Journal 6

“ Social Justice: Choice or Necessity?”

By: Colleen Swain and David Edyburn

In this article, Swain and Edyburn discuss the teacher’s decision to use or not use technology in the classroom. They discuss the use of the computer as a social justice tool. They go on to say that the access to technology in this country is not as good as it should be. They also say that access to technology is not enough today. Students need to be fluent and well versed in technology. They say that students without these skills are at a disadvantage in terms of future educational and employment opportunities. The teacher is to bridge the gap between the “digital divide” this divide being the access versus the actual full implementation of technology in the educational lives of the students. For teachers to do this, there are many guidelines for them to meet to ensure that they are fairly implementing technology. They need to make technology: available, use it routinely; use it in ways that reflect real-world applications of interest, complexity and power. They also need to use technology to enhance learning opportunities for all students and to monitor teacher/students progress over time. For them to effectively do the first guide line and thus do the others, they can consult the “Digital Equity Portal.” This portal can give teachers resources to get technology in the classrooms. From refurbished computers to open source educational software, the portal gives the teacher many a source for closing the gap between the digital divide.”
Finally, they say that the technology is most effectively implemented when the teacher implementing it is self reflective. It he/she is self-reflective, they can be more effective and more social justice conscious educators.


1. Q: How is it that educators have not fully realized that technology is not the enemy?
A: One answer might be the case that educators have not grown up with technology and are afraid to show some kind of fallibility in front of the students and lose respect and control of the classroom environment.

2. Q: Can teachers in the real world fairly implement technology?
A: They can fairly implement technology, not just put the student in front of the computer screen and say, “ have fun, go crazy,” they can, with the use of monitoring software and other less technologically advanced methods, help to close the gap of the “Digital Divide”