Blog 1

 Blog 2

Some of the dividing factors that is impacting my community is the access to technology and resources, socioeconomic and time constraints, cultural and language differences, prior educational experiences, digital literacy, representation and voice and trauma and emotional safety.

·         In my community, there is not technically a deficit in access to devices, (laptops, IPads, desktop computers, etc..), but there are no eBooks on property from the lower elementary library to the high school learning resource center. I feel that this excludes certain students from digital storytelling or other technology-rich learning experiences.  

·         Participation in enrichment activities, like having access to eBooks, shouldn’t feel like a privilege. It is my goal for all Kiefer students to have access to technology. This is an opportunity for them to gain the knowledge that others have.

·         As Kiefer has continued to grow, so have our ESL students. I have witnessed, in my library, that the language barrier can prevent certain students from understanding text that is written within books. EBooks would be able to bridge that gap between these ESL and non-ESL students.

·         Unfortunately, many ESL and reluctant reading students often have had negative past experiences with the library and traditional books. This can lead to mistrust and disengagement.

·         Differences in comfort with technology can create feelings of intimidation or inadequacies. If my students do not feel that they are capable of using the eBooks, then this can lead to disengagement even when they have a right to the full collection of eBooks from the library.

·         All of my students deserve to be represented and to have a voice. Many are unable to comprehend physical books so this “Call to Action” would reinforce the feelings of being seen.

·         Books can create a safe, supportive space where students can read about others that share a similar personal narrative. All of my students deserve this access. It is my goal that having access to eBooks can bridge the gap between the “haves and the have nots.”

There are approximately 350 students enrolled at the Kiefer lower elementary. Out of these students, 69.5% identify as white, 23% are American Indian, 5% are Hispanic, 0.7% are Asian, and 1.8% identify as African American. There is a low chance that these students are non-English speaking within the home. .

Covid disrupted traditional forms of connection and increased isolation, community-wide. Covid-19 challenge were identified in research and things like, inequity, learning loss, and emotional strain were felt around the world. Students from Kiefer experienced learning loss, especially in literacy during these remote learning periods. My younger elementary students missed critical opportunities for library time as well as, socialization and collaboration. Teachers were required to rapidly adapt instruction, integrate unfamiliar technologies, and try to bridge academic gaps. Parents were suddenly expected support learning at home while working remotely, themselves. School administrators had to adapt and communicate in their communities in order for the school to prove resilient.   

I feel that my school is better than most with bridging the digital divide for our students, however, there is not one eBook on the entire campus of any of the Kiefer schools. I know for some, this might not seem like a big issue, but for our ESL students and our reluctant readers, this could be a very big deal. This digital divide affects my lower elementary students and that can continue with them as the go into the upper elementary and beyond. Brown’s research really resonated with me as I dove further into my own assignment.

Brown, W. (2020). Digital Divide. Retrieved from https://open.library.okstate.edu/learninginthedigitalage/chapter/the-digital-divide/Links to an external site.