Every now and then, I think it’s wise to humble yourself in some self-reflection. Although it’s common sense to claim no two people are alike, it’s different once you begin peeling back more and more layers. Mindfulness about one’s own background and biases can help create a more worldly approach and perspective to thinking and learning. In the case of instructional designers and teachers, two of the hats that I wear, knowing your audience is absolutely essential for success. A teacher needs to be mindful of the culture and experiences students enter the classroom with, and instructional designers need to know their target audience to design meaningful instruction experiences for the consumer. Many of the students I’ve worked with in the past, and will design content for in the future come from backgrounds vastly different than mine.
Many students that I’ve worked with are apart of the “majority minority” mentioned in the Yardi and Bruckman article “Income, Race, and Class: Exploring Socioeconomic Differences in Family Technology Use.” The role of devices in the household cannot be overlooked. Devices’ advancement and role of importance in society has skyrocketed every since the publishing of these articles. Students are inundated with access to devices. Although Yardi and Bruckman make mention that families from lower SES have less access to their own devices, I would contend the digital divide is closer now than the writing of these articles. Districts around the country purchased oodles of laptops, ipads, chromebooks, and other devices to combat the outbreak of COVID-19. In the matter of about a year and a half, many districts have an influx of technology availability, even in low-income areas. In my experiences, our district was not 1:1 at the start of 2019-2020 school year, but we are now heading into 2021-2022. Districts have opened the door of possibilities to put more devices into the homes of their students. However, a device alone is not the answer.
Pea and Maldonado’s 2005 article “WILD for Learning” highlights some of the early ambitions for technology use in the classroom. Now that many districts have the capabilities to put devices into the hands of students, even those in lower SES, how should all those involved use the devices? What competencies should students and teachers have in order to get the most out of these devices? With more students learning via technology than ever before, the educational technology industry is on the rise and accessible across a range of devices that diverse families can access. These innovatively designed applications can help move the needle for students on the receiving end. These valuable resources need to combed through and curated in order to provide a rich educational experience for students. Apps available across smartphones, tablets, and computers will continue to break down barriers and blur the lines between in-school and out-of-school learning.