For each of the issues to be discussed at CSCL 1999, we have primed the discussion with one or two representative quotes from the "critical literature" (see the bibliography page on this site). We invite you to send in your response to this issue. You need not, of course, respond directly to the particular quotes that we have chosen if there are other issues that you feel are more important or interesting; and you are welcome to send something in even if you don't necessarily plan to attend the CSCL conference. We will act as moderators for the discussion and update this site regularly prior to the conference.
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2. That computers exacerbate a separation or fragmentation of cultures-e.g., between rich and poor, or between "technical" and "non-technical" cultures. |
"There were at least two kinds of problems exacerbated at Whitmore by computer use. First, the disparity between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' was increased somewhat. Just as the gifted students had special field trips and other desirable and sometimes expensive educational opportunities designed only for them, the academically more advanced students had more access to computers than did their peers....
National surveys suggest that the tendency for more privileged students to have greater computer access is not unique to Whitmore. They have demonstrated the not surprising fact that richer schools have more computers than do poorer ones (Becker, 1986; Becker & Sterling, 1987; Sutton, 1991). Furthermore, there is evidence that children from relatively affluent backgrounds are more likely than their poorer peers to be exposed to software designed to foster higher-order skills, whereas the latter group uses computers more for drill and practice (Cole & Griffin, 1987; Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition, 1989). To the extent that computer usage enhances what students learn or how they learn it, such disparities are likely to widen the already marked gap in achievement between students from more and less affluent backgrounds."
-- from Janet Ward Schofield, Computers and Classroom Culture, pp. 215-216
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Before computers, affluent schools could afford nice textbooks, and the poorer schools could not afford new books. The affluent students with the books did better, and thus widened the gap between the rich and poor. Does this mean books are bad?
the 2B1project of the MIT Media Lab claims
1. that it is founded on "a pledge to initiate and to support actions aimed at preventing a growing abyss between the digital haves and the digital have-nots"
2.that "inherent in the 2B1view of children is an answer to serious questions about whether it can be right to talk about bringing computers for children to countries where medicines and even food are in desperately short supply. For even in the most desperate situations, wisdom dictates putting serious resources into caring for tomorrow. And it is our deepest conviction that opening the horizons of the minds of children is the ultimate investment for breaking out of the vicious circle of poverty and illiteracy. Sooner than skeptics can imagine, connection with a bigger world of people and ideas (and hopes and dreams) will be possible and, will more than repay the investment."
to which extent is this a view determined by being at the Media Lab rather than living in places were food is in short supply?
Simon ("Sciences of the Artificial", p 161, 3rd ed, 1996) claims: "attending to the needs of the moment ó putting out fires - takes precedence over attending to the needs for new capital investment or new knowledge."
I'm deeply concerned about the disparity between affluent and developing nations (and communities). I believe that if left unaddressed, computers in schools (and in other social institutions) will aggravate this disparity. However, in my mind the answer is to create special programs and opportunities to reduce this disparity by providing technology and skills to the schools in these nations and communities. The World Bank is currently engaged in such an effort, called the World Links for Development or WorLD program, to provide schools with networked technology and teachers and students with the skills needed to use them to improve education.
I direct the evaluation of this program. Our analysis of the first year's operation shows that both teachers and students benefited from this program. My own experience in visiting schools in Uganda was that students are excited about the WorLD program in part because they use networked computing to access a world of resources on the Web that they would not otherwise access through their dated textbooks. Furthermore, they interact and collaborate with students in other countries in Africa (e.g., South Africa) and elsewhere in the world (e.g., Canada, the US) that they would not communicate with otherwise. I believe these new possibilities and new resources are extremely enriching for these students.