[|Wikipedia Founder Discourages Academic Use of His Creation]=

[|A Stand Against Wikipedia]



Second Discussion on Collaborative Learning by Raven on October 13 The links to her articles are listed below. [|Benefits of Collaborative Learning] [|Teaching Stories] ==

Here are my articles for Wednesday's discussion: This is the most important one: [|Introducing Digital Divides 1 and 2]
 * Discussion 3: the Digital Divide by Jess David**

This expands on the first one one: [|Is the Digital Divide Racial?]

Skim a personal story of a black woman's journey to using computers on pages 651-655. [|A Story of Becoming Digitally Literate]

Discussion Questions After hearing about the term “digital divide,” one politician joked, “I think there is a Mercedes Divide. I'd like to have one; I can't afford one.” (Attewell 252). Do you think that digital technology is an earned //luxury// that not everyone should expect to have equally? Do you think it is a //necessity// that the government, school systems, or charities should be responsible for distributing equally?

The //Journal of Blacks in Higher Education// article opens by explaining that people with better information are more powerful. In Attewell's article, a quote compares technological illiteracy to the restrictions placed on slaves by being unable to learn to read and write. What do you think about that? Is this an issue of oppression and governmental injustice, or not? Is it particularly related to race, or is it more about wealth?

What were your reactions to reading the story about Melissa Pearson? Do you think her ability to become technologically literate as a black woman in the 1960s and 1970s was unusual or typical? What factors in her story do you think we could try to provide for our students today?

There was some debate about whether this problem is going to get worse and create rigid groups of haves and have-nots, or whether it will go away as technology prices drop. Where do you think this issue is today, and where do you think it is going in the future?

The Attewell article defines two divides: one in access, and one in use. Whose job should it be to provide fair access in schools? Whose job should it be to provide for fair usage patterns? What can you do as a teacher to work against both these divides?

Possible Topics for Discussion==

Digital Divide - **Jess** Plagiarism/cheating (in relation to technology) Role of Government in Classroom (requiring technology use) Motivation: does technology actually motivate children? Second Life (or other MUVE) Wikipedia - **Katie** Laptop Usage Social Networking - **Kenny** Multi-tasking - **Landon** Books vs ebooks or scanned books - **Erika** Reading online vs ofline Collaboration - doesn't collaboration just let hard-wroking studetns do the work for lasy students. Is there any productive outcome form collaborating online? - **Raven** Cell phones - should they be allowed or used in the classroom Safety on the Internet One laptop per child (global initiative) - **Dom** Curriculum Mapping