Digital Divide OK Says Local Expert

You know you are getting old when you read an extremely articulate article about educational technology published in a respected British journal and find that it was written by a kid that you once coached on the soccer fields around Harrison.

Justin Beck, once an exceptional soccer goal keeper is now Vice President at Kaltura, an international leader in online education.  He recently authored and published an article that discusses the frustration some of us experience, especially teachers, as we try to keep up with the new technologies.  For teachers, having kids in the classroom who often are more comfortable and knowledgeable about technology can be disconcerting.

In his paper, Beck discusses how some experts thought that this disparity would eventually go away as new teachers entered the classroom.  After all, these teachers were once the kids that were more digitally adroit than their teachers.  They use smartphones, tweet, and participate fully in the digital world.   Beck goes on to say that… “while it is true over the short term that the gap may close, the rapid and continued pace of innovation will consistently ensure a chasm between students’ digital comfort levels and those of their (older) teachers.”  He concludes that it may be the difference in age and maturity than any innate facility with all things new that is the root cause of the differences.

The article concludes by suggesting that educators will always feel less confident, familiar and comfortable with the latest digital technologies than the student. Beck says that he is … “unsure if teachers will ever say they feel confident and comfortable in teaching digital literacy, precisely because technology is always advancing. By accepting that educators will always be behind on the digital literacy curve compared to most students, we can focus instead on using their well-honed teaching skills to inspire students to think out of the box for digital-led assignments.”

You can read the entire article on line at http://edtechnology.co.uk/Article/dont-mind-the-gap  It is a short but interesting read.