The Digital Divide

Screenshot of Google search results.

What is a digital native? I've been thinking about this recently as I prepare for the new school year. We're constantly hearing people talking about how our students are digital natives but have we ever stopped to think about what this truly means? A quick Google search reveals that a digital native is someone who is "familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age." Is that the whole definition though? Based on the definition of a digital native, all of our students should be familiar with computers and the Internet. However, this is not true.

While doing some reading on the topic, I found an interesting blog post by Geek Law Blog where he discusses a guest lecture at a law school. That's not the part of his post that interested me. I liked when he talked about his family:

"My wife thinks my sons are geniuses. One piece of evidence she submits in their favor is how well they use an iPad. I agree with her that the fact that my 1.5 year old can use an iPad is a testament to genius. But not his. For me, it is a testament to the genius of the designers at Apple who created a device so intuitive that 1.5 year old can use it. The kid touches a picture, it moves. Congratulations to him!"

Mary Jackson (NASA) one of the
first computer programmers.
Image Source: History.com

To better think about this concept, think back to the computers we grew up with. Remember DOS? How many of you reading this blog post are even older and remember what came before DOS? I don't, and I'm not going to pretend to understand the early computers but I did see Hidden Figures so I know that at one point computers were giant machines that read punch cards of sorts.



A dictionary entry on Techopedia does a much better job of explaining the concept of a digital native for teachers. The entry states that while children today are more likely to be familiar with the terminology of the digital world, it does not mean they will intuitively understand the processes and concepts. This is where teachers come in to play. We must guide our students.

I'm going to play a little devil's advocate for a moment and try to explain the importance of Computer Science by talking about a different subject that our students are required to learn in school. Biology.

From a young age, our students have interacted with living and non-living things. They understand there is a difference between plants and animals. They know that the fish they won at the carnival died and that mom flushed it down the toilet so it could go back to it's family in the ocean (alright, not really but you get the point). So why do we still teach Biology in school? Our students live and breathe Biology every day of their lives. They see it everywhere. Therefore they shouldn't need to learn about it, they already know it.

That is how we should feel about computer science. Yes, our students are growing up surrounded by it but that doesn't mean they have a true understanding of the concepts.

Google's Geo Teacher Institute 2017

The Google bikes are everywhere to get
Googlers from one building to another.

It finally happened. I made it to the Googleplex. This past week, I had the opportunity to join about 100 educators in Mountain View, CA with the Google Earth team. Here we learned about new and exciting ways to use Google's geography tools in the classroom. This annual conference has teachers from around the world hoping to attend.

The nice thing about this event, unlike other "space-limited" conferences, GTI tries to include educators of all skill levels. This allowed for a more diverse group of people. While I learned tons of new tricks, I also was able to listen to what other teachers are trying to learn. Often, as a digital native (Am I a digital native? I'm not positive from an anthropological stand point) I forget that not everything is as simple as it seems to me. Listening to the other attendees helped me grow my understanding of why some teachers are scared to try new things in the classroom.

Googlers taking time out of their
busy day to talk with us.

Another exciting piece of the conference was to talk directly with Googlers. We had a Q&A session with a group of Googlers where they answered most of our questions and also gave us suggestions of ways to motivate our students.

I think Goosechase was one of my favorite new resources. It's a virtual scavenger hunt that a teacher can setup for students. This can be used for a number of things but I like the idea of a field trip scavenger hunt. If you take your students to a museum, arrange a set of challenges so students have to actually look through the museum. They must then post a picture (check museum rules first on photography) to the app to receive credit. You can also use the app for homework in a similar fashion.

Group Selfie

I also really liked the idea of a group selfie. After our group shot we were all told to take a selfie at the same time as the main camera. The selfies are being synced with the group picture to create an interactive display. I can't wait to see the final project.

Some of the other tools we looked at:

• My Maps
• Classic Google Earth
• New Google Earth
• Street View
• Time-lapse
• 360 Cameras
• KML (language specific to Google Maps)
• Microblogging

Transitioning From the Classroom to Tech Coach

Image Source
Mrs. Mile's Technology Tidbits

Looking back at the past few years, my life's path has continued to change and grow. It seems that I add a blog post here specifically when something major happens. I started this blog after attending an Ed Tech conference. My next post was about being a Google for Education Certified Trainer. Fast forward and I've become a Google for Education Certified Innovator, Microsoft Innovative Educator, Apple Teacher, presented at ISTE, accepted a new job, finished my masters in Instructional Technology, and now the purpose of today's post... I am once again transitioning to a new position.

It's been many years in the making, but this year will be my first out of the classroom. I have accepted a technology specialist position with a new school where I will begin in a few weeks. I am very excited because in the few discussions I've had with the administration of the school, they are open to the ideas of teachers that help students.

My new role will be to help bring technology into the classrooms instead of bringing the classroom into technology. Confused? I was too at first but I am ready to rise to the challenge and have already been speaking with the administration. The school has decided that in its design, they will not have a "computer" class. Instead, they want each classroom to teach the skills students will need for the future. Learning to write and research? Add lessons on formatting documents and using Microsoft Word's built in research tools. Science Fair? Use OneNote to keep organized and Excel for data collection.

Additionally, I will be creating profession development and trainings to help teachers use the technology efficiently in their classrooms.

I'm excited and can't wait to begin yet another chapter in my professional life.