This is more a social commentary related to tech, I think! I have phone envy. Everyone around me has or is getting an iPhone, and I really feel I need one--indeed am professionally obligated to own one! But...it's the cost! How can I justify purchasing a new phone when the one I have is less than two years old and works just fine? While I'm at it, my camera is falling apart (literally!) and is at least five years old, and my computer is a dinosaur....And so the social commentary to all this is: can I really afford to be a cutting-edge, tech-savvy teacher? On my income? As a single home-owner with two girls in college trying to keep up with the latest technology, I wonder about the huge digital divide between those who can and cannot afford it. Just a devil's advocate posting to help us remember that many of our library patrons come to us because they don't have a computer at home, they might not have the technology to take advantage of our library blogs, videos, feeds, on-line catalog and all from home. While ecologically I would like to only have virtual newsletters and use email for communicating, I still do send home paper promotional brochures, newsletters and handouts with those folks in mind who have limited technology access.
I have long wished I could have the school library open in the evenings for parents to bring their children in and just play with, explore, and use our equipment. It would take an extraordinary amount of volunteering to make this happen, however, and I suspect it would become an evening of playing on gamesites...or is that okay?!
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Oh the digital divide is an ongoing issue. On the one hand - I LOVE my iPhone and it has allowed me to go from 3 devices (phone, PalmPilot, and ipod) to one ( and to only 1 charger as well) but I totally understand the $$ issue. Especially when you have kids in college. How do we provide the equity and is it only our responsibility to provide it. Is there another agency that should be helping? No answers there - just additional questions.
ReplyDeleteOn the other issue. I don't see anything wrong with just being the community space. No reason not to host board game night or just be a safe place for the community. Some of the teachers at the HS I worked at wondered why I let the kids play Magic Cards in the Library....my response was that they were creating community and if they were in the library they might trip and fall into a book.....not that I wasn't subversive....I put fantasy and gaming books on display at the tables where they played :-)