Demystifying Technology for ALL Learners

Wolske, Martin; Haniya, Samaa

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/73301 Copy

Description

Title

Demystifying Technology for ALL Learners

Author(s)

• Wolske, Martin
• Haniya, Samaa

Issue Date

2015-02

Keyword(s)

• Digital literacy -- Case studies -- Illinois
• Technology education -- Case studies -- Illinois

Geographic Coverage

Champaign, IL

Abstract

Some researchers have begun to call into question the dominant rhetoric and policies regarding the digital divide as an oversimplification missing deeper social and institutionalized inequalities that form the root of what might be termed a “people divide” (Luyt, 2004; Eubanks, 2011). The distributive paradigm in relation to the digital divide has its roots in a value system of technocentrism – a belief in technology’s ability to control and protect the environment (Papert, 1987). Instead, new frameworks such as digital inclusion (IMLS, 2012) and cognitive justice and critical citizenship (Eubanks, 2011) inform this work. Core to these complementary frameworks is the emphasis on community-wide participation in planning, creation, and implementation. To advance such broad participation, new educational pedagogies for digital literacy and computational thinking are needed for all participants to become more critical technological citizens. Our approach, which we call Demystifying Technology, is grounded in progressive education that bring teachers and students into a space of mutual learning around problems of relevance to participants’ everyday lives (Dewey, 1938). The purpose of the current project is to expand the pilot of these Demystifying Technology workshops and to initiate a more formal evaluation of the approach, resulting in a template for others to incorporate components of Demystifying Technology workshops into their digital literacy programs.

Publisher

Champaign, IL : Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

Series/Report Name or Number

TR Series (Illinois Sustainable Technology Center) ; 055

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/73301

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Grant No. HWR14232

Owning Collections