I feel that it can be a touchy situation. There may be students who come from a lower economic status that may not have a computer with internet in their house and so to require them to do a project like the ones we designed on the wikis would be asking them to do more work than other students, such as walking to a library or going to a boys and girls club, and if they do after school activities such as sports, choir, band, or other clubs they then would have to go to some place after practice or quit what may be the most fulfilling part of their life just because their family does not own a computer.
I do feel that I would be doing a disservice to all of the students if I were to not use technology in class. Like the article said most jobs will need their employees to have a working knowledge of the use of technologies so to remove from the standard learning environment the tools they will need to gain this knowledge puts all of the students at a disadvantage in this global economy to other students who have had that kind of instruction.
There are many ways that I, as an educator as well as an individual, could increase access for students who are disadvantaged technologically. I could make the students aware to the fact that there are places that have computers for use that are free such as at libraries, community technology centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, I could also create an after school program where I would supervise students who would like to use the computer technology center at the school for homework or recreational means, as long as it is appropriate and not distracting to the other students, so that they can have the opportunity to use a computer for something fun yet educational. I could also make the institution that I work for aware of the fact that technology is an integral part of the emerging world and that children who are not exposed to technology are at a supreme disadvantage so as to increase the opportunities for in class technology use.
