Eclectic Technology
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Eclectic Technology
Education Technology
Tech tools that assist all students to be independent learners & teachers to become better teachers
Curated by Beth Dichter
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Is Technology Widening Opportunity Gaps Between Rich And Poor Kids?

Is Technology Widening Opportunity Gaps Between Rich And Poor Kids? | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
From blogs.kqed.org - June 27, 2014 9:55 PM
The way kids interact with computers and software -- and the support they get from adults -- is more important to improve learning outcomes than merely having access to the technology, study finds.
Beth Dichter's insight:

Research continues to tell us that providing students with digital devices does not lead to improved learning outcomes. The question that needs to be looked at is what else needs to be done?
This post begins by looking at two neighborhoods in Philadelphia. One neighborhood has "concentrated affluence" and the other has "concentrated poverty."  They each had one item that was similar - a library. Each library  had "been retooled with banks of new computers, the latest software and speedy Internet access."

The researchers were interested in seeing if the introduction of computers would "close the opportunity gap." Unfortunately this is not what happened. Here is one sentence from the post: "They select different programs and features, engage in different types of mental activity, and come away with different kinds of knowledge and experience."

There is much more information found in this post. The way the students use the computers were very different between the two groups as was the interaction of the adults with the children.

This post brings up one question for me. More and more schools are moving to a one-to-one initiative. Are these schools providing teachers with the necessary professional development for them to effectively teach their students? Will we be able to overcome the obstacles that were found in these two very different libraries in our schools, or will we see a difference between our students who have access at home and those who do not?

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diane gusa's comment, June 28, 2014 5:30 AM
you are one of my favorite curators!
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How Educators Can Help Close the Achievement Gap With Simple Tactics | MindShift

How Educators Can Help Close the Achievement Gap With Simple Tactics | MindShift | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
From blogs.kqed.org - February 25, 2013 8:41 PM

"A new study from Stanford shows that a simple teaching tactic may help close the achievement gap between Latino American students and their white peers...The matter comes down to overcoming the negative effects of “stereotype threat,” a phenomenon that researchers have identified and documented over the last two decades. What they have found – in numerous studies – is that the stress and uncertain sense of belonging that can stem from being a member of a negatively stereotyped group undermines academic performance of minority students as compared with white students."

Beth Dichter's insight:

I rarely quote extensively from posts I have read, but in this case I am going to quote a section that appears in this post.
"Cohen and his colleagues have been looking for remedies to stereotype threat. In the first study described in the article, the researchers devised well-timed “values-affirmation” classroom assignments given to both Latino and white students as a part of the regular classroom curriculum. In one exercise, middle schoolers were given a list of values, such as “being good at art,” “being religious” and “having a sense of humor.” They were asked to pick the ones that were important to them and write a few sentences describing why. In a second exercise, they reflected in a more open-ended manner on things in their life that were important to them, and in a third they were guided to write a brief essay describing how the things they most consistently valued would be important to them in the coming spring.

Students completed several structured reflection exercises in their class throughout the year. The tasks were given at critical moments: the beginning of the school year; before tests; and near the holiday season, a period of stress for many people."

The post goes on to note that there was a control group and that there were significan differences between the two groups with the Latino students obtaining higher grades and that the effects of this affirmation exercise lasted for three years.

I posted an article about this a few weeks ago, but this article (which is actually a reprint of one published in the Stanford Graduate School of Education website) provides a more in-depth look at some of these studies. If you have a large Latino population in your school it is worth your time to check out this article.

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Can Exercise Close the Achievement Gap?

Can Exercise Close the Achievement Gap? | Eclectic Technology | Scoop.it
From www.psmag.com - June 16, 2014 9:51 PM
Just 12 minutes of aerobic exercise can boost low-income college students’ academic performance. The effect is large enough to close the achievement gap.
Beth Dichter's insight:

In 2012 a study was published that noted there were academic benefits for low-income who had "short bursts of aerobic exercise. This article shares a new study where participants age 17 - 21 were placed in groups (based on income level) and assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group jogged for 12 minutes while the control group watched a video on the benefits of exercise. And yes, these students also saw a significant increase in academic performance. For more information click through to the article.

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Progressive training's curator insight, June 17, 2014 11:30 AM

Can Exercise Close the Achievement Gap?
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